Spinach recipes - Our favourite spinach recipes so you can make the most out of your organic spinach

spinach recipes

Here's a collection of spinach recipes from our weekly newsletters, and some lovely ones you've sent in. If you'd like more please have a look at our recipe index!

Carrot Soup with Spinach
Spinach and Cheese Rolls
Spinach and Rice Gratin
Spinach and Rice Soup
Spinach and Tomato Salad
Spinach Abergavenny Goat's Cheese Dip
Lady Balfour Gnocchi with Spinach and Parmesan Cream
Spinach and Mushroom Calzone
Scrambled Eggs with a Twist
Catalan Couscous
Lazy Eggs Florentine
Popeye's Dip
Chicky Warming Autumn Greens
Quick Spinach Ideas

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Carrot Soup with Spinach

• 450 g (1 lb) carrots, scrubbed
• 1 small parsnip, peeled and chopped
• 1 small onion, peeled and quartered
• celery rib, cut into 5 cm (2 in.) pieces
• 710 ml (1 1/4 pints) vegetable stock
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 110 g (4 oz) spinach leaves, rinsed and tough stems discarded
• 30 g (1 oz) croutons

Combine first 5 ingredients in a heavy saucepan over high heat. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to a food processor or blender. Add a small amount of cooking liquid and purée vegetables. Return purée to saucepan with stock. Add nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Place spinach in a food processor or blender. Add 240 ml (8-1/2 fl oz) of soup to spinach and purée. Stir spinach purée into soup and serve hot with croutons.

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Spinach and Cheese Rolls

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 450 g spinach
• 2 tsp dried dill
• 125 g feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 free range egg, beaten
• 3 tbsp thick sour cream
• 12 sheets filo pastry
• 125 g butter, melted

Preheat oven to 200°C/ 400°F/ Gas Mark 6. Heat the oil in a pan and saute the onions until tender Add the spinach and heat until it has started to wilt, then add the dill and feta cheese. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, then mix in the egg and sour cream. Take one sheet of pastry at a time and brush with the butter. Top with another sheet of pastry and then cut into 3 strips. Spoon 1 tablespoon of spinach mixture on one end of the strip and roll it up, tucking in the edges. Brush the end with more butter and seal. Repeat this process until you have finished the pastry and mixture. Place the rolls on a baking tray and cook for 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

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Spinach and Rice Gratin

• 450 g spinach, washed and stemmed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 medium organic onion, peeled and chopped finely
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 cup grated Swiss or mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp whole-wheat bread crumbs
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 180°C/ 350°F/ Gas Mark 4. Blanche the spinach, squeeze dry and chop finely. Heat the oil in a fry pan and sauté the onion until it softens. Add the spinach and toss for a minute or two. Add the thyme and nutmeg and remove from the heat. Toss with the rice and cheeses. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn the mixture into a greased casserole dish and sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top. Bake for 30 minutes.

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Spinach and Rice Soup

• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 225 g spinach, stemmed and shredded
• 4 tbsp organic olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 tsp fresh coriander
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
• 125 g Arborio rice
• 1.2 litres vegetable stock
• 4 tbsp pesto
• Salt and pepper

Heat half the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion garlic, herbs, lemon zest and spices and gently fry for 5 minutes until softened. Add the remaining oil, then add the rice and stir for 1 minutes until all the grains are glossy. Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 20 minutes until the rice is tender. Stir the spinach and pesto into the soup and cook a further 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese if desired.

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Spinach and Tomato Salad

• 250 g spinach, washed and stemmed
• 2 free range eggs, hard-boiled
• 2 large or 3 smaller tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2tbsp lemon juice
• 1tbsp vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Pat the spinach leaves dry and then tear the leaves. Peel and chop the eggs and then mix them in a large salad bowl with the garlic, onion, lemon juice and vinegar. Add the spinach, toss well and serve immediately.

