Category: Spinach

This simple, vibrant dish is filling and would make a great template to add any herbs and cooked or raw veg to.    Serves 4-6 ... Read more »

This dish is simple yet rich and satisfying. It would work with different types of tender greens and could easily be doubled if made in a larger pan.   Serves 1-2... Read more »

This salad is full of flavor and textures. The dressing is delicious, and would be fantastic over any roasted vegetables or as a dip or sandwich spread.   Serves 4... Read more »

This recipe is inspired by a recipe for Zebhi Hamli, an Eritrean dish of stewed spinach from the wonderful book In Bibi's Kitchen by Hawa Hassan. Here it's served with Shiro, the beloved Eritrean ground chickpea and tomato stew spiced with Berbere spice mix.  ... Read more »

This dish is comforting and savory. It’s reminiscent of a risotto but uses orzo in place of the rice. I used butternut squash and a green called bietola in the photo above, but this recipe is great template for all sorts of substitutions and adaptations so use what you have!   Serves 4  ... Read more »

This beautiful, verdant dish is adapted from Bryant Terry's wonderful book Vegetable Kingdom. It's greener and richer than this more typical Mexican version and is practically a meal in itself.  I've made it a bit spicy and have added toasted cumin and coriander seeds which make it so fragrant. For a richer dish you can increase the amount of coconut milk and decrease the amount of broth, just as long as the total volume of liquid stays more or less the same.   You can really use many kinds of greens. If you have mustard greens, arugula or mizuna only use a small percentage of them as their strong flavor can overpower. Beet greens, chard, collards as well as parsley, cilantro, or even radish tops would be great. You can top it with an egg and/or other toasted seeds or nuts or stir in some chickpeas and a bit more chopped parsley or cilantro--what I did with leftovers, above.... Read more »

Spinach is quick-cooking and tender and makes for a wonderful, quick weeknight curry. This coconut milk curry is quite similar to this one, which includes onions and is a bit drier.   Start the rice the minute you walk in the door and sit down to eat 20 minutes later if using white rice or 35-40 if brown. And the leftovers are excellent.... Read more »

This dish was inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi's Palak Tofu but I've adapted and simplified it almost beyond recognition. Typically Palak Paneer employs a silky sauce made with spinach. I use chard and cabbage (not blended) or any combination of leafy greens instead. It has more texture, is deeply flavorful and makes wonderful leftovers.   I love employing Ottolenghi's salted water tofu-soaking method as it infuses the tofu with more flavor, but the dish will still be good if you skip it.... Read more »

[caption id="attachment_15720" align="aligncenter" width="600"] This version includes mustard and turnip greens, radishes and Hakurei (aka Salad) turnips.[/caption] Radishes are delicious sauteed, braised or roasted. If they're a little on the hot side raw, giving them a quick cook is a good way to sweeten and mellow them out. This dish involves nothing more than sautéing the radishes and greens in a little olive oil. A little salt and possibly a squeeze of lemon juice or dash of vinegar is all you need.   Variations Delicious greens that can be used are, radish tops, mustard greens, turnip, beet greens, and/or mizuna. Top with spicy tahini sauce for a fancier version. [caption id="attachment_15727" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Fancified with toasted sunflower seeds and *spicy tahini sauce.[/caption]... Read more »

15 minutes, start to finish, adaptable and delicious and a good reason for having canned tomatoes and small pasta shapes in the pantry. You can use larger shapes and more of it (more like 3 cups of penne). [caption id="attachment_13629" align="aligncenter" width="438"] This version uses tender spring raab for the greens.[/caption]   Variations You can substitute cooked beans/chickpeas for the sausage, to make a meat-free version. You can use parsley instead of basil Delicious choices for tender greens are spring raab, spinach, chard, turnip, beet greens and/or tender kale greens. Enjoy in any combination. Use fresh tomatoes instead of canned Other great small noodle choices are Pipette rigate, Conchiglie (shell), or Orecchiette. ... Read more »

I like experimenting with cooking grains and pulses in the same pot and then steaming greens on top at the very end. This is very quick, warming, and simply spiced one-pot meal. I'm sure you could use brown rice instead of white and cook the rice for 30 minutes before you add the lentils and then just finish cooking them together, maybe adding a bit more liquid as well. [caption id="attachment_13615" align="aligncenter" width="660"] The spinach steamed on top of the rice and lentils for the last few minutes of cooking.[/caption] This is similar to this red lentil curry but much quicker and with more of a porridge-like texture from cooking the rice and lentils together.  ... Read more »

If you have good stock on hand use it for this simple dish. And if you don't, still make it but don't be shy with the butter or olive oil to finish. The greens need to be quick-cooking and more tender than kale typically is, for this to come together well. The goal is to get a silky, moist dish but not a soupy one.   Here I served it over red lentils that I cooked with a few pinches of cumin seeds and finished with salt and olive oil.   Variations A good stock can be made from chicken, mushroom, veg, pork, or beef. You can also use broth or water for the base liquid in this recipe. Spinach, young, tender collard greens, beet greens or turnip greens are good here. ... Read more »

This comes together quickly and is good with any very tender green. You can also use substitute other kinds of noodles. The miso here is key and gives the dish its complexity. You can add tofu, or chicken or toasted nuts to make it a meal-in-one.   Variations Delicious choices for tender greens include mustard greens, beet greens, or quelites (aka lambs quarters or pigweed). ... Read more »

If you have home cooked or canned chickpeas on hand, this comes together very quickly. The sauce is versatile and keeps for a week so make plenty to use in other ways. Use other tender greens like mustard or turnips greens or even mizuna or tatsoi if you don't have spinach.   You can scale this up but don't skimp on the greens. You want plenty per serving and they cook down so much.  ... Read more »

This dish, when topped with an egg and a bit of cilantro mint sauce makes a lovely, light meal. Or serve it as a side with a dal or grilled meats.  ... Read more »

Sometimes, often actually, limitations are the foundation of creativity. Three partial bunches of greens needing to be used (before the next CSA share arrived) and hungry people underfoot inspired this delicious meal. Use any tender, leafy greens you have and in most any combination. If the greens are not so tender the dish will take a little longer--if using spinach and beet and/or turnip tops it will be very quick. And feel free to vary the spices to suit your taste. ... Read more »

Start the rice the minute you walk in the door and sit down to eat 20 minutes later if using white rice or 35 if brown. And the leftovers are excellent. You could also substitute other greens like turnip or beet greens though spinach is particularly good here. ... Read more »

This soup is superb with a good homemade chicken stock as well as with vegetable stock/bouillon or just water. The former is richer and silky but the other two are deliciously bright and just a bit lighter. The version above is made with chicken stock and included a handful or two of macaroni. You can omit the noodles or substitute a few diced salad turnips or new potatoes for added heft. ... Read more »

--loosely inspired by Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters   You can mix and match most any kind of leafy green including escarole--a great use for a big head of escarole in fact. I used beet and turnip greens, chard and collard greens in this batch. If you have any kind of wine open, use the suggested amount. If you don't use broth or water mixed with 2 teaspoons of vinegar. This dish is even better the next day. You can also mix these greens with pasta or cook them down a bit more with borlotti or white beans.... Read more »

  My son often asks me to  make mac n' cheese. I don't make it nearly often enough for his liking. When I say I don't have time (to make the bechamel/cream sauce and bake it) he says, "just make the quick version!" So here's the quick, stove top version that he loves almost as much.   Variations Add vegetables such as peas, broccoli, cauliflower or finely chopped kale or chard about 3 minutes before the pasta is tender. See this cauliflower pasta and this Brussels sprout pasta for similar dishes with vegetables. ... Read more »