Need Spinach Ideas!!

Athena413

So I have a crap-ton of fresh spinach in my fridge and I want to do something with it before it starts getting all gross...anyone have any good spinach ideas? Can I freeze it? Can I boil it down like the canned stuff? HELP!

ChantalGG

I add it to all my meals. Saute it up as a side dish with some garlic and broth it is yummy.

katkins3

I like to put it in my scrambled eggs at breakfast. I spay the pan with Pam, add spinach, mushrooms and whatever. Pour the eggs over and some times top with a bit of grated cheese. My favorite Sunday breakfast.

cem2168

i like to steam it with fresh apricots! Its also great to add to a small bit of pasta to add some extra volume to a meal without adding a lot of calories

faithindeed82

make a stuffed squash...spinach and low fat ricotta inside...yummmmm

katt742

I throw it in everything. Soups, salads, pastas. Plus sauteeing it with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and crushed red pepperflakes--OMG so good!!!

mckshowie

i put it in my smoothies.

dwardkaiser

Parmesan Spinach Cakes....
Ingredients
12 ounces fresh spinach
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese, or low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
2 large eggs, beaten
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Nutrition
Per serving: 141 calories; 8 g fat ( 4 g sat , 3 g mono ); 123 mg cholesterol; 6 g carbohydrates; 13 g protein; 2 g fiber; 456 mg sodium; 560 mg potassium.
4 servings, 2 spinach cakes each
Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Preparation
1.Preheat oven to 400°F.
2.Pulse spinach in three batches in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add ricotta (or cottage cheese), Parmesan, eggs, garlic, salt and pepper; stir to combine.
3.Coat 8 cups of the muffin pan with cooking spray. Divide the spinach mixture among the 8 cups (they will be very full).
4.Bake the spinach cakes until set, about 20 minutes. Let stand in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges with a knife and turn out onto a clean cutting board or large plate. Serve warm, sprinkled with more Parmesan, if desired.

Woodman725

I coarsely chop it up and add it to my omelet every morning. Whip it in the egg before you put it in the pan and add a little tobasco or your favorite hot sauce and top it with cheese. Soooo, good.

Athena413

sauteeing it with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and crushed red pepperflakes--OMG so good!!!

This sounds AWESOME!!

Thanks for all the suggestions, guys. I think I'm going to make some sort of breakfast casserole with some of it, saute some of it, and...who knows what I'll do with the rest. Maybe next time I should think about that before I buy a huge thing at Sam's just because it's a good price! Or maybe I should just get into the habit of eating more spinach salad!!

Athena413

i put it in my smoothies.

In your smoothies? What else do you put with it? Because that just sounds gross. I usually make smoothies with some protein powder, old fashioned oats, and some fruit...doesn't sound like spinach would go too well with that :sick:

cassondraragan

Saute in some olive oil 2 cups of slice fresh mushrooms, when half way done add some minced garlic and cook a couple more minutes. dump fresh spinach in pan with mushrooms and saute until tender. salt according to taste. yum!

mwilson57

Spinach is great in smoothies! It looks weird, but doesn't really affect the flavor. Also spinach chips are good. Toss spinach with a little olive oil and salt and pepper (or whatever seasoning you prefer) and bake in the oven until crisp. Keep an eye on them though, they will go from done to burnt super quick!

Rena421

I made a good salad with spinach this week. Combine spinach, goat cheese, canned artichoke hearts, grape tomatoes, and newmans balsamic dressing.

FitCoachJen

i put it in my smoothies.

Me too! I steam it first because it cooks down and cuts the bitterness. I can disguise the taste and color by adding bananas and dark berries (blueberry, blackberry, and marionberry are all great).

chris6515

My kids and I love spinach omellettes. Saute onion in a little olive oil, add spinach, add eggs, toss in just a little sharp cheese--we love feta, but chedder, swiss, and just about any other kind works too. It is delicious. We also make Greek spinach and rice (find a recipe that doesn't use too much oil-we make ours with broth instead) and it is good cold or hot. When we serve it cold we toss in grape tomatoes and cucumbers and just a sprinkle of feta cheese.

aircantu1

I put it in smoothies too. I buy the organic baby spinach leaves and just drop them into a freezer bag, they freeze just fine and I don't cook them first. I add a handful to smoothies every time. You can't taste it and if you use blueberries or something dark you can't even see it. I used pineapple and mango this morning and even though the smoothie was green it tasted like pineapple. And the color didn't scare off my kids.

nkswans

I love to make spinach into a sauce for pasta. I sautee some onion and garlic in olive oil and then puree them with a bag of spinach and some cheese. I have used feta and mozzarella before and both are delicious. Reserve a cup of pasta water in case the sauce is too thich but I have never had to use it because once it is tossed with the pasta it usually thins out. This is really good and pretty healthy!