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Spinach Abergavenny Goat's Cheese Dip

I made this the other day to fill homemade ravioli but I made too much and scooped the rest of it up with large hunks of freshly baked baguette from my local baker - it was actually even more delicious this way. My son also gobbled this one up. Serves 2

• 3 handfuls of fresh spinach leaves
• 100g Abergavenny goat’s cheese
• 1 medium-sized garlic clove, peeled and crushed
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2inch hunk of Parmesan, finely grated
• Freshly ground black pepper

Wash the spinach thoroughly. Chop very finely – cut into 1cm or smaller shreds. Bring a pot of water, with a pinch of sea salt, to the boil. Plunge the spinach in the water and cook for 1 minute. Then, drain and run spinach under cold water to stop the cooking process. Gently squeeze any excess water out of the spinach. Place on a cutting board and give it one final chopping (it will be a bit easier to chop finer at this stage, rather than when it’s raw). Place in a food processor, add the goat’s cheese, the garlic clove, the zest and a squeeze of juice from the lemon, the olive oil and the Parmesan. Blitz until smooth. Season, chill for at least 30 minutes before serving (to allow the flavours to mingle and to chill it nicely) and serve with in 48 hours.

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Lady Balfour Gnocchi with Spinach and Parmesan Cream

This is a great rainy day dish - especially if it's raining in August whilst you're on holiday!! Serves 4 as a main course.

For the Parmesan cream:


• 2 tbsp butter
• 500ml Berkeley Farm pouring cream
• 150g Parmesan, freshly grated
• Lots of freshly ground black pepper
• 5 handfuls of fresh spinach, thoroughly washed and cut into 1cm-thick ribbons

This is the simplest of sauces - you simply warm the cream, stir in the cheese and season with pepper and spinach. Don't make until after you've made the gnocchi, below. Once it's made, toss the butter in a pan with the cooked gnocchi. Then, when all the gnocchi are cooked, pour over the cream, place over a low heat, once the cream is warm, gently stir in the freshly grated Parmesan, season, add the spinach, take off the heat and serve immediately.

For the gnocchi:


• 800g Lady Balfour potatoes
• 2 medium egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 200g plain flour
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• A few fresh gratings from a whole nutmeg, or a tiny pinch of ground nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 400°F/ Gas Mark 6. Rub the skins of the potatoes clean with a dry cloth. Pierce with a pairing knife several times all over. Pour enough sea salt in the bottom of a large roasting pan to cover the bottom. Arrange the potatoes on top and roast, turning after 30 minutes, for 1 hour - 1 1/2 hours. You want them to be soft right the way through to the centre.

Once cooked, cut the potatoes in half, scoop out the flesh and pass through a rice or mouli. Do this in batches. Then, mix with the egg yolks, flour, seasoning and nutmeg. Tip out on to a floured work surface and knead lightly until smooth.

Roll a fist-sized piece of dough into a sausage about 2cm in diameter. Cut this into 2cm pieces . Repeat with the rest of the dough. Use a fork to flatten the pieces evenly. Place on a floured tray, making sure they do not touch.

Bring a pan of lightly salted water to a gentle boil. Drop in a third of the gnocchi. Simmer gently and don't stir or they may disintegrate. As they cook, they'll bob to the surface. Give them about 1 minute from the time they surface, then scoop out with a slotted spoon. Drain them on a plate lined with kitchen paper, then transfer to a warm dish. Repeat with the remaining gnocchi until all are cooked. Toss with hot sauce or melted butter and serve immediately.

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Spinach and Mushroom Calzone

Makes about 6 individual pizzas or 3 large ones for sharing.

For the dough:


• 1x7g sachet of yeast
• 60ml warm water
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 225ml cook water
• 350g plain flour, plus 3-4 tbsp more

Preheat oven to 200°C/ 400°F/ Gas Mark 6. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water – make sure it’s not too hot, you want it cool enough to touch, just a tiny notch above lukewarm (from the tap is fine – if you boil the kettle make sure you let the water cool right down before using). Swirl the bowl around to mix the yeast with the water. It should start to froth a tiny bit, after a minute or so – if not, your water is either too hot or not warm enough. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Measure the flour out and pour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Mix the salt, sugar, olive oil and cool water with the yeasty solution; pour into to the flour’s well. Bring the mix together using your hands, folding the flour into the water, until you have a dough; add more flour if it’s too wet and sticky. Knead on a flat, lightly floured surface until elastic and smooth. Place dough in a buttered and floured bowl and let rest for 30 minutes. Divide into 6 pieces and roll into large out into 1-1½ cm-thick circles. Pile on your toppings and bake on olive oil greased baking trays (you may have to do this in batches) for 12-15 minutes.

