Best 16 Spinach Pilaf Recipes

QUINOA-AND-SPINACH PILAF

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium. Add onion and garlic; cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add quinoa and cook 1 minute. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Stir in spinach and lemon zest, then season with salt and pepper.

SPINACH-FETA RICE PILAF, SLICED STEAK WITH OREGANO SAUCE, AND BROILED TOMATOES WITH PARSLEY

Steps:

• For the rice: Heat a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat in a saucepot with tight fitting lid. To the melted butter, add the orzo and lightly toast. Add the onion and cook to soften, 5 minutes. Stir in the rice and 1 1/2 cups of stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Preheat the broiler.
• For the beef: Heat a cast iron griddle or a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat flank steaks in extra-virgin olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. When the grill is very hot, cook the meat 10 to 12 minutes for medium-rare or 15 minutes for medium, turning occasionally. When the meat has been cooking for about 5 minutes, start the sauce in a small saucepot over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, shallot, chile pepper, and oregano. Stir 2 to 3 minutes, and then add the butter. When the butter melts, stir in the lemon juice and remove from heat.
• For the rice: Add the remaining splash of stock along with the spinach to a food processor and process to a fine chop. Stir the spinach into the rice and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Cover, turn off the heat, and let stand 2 more minutes. Fluff the rice with fork and stir in the feta.
• For the tomatoes: Season halved tomatoes with salt and pepper and top with parsley. Drizzle the tomatoes liberally with extra-virgin olive oil and broil 3 to 4 minutes. Allow the meat to rest a bit then very thinly slice against the grain. Serve the sliced steak with a side of rice, a spoon of sauce over top, and a 2 tomato halves per person.;

QUINOA AND SPINACH PILAF

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir onion and garlic until onion is softened, about 4 minutes. Add quinoa to onion mixture; cook and stir for about 1 minute more.
• Pour water over quinoa mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover saucepan, and simmer until quinoa is tender and water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
• Stir spinach and lemon zest into quinoa mixture; season with salt and pepper.

RICOTTA, SPINACH, AND HAM STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST MARSALA WITH PINE NUT PILAF

Steps:

• Cut 4 long pieces of kitchen twine.
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add a liberal drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil plus 2 tablespoons butter and saute the mushrooms for 8 to10 minute to darken.
• Meanwhile, butterfly the chicken breasts open and pound them out very thin, no more than 1/8-inch thick. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and top each piece of chicken with 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese and spread it around. Top with 1/4 of the spinach and season with freshly grated nutmeg, salt and pepper. Then top each piece of chicken with a slice of speck. Roll the chicken into bundles and secure with twine. Season the bundles with salt and pepper and dredge lightly in flour.
• Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper and remove to a plate. Add extra-virgin olive oil to coat the pan. Add the chicken and cook over medium-high heat for 15 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate and cover with foil. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan, sprinkle in 2 tablespoons flour, and deglaze the pan with marsala. Add the broth and cook to thicken, about 1 to 2 minutes, and then add the mushrooms to combine. Remove the string from the chicken and top with sauce. Serve with Pine Nut Pilaf.
• Melt the butter in a saucepot over medium heat. Add the orzo and pine nuts and toast until golden. Add the rice and stir in the stock. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer, and cover. Cook for 18 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

BLUE CHEESE-STUFFED BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH PORT SAUCE & MUSHROOM-SPINACH BARLEY PILAF

Steps:

• Prepare beef and sauce: Slit tenderloin lengthwise, almost but not all the way through. Sprinkle with salt and 1/2 tsp. each pepper and thyme. Mix cheese, bread crumbs and 1/4 tsp. each pepper and thyme; stuff pocket with cheese mixture. Tie tenderloin crosswise at 1 1/2-inch intervals. Coat with oil and sprinkle with more salt and pepper; set aside. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed roasting pan over two burners on medium-high heat. When pan is very hot, turn on exhaust fan and sear roast until well browned, about 2 minutes on all 4 sides; transfer to a cookie sheet. Reduce heat to low; add port, scraping roasting pan to loosen brown bits. Pour port into a saucepan with 1 cup broth. Simmer until reduced to 1 cup; whisk in cornstarch to thicken. Set aside. Prepare pilaf: Place mushrooms in a bowl, cover with3 cups of water and agitate to loosen dirt. Let sit 30 minutes. Put mushrooms in a fine mesh strainer; reserve liquid in bowl. Wash mushrooms under running water. Set aside. Pour mushroom liquid through strainer into another bowl. Add 2 Tbs. oil to the roasting pan. Sauté onion until well browned, 5 minutes. Add barley. Sauté; stir constantly,1 to 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, then wine. Simmer until nearly evaporated; add reserved mushroom liquid and4 cups broth, and bring to a simmer. To cook: Set a wire rack over the barley; set beef on rack. Cook, uncovered, until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 120 (medium-rare) or 125 (medium), 30 to 35 minutes. Remove roast from rack and rack from pan. Let roast rest for about 25 minutes. Return barley to oven; cook until liquid evaporates and barley is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven; stir in spinach and Parmesan until spinach wilts. To serve: Reheat port wine sauce. Cut roast into 1-inch-thick slices. Serve with sauce and barley pilaf.

SPICY QUINOA AND SPINACH PULAO (PILAF)

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large wok over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and let sizzle for 30 seconds. Add garlic, ground cumin, coriander, chile powder, ginger, chile pepper, pav bhaji masala, and turmeric; saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in onion; saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook until the tomato smell goes away. Mix in spinach; cook until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Pour water and quinoa into the wok. Bring to a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, until water is absorbed, 8 to 12 minutes. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro and lemon wedges.

