Lifestyle

Ideas for Tasty Spinach Dishes

Updated

Spinach is not as scary as painted.

Spinach is a vegetable arousing mixed feelings. From delight over juicy green leaves making great salads, pasta sauces or pancake fillings, to reluctance to try dishes with it. Why? Reasons vary, usually disappointing childhood taste experiences. Some still remember school-canteen spinach as dark, tasteless mush. We present spinach from the kitchen to show its offer.

A green benefit bomb for everyone

Many associate spinach with the cartoon sailor Popeye. Whenever needing energy, he grabbed a spinach can, devouring it instantly, gaining enormous strength just as fast. Eating spinach will not make us second Popeyes, but enjoy its excellent taste and benefits.

Spinach is known as a plant iron source – essential for red blood cell production. It also holds vitamin A, vitamin C and folic acid.

Eating spinach, thanks to its vitamin A, supports keeping eyesight in good shape.

Spinach is not rocket science!

Do not give up spinach over memories of unappetising bland mush. Such experiences may discourage cooking this vegetable – a big loss, because fresh or warm, well-seasoned and aesthetically served, it deliciously complements simple, quick and exquisite dishes alike.

Spinach loves spices around it!

This vegetable's delicate taste is its huge asset. It pairs wonderfully with diverse products, creating interesting, aromatic dishes. It tastes great with fruit too. The market's spice diversity extracts its finest values.

Preparing warm spinach, pair it with garlic and nutmeg. Adding freshly ground pepper, salt, plus cream or yoghurt makes an excellent warm side for mains. We especially recommend stewed spinach with garlic. Season also with red sweet or hot pepper, turmeric and curry.

Stewed spinach with garlic

Prep time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

  • 450 g fresh or frozen spinach
  • 1 pack Naturalnie Smaczne Fix Chicken in cream sauce Knorr
  • 2 tbsp butter or margarine
  • 200 ml 18% cream
  • half onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 pinch nutmeg
  • half lemon

Method:

  1. Wash fresh spinach leaves thoroughly. With frozen spinach, thaw first, then squeeze excess water.
  2. Toss chopped onion onto butter or margarine heated in a pan. Add spinach, fry 1 minute.
  3. Meanwhile combine Knorr Fix with cream, add to spinach. Mix thoroughly.
  4. Add nutmeg and half-lemon juice. Bring to boil, serve immediately. Such spinach pairs great with baguette or as a meat and fish side.

A fresh look at spinach

Spinach can be eaten fresh – no blanching, cooking or frying. An excellent recipe with fresh spinach is beetroot and orange salad. Baby spinach fits perfectly. An interesting salad alternative to e.g. iceberg lettuce. Served raw, just wash and dry.

Spinach with beets and orange

Prep time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

  • 300 g young spinach leaves
  • 1 cooked beetroot
  • half fennel bulb
  • 2 oranges
  • 50 g goat cheese
  • 50 g walnuts
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • half tsp chilli powder
  • 1 pack Knorr Italian salad dressing
  • 3 tbsp olive oil

Method:

  1. Mix walnuts with honey spoon and chilli – lightly salt. Spread nuts on parchment-lined baking sheet, bake at 200°C about 5-7 minutes until honey caramelises. Cool the nuts.
  2. Scald oranges, dry and zest, then cut out segments. Slice beetroot and fennel thinly.
  3. In a bowl mix olive oil, three spoons of water or juice from cutting oranges, with a Knorr salad dressing sachet.
  4. On a platter lay washed spinach, arrange orange pieces, goat cheese pieces, beetroot and fennel slices, add orange zest and baked nuts. Drizzle generously with prepared salad dressing.

A vegetable for any daytime

Spinach works great at dinner served warm, and at supper in salads or pasta sides.

Blanch fresh spinach leaves best – briefly into boiling water, then cold water. They soften yet stay crisp. You can also fry, but not too long! Oyster-sauce spinach is an excellent pan-fried spinach dish idea.

Oyster-sauce spinach

Prep time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

  • 400 g spinach leaves
  • 3 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 2 cubes Knorr mini fried onion seasoning
  • 200 g Chinese egg noodles
  • 2 tbsp white wine
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 4 tbsp oil

Method:

  1. Wash spinach leaves, trim stalks, fry in hot oil.
  2. Add oyster sauce and wine. Season with Knorr mini cubes, add sugar, mix everything combined.
  3. Cook noodles per package. Drain. Serve spinach with noodles drizzled with lemon juice.

Always keep frozen spinach in the freezer. Perfect when guests drop by and shopping is missed. It has shredded or whole leaves rolled into small balls, handled slightly differently than fresh. First thaw in the fridge or per package directions. Squeeze excess water, then cook or fry.

Win every meal green!

Spinach dishes' short prep makes this vegetable a lifesaver for fast, tasty eating. Excellent too for dishes served at festive dinners. Fish with spinach, servable at Christmas dinner, is one. Spinach pairs great as a meat side, equally with a vegetable bouquet. Combine with cheeses – expressive feta, goat cheese, blue lazur, creamy ricotta alike.

Fish with spinach

Prep time: 50 minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

  • 4 sea bream fillets
  • 2 oscypek gomolka cheeses
  • 4 tbsp Knorr grill seasoning
  • 1 Knorr vegetable stock
  • 4 dried tomatoes
  • 1 shallot
  • 1 hot chilli pepper
  • 300 g frozen spinach
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 200 g ricotta cheese
  • 1 garlic clove

Method:

  1. In hot olive oil fry finely diced onion, garlic and chilli. When onion turns glassy, add thawed squeezed spinach.
  2. Fry briefly, add chopped dried tomatoes and Knorr stock. Set aside to cool slightly. When cooled add ricotta, mix thoroughly.
  3. Lightly dust fillets with Knorr seasoning.
  4. Lay on parchment skin-down, top each fillet with plenty spinach, sprinkle grated oscypek.
  5. Lay fish parchment on a flat water-soaked fruitwood plank. Grill covered about 20 minutes.

Still unsure your household will love spinach? Introducing it to kitchen menus, start by adding to cocktails and smoothies, plus multi-ingredient casseroles. Appetising puff-pastry spinach is also a good pick. Engage family in meal prep. A great chance to meet the vegetable, building good bonds with loved ones.

Puff-pastry spinach

Prep time: 60 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

  • 450 g fresh or frozen spinach
  • 1 pack Knorr favourite flavours creamy-herb sauce
  • 3 tbsp butter or margarine
  • 100 g dried tomatoes
  • 100 ml 18% cream
  • 1 pack feta cheese
  • half onion
  • 1 pack puff pastry
  • 1 tbsp pine or walnuts
  • 1 egg

Method:

  1. Dice onion finely. Fry in a pan, add spinach and cream mixed with Knorr sauce.
  2. Add chopped dried tomatoes and roasted nuts to the spinach. Cool everything, add diced feta. The combined ingredients make stuffing to pour into a flat dish and freeze.
  3. When stuffing is frozen enough, cut into 3 cm sticks about 1 cm thick. Return stuffing sticks to the freezer.
  4. Roll puff pastry sheets, cut small 8 by 4 cm rectangles. Brush with beaten egg, lay frozen spinach on top. Seal everything, pressing edges with a fork. Brush pastry top with egg.
  5. Lay pastries on parchment, bake at 200 °C about 10-15 minutes. This recipe also works with filo pastry.