For the tomato sauce:


• 1x400g tins of chopped tomatoes
• 1 large garlic clove, peeled and finely
• 1 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar

Simply strain the liquid from the chopped tomatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes, add the garlic and stir the aged balsamic vinegar. Simmer for a further 5 minutes.

For the mushrooms and spinach:


• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 large handfuls of mushrooms (about 10-12 cup/button mushrooms), thinly sliced
• 3 large handfuls of spinach
• 1 handful of fresh basil leaves, left whole
• ¼ large red onion, 3 spring onions or 1 small white onion, outer layer peeled and finely chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Squeeze or two of fresh lemon juice

Mash the garlic cloves and salt together. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil with 2 tbsp butter in a large sauté pan or deep pot. Add the onion and garlic and cook over a low heat for 3 minutes. Stir in the sliced mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes, or until they start to golden. Increase the heat and, working in batches, add the spinach and basil Cook for 4-5 minutes. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes until just wilted, and the majority of the liquid has evaporated. Set aside and squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice over.

To assemble the calzone:


• Prepared pizza dough
• Flour for dusting/rolling dough out
• Tomato sauce
• Mushroom and spinach filling
• 150-200g Tallegio cheese, chopped into bite-sized slivers
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Sea salt
• Preheat oven to 190°C/ 375°F/ Gas Mark 5.

Divide your pizza dough into 4 or 6 pieces – 4 if you want larger calzone, 6 if you want smaller ones. On a floured surface, roll each one into a circle (it doesn’t’ have to be prefect). Leaving a 1inch rim, place a thin layer of tomato sauce in the centre of each circle. Fill half of each circle with the sauteed mushrooms and spinach. Dot the top of each spinach/mushroom mix with the chopped Tallegio. Dot a bit of cold water around the rim of each calzone and carefully fold in half. Use your fingers or a fork to pinch the sides together, ensuring they’re well-sealed. Then, brush the entire top with olive oil. Carefully transfer the calzone to two oiled baking sheets. [NOTE: if you want to freeze or two calzone, now is the time to do it. Simply wrap them up well, label them and freeze for up to 3 months. You can bake from frozen, just add 15 minutes to the cooking time.] Brush the tops with oilve oil, sprinkle a bit of sea salt on the top and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a light golden brown.

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Scrambled Eggs with a Twist

Congratulations to Penny Savage! She's the winner of our recent 15‐minute wonders competition. "This recipe is amazing," she wrote, "but I can't take full credit for it as it originally came from a book ‐ 'The Food Doctor Everyday Diet' by Dr Ian Marber (published by DK; £12.99)* Serves 2.

• 1 slice of bread of your choice
• 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 3 large or 4 medium eggs
• 500g spinach (or rocket)
• 75g Abergavenny Goat's Cheese
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1 orange
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• Olive oil
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Tear the bread into tiny crumbs. Mix the crumbs with the nutmeg. Gently fry in olive oil until golden ‐ place on kitchen paper to blot oil. Wilt the spinach in a drop of water ‐ when wilted drain well and put in a warm dish in the oven. Squeeze juice from lemon and orange and mix with cinnamon. Beat eggs. Place the fruit juices and eggs in a non‐stick frying pan and stir until cooked. When almost cooked add a crumbling of the goat's cheese. Place egg mixture on top of the spinach and then top with the bread crumbs.

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Catalan Couscous

The classic Spanish spinach dish with pinenuts and raisins meets a bowl of couscous. It makes for a simple, yet impressive side or picnic dish. Children also love it - even though they're primarily going after the raisins they usually end up with a bit of green in their tummies.

