Spinach - what do people do with it?

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onzy, Mar 31, 1:40am
I have been given some and have no idea what to do with it. I thought you could use it raw in a salad, but have been told it has to be cooked.
Any ideas would be appreciated.

unknowndisorder, Mar 31, 1:42am
I just steam it or microwave it to wilt it, add some lemon juice and eat it.
or put a bit on pizzas.

pericles, Mar 31, 1:43am
hah - my son wont eat it, but I hide inside cabbage

paora-tm, Mar 31, 1:47am
Use it in frittata or quiche. Makes a nice extra layer in lasanga - kids will hardly notice. Spanakopita perhaps.

skye7, Mar 31, 1:57am
Spinach Salad

Spinach Leaves
Red Grapes
Feta Cheese
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice

Mix Spinach leaves with red grapes and toss with Olive Oil and Lemon Juice. Sprinkle with crumbed Feta.

skye7, Mar 31, 1:58am
It is also great in smoothies. It does not need to be cooked

davidt4, Mar 31, 2:04am
Wilt it in a large pan over high heat with some butter or olive oil and salt, as soon as it is all softened add some lemon juice and serve warm.

lyingnun, Mar 31, 2:08am
I put a little water in a pot with some crushed garlic and a little salt and steam it, tossing it to cook it through. I cut it up roughly but you can leave the leaves whole.
I also like cooking it and then adding it to mashed pumpkin and cottage cheese and stuffing cannelloni tubes with it.
Silverbeet is lovely in lasagne too.

sampa, Mar 31, 2:10am
x1
Make Joe's Special,I've always made the Alison Holst version and we love it. None of the recipes online seem to match. Basically it's a version of a large spinach, beef mince and egg omelet - sounds disgusting right? LOL - it's really not and makes a great sandwich filler if there's leftovers. Do you want the recipe? You do need a lot of spinach (or I usually use silverbeet since that's what we have available more often but both work).

angie117, Mar 31, 2:56am
I always use spinach for salads, actually like it better than lettuce. Also great in smoothies.

dbab, Mar 31, 5:26am
Yes please Sampa. I'd like the recipe.

happychappy50, Mar 31, 7:05am
Give to my chooks . They lurve it

awoftam, Mar 31, 7:43am
Its awesome raw. Heaps of recipes on Google.

roshu, Mar 31, 8:12am
I like a bit in my coleslaw to add another colour.

leebee35, Mar 31, 9:42am
Mix it in with your salad. I make a dish with about 500gms chicken pan fried with cajun spices, layer with cooked pumpkin, then layered with spinach ( you need the whole bag). Sprinkle grated cheese and then pour three or four beaten eggs. Add some bread crumbs. Cooked for 20-30mins at 180 degrees. Eat hot or cold.

sampa, Mar 31, 8:21pm
Okay, no probs but this comes with a disclaimer - I have made this so often over the years (as evidenced by the state of the page in my recipe book) that I tend not to adhere to the quantities specified instead tweaking to fit around what I happen to have available, the size of the pan I'm cooking it in and our appetites (as in how much is likely to be left over and will I get to it before hubbys stakes his claim for his lunch tomorrow lol). So I generally end up using more eggs and I add heaps of spinach or silverbeet because the shrinkage factor with both is really high and we love either in this dish.

500g beef mince
1 chopped onion
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 Tbsp oil (if needed)
250 - 400gm spinach leaves
1 Tbsp beef stock powder (that's not a typo - a tablespoon is the correct measure).
3 eggs
and 1/2 a tsp of salt (I don't bother, heaps of saltiness in the stock already)

Brown mince, onion and garlic (I have discovered the joys of those jars of crushed garlic, makes life so much simpler) add oil if needed. Chop spinach leaves coarsely discarding stems and stir into mince mixture. Sprinkle with beef stock and add a little water if it looks dry (I always add some water at this point, maybe 1/4 of a cup - depends on the size of the pan you're using so use your own judgement). Give it a stir and cover and let steam for 3 or 4 minutes. Remove lid and allow any excess liquid to evaporate (move it around the pan a bit at this stage to help the process out). Beat eggs and pour them over the mixture in pan. You may need to tilt the pan and/or lift the eggs a little with a wide spatula to help ensure even setting at this point but try not to move them around too much or you'll end up with a more scrambled outcome which there's nothing much wrong with but an omelette type result is what you're going for. Normally I start with a hot pan for the meat browning part and then lower the temperature when I get to the eggs so they set without burning.

This part is totally your call but I have to serve this with white rice (I just always have and it seems right to me) and, no idea why as I'm not a huge fan usually, tomato sauce. I blame Alison Holst, she suggested it in her cookbook and I was young at the time and easily swayed by the power of the written word. believe me? No, don't blame you at all. ~ Enjoy.

awoftam, Apr 1, 5:27am

cameron-albany, Apr 2, 9:03am
Spinach does NOT need to be cooked ! I snip it into little ribbons with scissors and add to everything - from salads to pasta, frittatas, omelettes, lasagnes. everything. I also love it on its own as a side-dish, lightly steamed or microwaved with a sprinkling of salt & pepper and some nutmeg (nutmeg has a natural affinity with spinach). Spinach is extremely nutritious.

dinkypinky, Apr 2, 9:59pm
I throw it in the mince sauce mixture when making lasagna. Great way to get greens into the kids!

samanya, Apr 2, 10:43pm
Spinach is my 'go to' dinner if I can't be faffed cooking. Lightly steamed spinach, a couple of poached eggs, tomato & a grate of smoked cheese . easy & delicious, imo. I try to have a constant supply as like others, I use it a lot in salads, quiches etc & even though I grow silver beet, most of it goes to my chooks, as to me spinach is way more preferable.

sampa, Apr 3, 2:11am
Also very good in a lot of vegetarian type pasta dishes. Cannelloni stuffed with a mixture of spinach and ricotta comes to mind but why stop there? Tonnes of ways to use it in dishes of that nature or, be a devil, and make a non vegetarian cannelloni based on the above with the addition of minced beef or pork.

sarahb5, Apr 3, 6:22am
I love spinach - raw if young and tender, sauteed or mucrowaved if I eant it hot - serve it with curry instead of rice

..pip.., Apr 3, 6:24am
I just steam it then sprinkle it with salt. Doesn't need anything else doing to it.

awoftam, Apr 3, 7:10am
Yip it is nice that way however good to have a variety, esp if yu have a glut to get rid of it . pip.

village.green, Nov 9, 12:02am
Spinach and feta Greek pie (spanokopita) can do with filo or make your own or buy your own normal pastry. I will be making one on Sunday but I cheated and bought frozen spinach.