• Please share your favorite spinach recipes
• More Favorite Recipes from the BPN

Please share your favorite spinach recipes

I am trying to expand my food horizons now that I have a child because I want him to eat better foods than his mom did when she was a kid. I want both of us to eat more spinach, but frankly, I can't figure out how to prepare it so that it isn't (a) completely tough, like in a traditional spinach salad or (b) greasy and limp, like when it is wilted in a saute or creamed. I'm looking for recipes that contain spinach, where the spinach is either disguised or is somehow transformed into something palatable. For example, I've heard of people using a heated salad dressing to partially wilt their spinach salad, but I can't seem to find a recipe. Will some of you spinach-eaters share your favorite spinach recipes with me? Popeye Wannabe

low-stress and impossible to mess-up spinach pie:

frozen pie crust (we look for ones with vegetable oil, no lard)
trader joe's frozen bag of pesticide-free spinach (one bag = 
one pie)
eggs
cottage or ricotta cheese
grated cheese
mustard powder
mushrooms or tomatoes, optional

pre-heat over to 350-375 ish.

poke the crust with fork and put the crust in the oven for 5-10 
minutes (makes less soggy, i think) 

filling:
you can use fresh spinach, steam it (or microwave it) and 
squeeze excess liquid (clean hands are quickest squeezing 
method, get most juice out).
defrost spinach (microwave or move from freeze to fridge 
evening or morning before use) and squeeze excess liquid.

eggs, 3 or 4.  

grated (whatever you like or have handy, originally used 
mozerralla, but cheddar is easier to spell!)cheese (either line 
the crust or throw in to the filling mix)

cottage cheese or ricotta - close to 16 oz container.

spices - i'm pretty ignorant, use some mustard powder because 
container says good for egg dishes.  i'm seeking mild for the 
kids so no longer use pepper.  whatever.

to quote blue's clues:  mixa, mixa, mixa
then, poura, poura, poura in crust

often top with some shredded cheese or tomato slices.

bake until it seems to firm up. an hour?

optionals:
before kids, used to throw in some salsa. 
tomatoes, in season on top of pie.
mushrooms lining the crust. 

If anyone has an improved version, please post!!

PS. Friend makes lasagna with greens or spinach. I'm not that ambitious, though. good luck!

Boil water, dunk clean spinach leaves (1 or 2 bunches from 
store, w/ the ends cut off) into boiled water and remove 
immediately.  W/ your hands, squeeze excess water out of the 
leaves into a mixing bowl.

add a drizzle of sesame oil ( 1-2 tablespoons)
add finely chopped garlic (3-5 cloves, fresh)
and chopped green onions (2 onions)
and sea salt to taste

Mix in the bowl w/ your hands.

The amounts are to taste - my mother and i do it w/out measuring 
so the amounts above are a guess.  

Personally, I love spinach raw, especially the ''baby spinach.'' But that's just me! (organic) spinach lover

My favorite and easiest recipe:  

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil (I use olive) in a large pot that has a 
lid.  Add 1 smashed garlic clove and let it sizzle for a minute.  
Then add a bunch or 2 of washed spinach (some water 
should still be clinging to it - if its prewashed and bagged, 
add a little water - 1/4 cup).  Put the lid on the pot and wait 1 
minute.  Then stir and serve or let cook a bit longer so it's 
done enough for you.  I squeeze a lemon over it (Meyer 
lemon if you have it) and add salt & pepper to taste.  This 
recipe works for other greens as well (mustard, chard, 
collards, etc.)  you just may need to cook them longer.

I try to work spinach in wherever I can.  I'll add handfuls into 
canned lentil soup that I'm heating or put hot beans and rice 
over it and add hot sauce, cheese, sour cream ,etc.
Catherine F


Y
This Thai recipe is usually made with swamp 
cabbage/kankong/kongxincai but works well with spinach.  I make 
it without the 1/4 cup of sliced jalapeno pepper:

2 Tb. oil
1 lb. swamp cabbage or spinach, cut into 1 in. pieces
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tb. black bean sauce (available at most Bay area supermarkets 
in the Asian food aisle)
1 Tb fish sauce
1 ts. sugar

Heat a large skillet until very hot; add the oil and all the 
remaining ingredients.  Quickly stir-fry for 30 seconds and 
serve.

For spinach salads, be sure you buy the baby spicach - it's much more tender than regular. If it's really too much spinach for you, mix it with other baby greens.

For a quick wilt: heat up a little olive oil in a pan. Add some garlic (crushed or chopped) and stir for a moment. Pour it quickly over the spinach (or turn of the heat and add the spinach to the pan for a little wiltier version). Add a sqeeze of lemon juice, or a splash of your favorite vinegar. Salt and pepper if you wish.