Serves 4

• 2 mugs couscous
• 2 mugs boiling hot water
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 mug raisins
• 8-10 big handfuls of spinach, washed and stems trimmed, if needed
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 lemons, zest and juice
• 1 mug pinenuts, toasted
• Olive oil
• Sea salt and black pepper

Place the couscous in a large bowl. Add cinnamon, raisins and a drizzle of olive oil. Pour the hot boiling water over. Give it a quick stir and cover. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, splash a bit of olive oil in a pan. Saute garlic until soft. Add the spinach and a good pinch of salt. Stir it around the warm pan just until it wilts down. Tip into a colander. Gently press and squeeze out some of the water.

Fluff couscous with a fork. Stir lemon juice and zest through. Season. Fold spinach through. Scatter pinenuts over the top. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and serve.

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Lazy Eggs Florentine

Eggs florentine - it's a classic weekend brunch number, and now that we have organic hollandaise, you don't need to spend ages whisking till your arm falls off. It's cheating a bit, but stuff it - you can't make everything from scratch all the time!

• 1 jar of hollandaise sauce
• 2 organic eggs, poached
• 2 large handfuls of spinach
• 1 wholemeal organic muffin

This is dead easy! Steam the spinach and put the hollandaise sauce on a very low heat to warm gently. Cut the muffin in half and pop in the toaster - or grill if you prefer. Then poach your eggs (see our tip below). Butter the muffin halves, placing the steamed spinach on top. Gently lay the poached egg on the spinach and pour over the hollandaise sauce.

Egg poaching secret

Take a good-sized square of clingfilm. Brush it with olive oil. Crack your egg into the centre. Bring the sides up and tie it into a little parcel, ensuring there is not a big air gap between the egg and the knot. Pop the parcel into boiling water for about 4 minutes. Lift to see if it's cooked to your liking. If not, let it dive back in until ready.

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Popeye's Dip

Full of healthy green spinach, this easy to whip up dip is also gorgeous folded through pasta, stirred through risotto, slathered into a cold roast chicken sandwich or tucked into a chicken breast before wrapping in bacon and roasting.

Serves 2-4

• ½ garlic clove, peeled and finely minced
• 2 handfuls of fresh spinach leaves, washed and stems trimmed, if needed
• 200g Abergavenny goat's cheese
• 1 lemon, zest and juice
• A little hunk of Parmesan, finely grated
• Freshly ground black pepper

Splash a bit of olive oil in a frying pan. Saute the garlic just until soft. Add the spinach and a good pinch of salt. Stir it around the warm pan just until it wilts down. Tip into a colander. Gently press and squeeze out some of the water. Finely chop. Fold into the goat's cheese. Add lemon juice and zest, Parmesan, a good bit of pepper and a glug of olive oil. Fold together. Tuck in. Will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.

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Chicky Warming Autumn Greens

Prep time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins

Serves 4 as a side or 2 as a main

• A few good glugs of olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• Red or green chilli, deseeded and sliced (add a little for mild curry, whole chilli for real bite)
• 400g tin of chickpeas, drained
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp turmeric
• A pinch of ground cinnamon
• A good pinch of sea salt
• 1 lemon, zest and juice
• A few handfuls of roughly chopped spinach, chard or cavelo nero

Splash the olive oil into a large frying pan or wok. Add the onion and chilli. Sauté till onion is tender. Add chickpeas, spice and salt. Sauté for 5 mins. Add a splash of water along with the lemon juice and zest. Taste, add more spices or salt if needed. Fold greens through, till just wilted. Take off the heat and serve. Delicious as a main served with rice and dal. Or as a curry side kick.

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Quick Spinach Ideas

A super spinach cooking tip for our farmer Dave Govier: "My favourite way is to steam it till it shrinks half way – don't steam it too fiercely or for too long as you end up with goo."

Well said, Dave. Follow his simple steaming tip and then dress your spinach up with...

• A simple sprinkling of salt, pepper and lemon juice and zest
• A splash of cream and a grating of parmesan
• Sautéed mushrooms and garlic
• Toasted walnuts and crumbled blue cheese
• Halved cherry tomatoes, garlic and chilli, quickly sautéed in olive oil

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