Three Easy Spinach Recipes
For kids, spinach is a notoriously hard sell—a holdover from days when the iron-rich vegetable was slugged, Popeye-style, straight from a can. But the freshly picked and flash-frozen versions of the delicate leaves go down easily, especially with the help of crowd-pleasers like eggs, pasta, and cheese. (We find that a fine chop often seals the deal.)
START: FRESH OR FROZEN?
Fresh and frozen spinach are mostly interchangeable—unless a dish, like the salad below, relies on baby spinach's delectable, just-picked texture. (A pound of fresh equals 10 ounces of thawed frozen.)
- If you have chicken breasts
Chicken Saag
Cut 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces. Season them with salt and pepper.
Place 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
Brown the chicken pieces on all sides until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove the chicken; set aside.
In the same pan, sauté a chopped onion in a little more oil until it's translucent.
Stir in 2 tablespoons of tomato paste.
Add 2 pounds of fresh spinach by the handful, stirring until it's wilted. (Or add 20 ounces of thawed frozen spinach.)
Add 2 tablespoons of garam masala spice. Sauté for 8 minutes.
Stir in 1 cup of half-and-half. Add the chicken back and heat until warmed through.
Season with more salt and pepper and serve over jasmine rice.
- If you have orzo
Warm Spinach-and-Orzo Salad
Prepare 1 pound of orzo according to the package directions.
During the last minute of the orzo's cooking time, add a pound of baby spinach. Drain; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the juice from 1 lemon and 1/4 cup of olive oil.
Whisk in some salt and pepper.
Add the orzo and spinach, 2 chopped tomatoes, and a few thin slices of red onion. Toss to combine.
Stir in 4 ounces of crumbled feta and a handful of pine nuts or walnuts. Serve.
- If you have eggs
Mini Vegetable Custards
Preheat oven to 325°F. Place 8 four-ounce baking cups or ramekins in a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.
Divide 10 ounces of thawed frozen (or a pound of blanched fresh) spinach, a large grated carrot, and 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan among the cups or ramekins.
Add 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves to each.
Whisk 3 eggs with 2 1/2 cups of milk. Add salt and pepper, then divide the mixture evenly among the cups or ramekins.
Add an inch of hot tap water to the baking pan.
Bake until the custard tops are golden and a knife insterted in their centers comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
Remove from oven and sprinkle each custard with a pinch of salt.
Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
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