Also good: make (or heat up) your favorite lentil soup. About a minute or two before serving, add some torn up sinach leaves. Ms. Popeye

* Fine chop it for pastas and risottos, tossing it in at the 
last minute so it keeps it's intense green colour. This can be 
as little as a few tablespoons to two cups.
* Fine chop it into soups or French green lentils.
* Quick saute in olive oil with garlic/carmelized onions.
* Add it to mixed baby greens for a nutritional punch.
* Steam or quick blanch (5-10 seconds) spinach and add a little 
butter.  Butter really ''improves'' the flavour for children.
* Layer it in our lasagne along with finely grated carrots.
* Make spanikopita (Greek spinach and feta pie). Turns out that 
chopped frozen is easier to use here.

Spinach & White Beans with Garlic:

1 clove garlic, minced
1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 lb. spinach, washed & chopped 
     (the bags of pre-washed spinach is definitely easier 
because spinach is soooo dirty but with a salad spinner and 
some patience, bunches of spinach is much cheaper.  it's your 
call!)
15 or 16 oz. can white beans, rinsed and drained 
1 TBSP basalmic vinegar

In skillet, cook garlic until golden.  Add spinach, stir & cook 
until just wilted.  Add beans, vinegar, salt & pepper to 
taste.  Simmer, stirring 2 minutes.

Finally, remember that spinach SHRINKS beyond belief when you cook it. You may think you have alot, but once you cook it up, it reduces very very very much.

Good luck and I'm glad you're giving spinach another chance because it's really one of my very favorite veggies! yummmmmm! tiffany

So. The recipes that have been successful lately:

1. Quiches. Incredibly easy and always a hit. We buy frozen crusts, so the preparation takes about 10-20 minutes, and then it's in the oven. Cover the bottom of the crust with shredded cheese (swiss or cheddar work well). Saute some veggies (spinach and mushrooms, or broccoli, or white beans and tomatoes, or asparagus - here's where you get creative! Add some basil or other spices if you like. No salt necessary - it ends up salty enough.) and throw them in on top of the cheese. Mix 3 eggs and a cup of milk, soy milk or yogurt, and pour the concoction over everything. Sprinkle with paprika and bake for 35 minutes at 375 or so. Let it sit for a few minutes to firm up, and enjoy!

2. Minestrone. Absolutely easy. Saute some carrots, onions, garlic, and celery for a few minutes, then add some water and let it cook into broth. Add small pasta shapes and let it cook until almost done, then add a can of chopped or crushed tomatoes, greens (kale, collards, or spinach chopped up really small), beans (last time we tried canned soy beans and he LOVED it), and anything else you want. Cook until the greens are cooked and the pasta is al-dente. Serve with crusty bread and covered with parmesan. We're able to slip some of the greens onto the spoon under a bean or some cheese, and he doesn't even know he's eating it.

3. Green soup. Usually I make this with broccoli, but I bet you could add some spinach or other veggies and it would be good. Steam some broccoli with chopped ginger, and boil some potatoes at the same time. When both are done, puree them with some of the potato water, soy milk or milk, chicken broth, or some combination of all of them. Add some salt and pepper, and if your kids are adventurous, cayenne pepper. While still very hot, stir in shredded cheddar, parmesan, or other melty cheese. Serve it with crusty bread.

4. Last night my mother-in-law came over with some delicious eggy stuff that my son loved. I'm not sure exactly how she made it, but it had lots of eggs, sauteed ground turkey, spinach, and goat cheese mixed together. She put some parmesan on top and baked it for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. It was almost like a baked omelet, or a heavy souffle. Jen

Spinach, White Bean and Sausage Soup

5-6 chicken/turkey pesto sausages (I use Aidell's), sliced into 
1/2 rounds
1 onion, chopped,
olive oil or spray for sauteing
3 cloves garlic
3 zucchini chopped
1 package (16 oz.) washed baby spinach, chopped
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tblsp crumbled sage
2 cans white beans, cooked and rinsed and drained.
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
Using olive oil, brown sausages and remove from pot.  Add onion 
and cook 5 minutes.  Add garlic and spices, 2-3 more minutes.  
Add zucchini and chopped spinach and saute until spinach is just 
wilted.  Add chicken stock, water and beans and bring to boil.  
Add sausage and simmer for 20 minutes or so.  Serve!

''Parenting'' magazine had a delicious spinach and ricotta pie recipe in their Sept. 2003 issue. It is easy, and makes enough to freeze for later.

Our family loves ''green pasta'': Take 15 oz ricotta cheese, one package prepared pesto, 16 oz frozen spinach (thawed and drained), and parmesan to taste, and blend in blender or food processor. Toss with pasta (we especially like it with gnocci -- available at Trader Joe's). This makes enough for two servings for our family, so I divide and freeze half. Melissa T