**Spinach: A Versatile Leafy Green with Endless Culinary Possibilities**
Spinach, a leafy green vegetable belonging to the Amaranthaceae family, holds a prominent place in various cuisines worldwide. Renowned for its nutritional value and versatility, spinach can be enjoyed fresh, cooked, or processed into a wide array of delectable dishes. From vibrant salads and sautéed sides to hearty soups and flavorful pies, spinach seamlessly blends into various culinary creations.
This article presents a collection of enticing spinach recipes that cater to diverse tastes and preferences. Whether you seek a quick and easy weeknight meal or an impressive dish for a special occasion, these recipes offer something for every home chef. From the classic creamed spinach, a comforting and creamy side dish, to the vibrant and tangy spinach salad with a zesty dressing, these recipes showcase the versatility of this leafy green.
For those seeking a substantial and flavorful main course, the spinach and feta stuffed shells, bursting with creamy spinach and tangy feta cheese, are a delightful choice. Alternatively, the spinach and ricotta cannelloni, featuring tender cannelloni pasta filled with a luscious spinach and ricotta filling, promises an indulgent dining experience.
If you're in the mood for a hearty and comforting soup, the spinach and potato soup, with its velvety texture and rich flavors, is sure to satisfy. And for a light and refreshing lunch or snack, the spinach and avocado wrap, packed with fresh spinach, creamy avocado, and a tangy dressing, offers a delightful combination of flavors and textures.
With its abundance of essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, spinach is a nutritional powerhouse that enhances the healthfulness of any dish. Whether you're a seasoned cook or a novice in the kitchen, these spinach recipes provide a delightful and nutritious way to incorporate this leafy green into your meals.
JOE'S SPECIAL BEEF AND SPINACH SCRAMBLE
This mammoth plate of food features three eggs, a half-pound of meat, and more than enough spinach. Apparently a late-night patron requested his spinach omelet include a hamburger patty, and this is what happened. In respect to good ol' made-up 'Joe,' I've kept the original portions, so feel free to share with a friend or three. This version is mostly meat and spinach, but if you want something closer to a classic scramble, then cut the beef and spinach amounts in half. This is how most restaurants that copy the recipe do it!
Provided by Chef John
Categories 100+ Breakfast and Brunch Recipes Eggs Scrambled Egg Recipes
Time 30m
Yield 1
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Beat eggs, basil, and oregano together in a bowl.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onions with a pinch of salt in hot oil until onion is translucent, 4 to 6 minutes; add mushrooms with another pinch of salt. Saute mushrooms and onion until mushrooms are soft and brown around the edges, 4 to 6 minutes more.
- Stir ground beef, pepper, and salt into the mushroom mixture. Cook and stir until meat is lightly browned and crumbly, 1 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat. Push all meat to one side of the skillet and tilt the skillet so that the excess grease runs down to the bottom of the pan. Use a paper towel to blot the grease.
- Stir spinach into beef mixture and cook over medium heat until spinach is heated through, about 1 minute. Add eggs; cook and stir until eggs are set, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and top with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 879 calories, Carbohydrate 13.6 g, Cholesterol 715 mg, Fat 60 g, Fiber 5.5 g, Protein 72 g, SaturatedFat 19.3 g, Sodium 612.6 mg, Sugar 4.8 g
LORI'S SPECIAL SPINACH
Steps:
- Heat olive oil in medium stock pot, when hot add spinach and chopped garlic. Cook until fully wilted, then add chicken broth and reduce. Season with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with the Parmesan and serve immediately.
SPECIAL STRAWBERRY SPINACH SALAD
Any way you slice them, strawberries are extra-colorful and refreshing when paired with crisp greens in this salad.-Jean Newnham, Peterborough, Ontario
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Lunch
Time 10m
Yield 6-8 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries and almonds. Place dressing ingredients in a blender; cover and process until combined. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts :
CROCK POT SPINACH SPECIAL
This is a yummy way to eat spinach - even my kids will eat it. It is adapted from the "Fix it & Forget it" cookbook.
Provided by appleydapply
Categories Spinach
Time 4h10m
Yield 8 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Pour into crock pot.
- Cook on High 1 hour. Reduce heat to Low and cook 3 more hours.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 250, Fat 16.1, SaturatedFat 8.8, Cholesterol 112.4, Sodium 764.8, Carbohydrate 10.1, Fiber 3.5, Sugar 2.4, Protein 18.2
SPECIAL SPINACH SALAD
I always get compliments when I serve this refreshing salad during the holidays. The creamy dressing is perfect with the colorful cranberries and crunchy nuts. -Laurene Hunsicker, Canton, Pennsylvania
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Lunch
Time 15m
Yield 4 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- In a small bowl, whisk the oil, sugar, vinegar, sour cream and mustard. Divide spinach among four salad plates; drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle with walnuts and cranberries.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 364 calories, Fat 28g fat (4g saturated fat), Cholesterol 5mg cholesterol, Sodium 38mg sodium, Carbohydrate 26g carbohydrate (19g sugars, Fiber 3g fiber), Protein 5g protein.
SPECIAL OCCASION SPINACH SALAD
This is a recipe my wife and I have tinkered with and molded to our likes. We make it for special occasions, as the title suggests. Some of the ingredients are simply "to taste," so feel free to tinker with the proportions to suit your own tastes.