This is the link for the actual recipe.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/penne-with-spinach-sauce-recipe/index.html

Or you could make spinach pesto using parmesan, nuts (pine or walnuts) pureed.

dodd319

I'm always looking for spinach recipe ideas too! These all sound great! Thanks.

dodd319

I'm always looking for spinach recipe ideas too! These all sound great! Thanks.

dodd319

Sorry for the multiple posts.

Biffybeans1

Chicken Spinach Soup
6 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 c. fat free chicken broth
A couple large handfuls of fresh spinach
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
8 oz. fresh sliced mushrooms
Juice of 1 fresh lemon
Salt, to taste
Dash cayenne pepper

Saute onion, mushrooms and garlice in non-stick skillet that has been sprayed with Pam. In soup pot, bring broth to boil and add chicken breasts; poach just until done. Remove breasts from broth and cut into bite-size pieces. Bring broth to boil again and add spinach, sauteed onion and mushrooms. Cook just until spinach wilts. Add cooked chicken breast pieces, stir then add lemon juice and cayenne. Salt, to taste and heat another minute; serve. Serves 4-6. 1/4 recipe serving = 70 calories and 24 mg. cholesterol.

mellimeter

These are some great recipes!

When I have spare spinach, I normally saute it with garlic and eat it plain. . .or I put it into an egg white omelette with feta, broccoli, and tomatoes.

yessiseguy

steamed with light buttter, steamed with white low fat cheese, and in omelettes
also just fressh add to salads.

DHalaby73

Low Fat Baked Ziti with Spinach

Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1/8th • Points: 6 pts • Points+: 9 pts
Calories: 331.9 • Fat: 7.1 g • Protein: 17.5 g • Carb: 54.7 g • Fiber: 7.8 g

1 lb high fiber ziti such as Ronzoni Smart Taste
28 oz crushed tomatoes (I prefer Tuttorosso)
1 tsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic,minced
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed
1 tsp oregano
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
salt and fresh pepper to taste
8 oz fat-free ricotta
1/4 cup Parmesan
2 cups (8 oz) part skim mozzarella
Spray olive oil (I used my Misto)

Preheat oven to 375°.Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with oil spray.

In a large pot of salted water, cook pasta according to instructions until al dente. Drain and return to pot.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, add olive oil and sauté garlic. Add chopped spinach, salt pepper and chopped tomatoes. Season with basil, oregano, salt and pepper.

Add sauce to the pasta and combine the ziti. Add half of the mozzarella, Parmesan cheese and ricotta. Mix well then transfer to the baking pan.

Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Top with the remaining mozzarella.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until mozzarella is melted and the edges are lightly browned.

This can be made up to a day in advance and stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.

DHalaby73

I made this and it was AWESOME...

Chicken Rollatini with Spinach alla Parmigiana

Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1 stuffed breast • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 194.7 • Fat: 7 g • Protein: 24.2 g • Carb: 7.2 g • Fiber: 1.5 g

8 thin chicken cutlets, 3 oz each
1/2 cup whole wheat Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
6 tablespoons egg whites or egg beaters
5 oz frozen spinach, squeezed dry of any liquid
6 tbsp part skim ricotta cheese
6 oz part skim mozzarella (I used Polly-O)
olive oil non-stick spray (I use my Misto)
1 cup pomodoro sauce or your favorite marinara sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Wash and dry cutlets, season with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 450°. Lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick spray.

Combine breadcrumbs and 2 tbsp grated cheese in one bowl and 1/4 cup egg beaters or egg whites in another.



Shred or finely chop 1.5 oz of mozzarella cheese and combine with remaining grated cheese, spinach (make sure you squeeze it dry), 2 tbsp egg beaters, and ricotta cheese.

Lay chicken cutlets down on a working surface and spread 2 tbsp of spinach-cheese mixture on each cutlet. Loosely roll each one and keep seam side down.

Dip chicken in egg mixture, then in breadcrumbs and place seam side down in a baking dish (no toothpicks needed). Repeat with the remaining chicken. When finished, lightly spray with olive oil.



Bake 25 minutes. Remove from oven, top with sauce then cheese.




Bake until cheese is melted and bubbling, about 3 more minutes. Serve with additional sauce on the side and grated cheese.

almarsala

Bump

mobskee

Mix half spinach half other salad mix
Slice up some pears
Cucumbers
Haselnuts
A little bit of bleu chees
Annies raspberry light dressing

It's amazing!

mobskee

:glasses: all of these ideas are great!

healthyjen342

BUMP!

I can think of:

Salads - Love spinach salads
Cook it ever so slightly with a little lime juice and serve with talapia
make some smoothies (i have yet to try this, but people say its tasty)
mix it with cream chesse to make a tasty dip


I look forward to reading other people's ideas!

loriltx

Best ever salad and so quick

8 cups fresh spinach
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup roasted pistachios


1/4 cup pepper jelly (I use Tabasco's brand)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt/pepper

Melt jelly in microwave in a jar. Add the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Toss with the other ingredients.