SPINACH PILAF

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute onions until lightly browned. Reduce heat, add ground spices, and stir briefly. Add cooked rice. Cook just enough to heat rice through, stirring well to combine.
• Melt remaining butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute spinach with salt just until leaves are wilted. Toss into hot rice and onion mixture and serve immediately.

RICE PILAF WITH SPINACH AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy large wide pot over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until tender and deep brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer 1/2 cup onion slices to small bowl and reserve. Add carrot, cumin, and garlic to onions in pot; stir 1 minute. Stir in rice. Add broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until rice is tender and most liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Stir spinach into rice mixture; cover and cook until spinach wilts, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer pilaf to bowl; top with reserved 1/2 cup onion slices.

SPINACH RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Heat oil in pan until hot. Saute carrot, onion, leeks and celery for 5 minutes. Add rice; saute 1 minute.
• Add tomatoes; saute 2 minutes. Add all but 2 Tbsp stock. Bring to simmer; add salt and pepper. Cover; cook 10 minutes.
• Add spinach; stir. Add remaining stock, if needed, and herbs. Cover; cook 5 minutes.

RICE PILAF WITH SPINACH

Steps:

• 1. Make rice per package directions.
• 2. When rice is done cooking and ready to set, add the package of baby spinach (don't worry--it will look like a LOT of spinach, but it will be fine) and re-cover.
• 3. Let set covered three or more minutes to steam the spinach.
• 4. Uncover and stir until everything is blended together beautifully (see, I told you the amount of spinach would be reasonable). If needed, re-cover and let steam some more if the spinach is still too separate.
• 5. Serve and enjoy.

WILD RICE PILAF WITH ROASTED GARLIC AND SPINACH

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 425°F. 2. Cut the tops off the garlic bulbs, dunk bulbs in water, and cover in foil. Place in a small baking dish and bake for 35 minutes. 3. In a medium saucepan, combine the broth, paprika, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil. Stir in brown and wild rice and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 50 to 60 minutes or until the rice is tender and the broth is fully absorbed. 4. While the rice is cooking, wash the spinach thoroughly and chop. Set aside. 5. When the garlic is done, allow to cool slightly, and squeeze out the garlic cloves. Mash with a fork. 6. Once rice is cooked, stir in spinach and roasted garlic. Season with salt.

CARROT, TOMATO, AND SPINACH QUINOA PILAF WITH GROUND TURKEY

Steps:

• Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir onion in hot oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir quinoa with the onion, and cook, stirring constantly, until the quinoa is lightly toasted, about 2 minutes.
• Pour water into the saucepan; add bouillon granules, black pepper, and thyme. Bring the liquid to a boil, place a cover on the saucepan, reduce heat to low, and cook at a simmer until the quinoa softens, about 5 minutes.
• Stir carrot into the quinoa mixture, replace cover, and continue to cook at a simmer until water is completely absorbed, about 10 minutes more.
• Remove saucepan from heat. Stir tomato and baby spinach into the quinoa mixture until the spinach wilts, about 2 minutes.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir turkey in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes; drain and discard grease. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir black beans with the turkey; cook and stir until the beans are hot, 2 to 3 minutes; add the quinoa mixture, stir, and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes more.

BARLEY-LENTIL PILAF WITH MUSHROOMS AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Place the barley, lentils, onion and vegetable stock in a 4-quart slow cooker. Set the cooker on HIGH.
• Put the dried mushrooms and 1 cup of water in a glass measuring cup. Microwave for 1-1/2 minutes. Remove from the microwave and set aside to cool for 30 minutes. Gently scoop the mushrooms out of the measuring cup, being careful not to disturb the sediment at the bottom. Finely chop the mushrooms.
• Add the mushrooms to the slow cooker with the tomato paste, thyme, one teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and the fresh mushrooms. Pour in the mushroom soaking liquid, being careful not to include the sediment.
• After the cooker has been on for 4 hours, the lentils and barley should be done. Turn off the cooker, and stir in the spinach; the heat of the pilaf will soften the spinach. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed (and you will definitely need it). Serve hot.

SUN-DRIED TOMATO SPINACH RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Heat olive oil over medium heat.
• Add minced onion and garlic and saute for 2 minutes.
• Add the sun-dried tomatoes and saute another minute.
• Add the Jasmine rice and saute one minute.
• Add the salt, pepper, bouillon cubes and water and stir.
• Cover and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat when boiling and simmer 15 minutes. (No peaking! Do not remove the lid while cooking!).
• After 15 minutes, remove from heat and stir in the fresh spinach and lemon juice.
• Cover and let steam 15 minutes. Voila!

FARRO AND HERB PILAF WITH SAUSAGE, MUSHROOMS AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add farro and cook, stirring often, until fragrant and toasted, 4 to 5 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed and farro is tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking it up into small chunks with a spatula, until almost cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, toss well and cook, stirring occasionally, until just softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove skillet from the heat and stir in spinach until wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Stir parsley, oregano, salt and pepper into pot with farro, then spoon onto plates. Top with sausage-mushroom mixture and serve.

CHEESY QUINOA PILAF WITH SPINACH

Steps:

• Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the quinoa, and cook until the quinoa is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain in a mesh strainer, and rinse until cold; set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, stir in the sunflower seeds, and cook until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic, and cook until the garlic softens and the aroma mellows, about 2 minutes. Stir in the cooled quinoa and spinach; cook and stir until the quinoa is hot, and the spinach has wilted. Stir in the lemon juice, and all but a pinch of the cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted. Serve sprinkled with the remaining cheese.