Provided by misaistheboofy
Categories Vegetable
Time 20m
Yield 8 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- In a large salad bowl, toss first 7 ingredients. Add desired amount of dressing and toss with remaining ingredients. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts : Calories 100.6, Fat 6.1, SaturatedFat 3.3, Cholesterol 13.4, Sodium 249.8, Carbohydrate 7.7, Fiber 1.7, Sugar 5.1, Protein 4.6
SPECIAL SPINACH
This might take you back to the sixties, and if you don't have memories of that time, try this and get a taste of the "good old days".
Provided by Happy Harry 2
Categories Vegetable
Time 25m
Yield 3-4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 4
Steps:
- Cook spinach in 1/4 cup water just till tender. Do not salt the water.
- Drain thoroughly, pressing out liquid.
- Stir in cottage cheese and soup mix.
- Cook over low heat stirring occasionally until mixture is hot.
SPECIAL SHRIMP AND SPINACH
I had a bunch of dollops and dabs in the icebox, and wanted to use them up. We fell in love with this yummy mix, and it is so light that you don't even feel guilty if you go back for seconds!
Provided by Cindy d'Aquin-Pike
Categories Seafood
Time 1h45m
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- 1. Cook the pasta in some olive oil and salt until just a slightly bit underdone. Don't fret; it will be completly cooked as a finished dish. Drain well, rinse, put back in a pot;drizzle with just enough olive oil to keep from sticking. Set aside.
- 2. In a cast iron skillet(I have a very deep one that is 13" in diameter, and about 100 years old that I use), saute the garlic,onion,red pepper and ginger in a splash of olive oil. Add the shrimp and saute until just slightly under done.Add the spices (the dill,basil,lemon grass). Add the mushrooms and the spinach but don't stir them into the shrimp.Just layer them over the shrimp, otherwise they will become very soggy. Cover for about three minutes, then stir everything together. The spinach should be slightly limp, but not soggy. This will complete the cooking of the shrimp, and they should now be a nice shade of pink. The four oz of angel hair pasta that you started out with should have become eight oz. of cooked pasta. Fold it into the shrimp mixture, along with the pine nuts. The juices in the bottom of the pan will be absorbed by the pasta. Pour the squeezed lemon juice over the mix, and stir. Cover for a couple of minutes on a very low fire. Don't let it scorch.
- 3. Serve with a spinach salad, and garlic bread. I'm sure that white wine can also be added, but since I no longer drink, I omitted it. Hubby suggested sun roasted tomatoes, but as yet, we haven't tried this addition. We did sprinkle it with fresh grated parmasean cheese,and a light sprinkle of red pepper flakes;it really brought the flavors together! Add the salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
JOE'S SPECIAL (GROUND BEEF, SPINACH & EGGS)
According to my cookbooks, Joe's Special is a San Francisco specialty dating to the 1920's. I have seen several versions; what they all have in common is ground beef, spinach and eggs. This is not fancy, but it makes a great main dish for a light supper or brunch. I like to serve this with toasted Beer Bread and a fresh fruit salad.
Provided by ClareVH
Categories Spinach
Time 20m
Yield 4-6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Beat the eggs and set aside for step 7.
- Heat the oil and butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat.
- When the butter has melted, add the ground beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crumbly.
- Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is tender but not browned.
- Stir in the spinach, basil, oregano and nutmeg.
- If using fresh spinach, cook until the spinach wilts.
- Add the beaten eggs to the beef/spinach mixture and cook until the eggs are set, about 3 minutes.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
VERY SPECIAL SPINACH
Ideal slow cooker meal, Fit-it and Forget-it meal.
Provided by NIKKI SMITH
Categories Vegetables
Time 5h
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- 1. Mix togeher all ingredients.
- 2. Pour into a slow cooker
- 3. Cook on High for 1 hour, Reduce heat to Low and cook 4 more hours.
Tips:
- Choose the right spinach: For the best flavor and texture, use fresh, young spinach with tender leaves. Avoid any spinach that is wilted, yellowed, or has large stems.
- Wash the spinach thoroughly: Before using, be sure to wash the spinach thoroughly in cold water to remove any dirt or grit. You can also soak the spinach in a bowl of cold water for a few minutes to help remove any stubborn dirt.
- Don't overcook the spinach: Spinach cooks very quickly, so it's important to avoid overcooking it. Overcooked spinach will lose its vibrant green color and become limp and mushy. For best results, cook the spinach for just a few minutes, or until it is wilted and tender.
- Season the spinach to taste: Spinach has a mild flavor, so it can be seasoned with a variety of herbs and spices. Some popular options include garlic, onion, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and nutmeg.
- Use spinach in a variety of dishes: Spinach is a versatile ingredient that can be used in a variety of dishes, including salads, soups, stews, casseroles, and quiches. It can also be used as a wrap for sandwiches and burritos.
Conclusion:
Spinach is a healthy and delicious leafy green that can be enjoyed in a variety of dishes. By following these tips, you can ensure that you're getting the most out of this nutritious vegetable. So next time you're looking for a healthy and flavorful addition to your meal, reach for some spinach!
Are you curently on diet or you just want to control your food's nutritions, ingredients? We will help you find recipes by cooking method, nutrition, ingredients...
Check it out »
You'll also love