What to cook with spinach at home. TOP-8 recipes with photos. Culinary tips and secrets. Video recipes.
The benefits of spinach are legendary. It is very beneficial for health and shape. With this plant, you can cook a huge number of delicious and original dishes. And you can enjoy many of them all year round. Since spinach is well subject to freezing, and after heat treatment retains its useful properties. Therefore, he is deservedly called "the king of greenery." Its calorie content is only 23 calories, thanks to which it is consumed by people on a diet. This material offers TOP-8 interesting recipes with spinach.
Secrets and tips of chefs
- Spinach is one of the most contaminated vegetables. can grow in soil containing heavy metal salts and hazardous substances. Therefore, collect it in areas where there are no landfills and industrial facilities.
- If you buy a plant from a store, pay attention to the color of the leaves. They should be juicy green, very bright and slightly crunchy. They should be free of any external defects and stains. If the greens are wrinkled or wilted, then they can harm the body, so you should not buy them.
- A stem that is too wide, says that the greens are overripe and contain a lot of bitterness.
- Spinach does not have a rich taste, so it is mainly used to enrich the diet. For the same reason, it is combined with many products.
- Its smell is pleasant, but not strongly felt.
- Washing spinach is quite simple, just rinse lightly under cold water, squeeze and chop, after cutting out the coarse veins.
- Frozen spinach, already peeled and minced. If you add it to a dish frozen, then the plant will retain a maximum of vitamins and minerals.
- Store the leaves in the refrigerator at a temperature not exceeding +5 degrees. Keeps them fresh, the bag you put them in.
- It is better to use them within 12 hours, and if the storage conditions are observed - 3 days.
- Spinach can be frozen, but it has a short shelf life - 4 months.
- With thermal heating, the fresh plant decreases in volume by 2 times.
- The grated spinach is used as a natural dye used to color dishes green.
Knowing all the secrets of spinach cooking, you can easily prepare a delicious dish with this plant. And the range of its use is quite extensive. Green leaves are added to soups, side dishes, sauces, drinks, fillings. Let's find out in more detail the most interesting recipes with spinach.
Quiche lauren with spinach
Lorraine puff pastry open pie, originally from France, in the modern version - quiche lauren with spinach. It is served as an appetizer, but it can be a complete lunch or dinner.
- Caloric content per 100 g - 589 kcal.
- Servings - 4
- Cooking time - 3 hours
Ingredients:
- Beef brisket - 250 g
- Carrots - 1 pc.
- Spinach - 200 g
- Conte cheese - 100 g
- Sour cream 35% - 200 g
- Water - 2 tablespoons Salt to taste
- Nutmeg - pinch
- Ground black pepper - to taste
- Milk - 100 ml
- Chicken egg - 4 pcs.
- Wheat flour - 250 g
- Egg yolk - 1 pc.
- Butter - 125 g
- Cold water - 2 tablespoons
Cooking quiche lauren with spinach:
- Cut the beef brisket into medium pieces and place in a hot skillet. Fry for 5 minutes.
- Peel the carrots, wash, cut into 1 cm cubes and send to the spinach in the pan.
- Wash the spinach, chop coarsely and add to the pan to the food. Stir, cover the skillet with a lid and remove from heat.
- Sift flour and mix with salt.
- Cut the butter into pieces, combine with flour and rub with your hands until crumbs.
- Add the egg yolk to the dough and stir.
- Pour in cold water gradually and knead the dough thoroughly. Put the finished dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Then roll it out, transfer it to a special ceramic or metal mold with sides and send it back to the refrigerator for 1 hour. If there is no such form, replace it with a split one with a removable bottom.
- Send the cake pan to bake in a preheated oven to a temperature of 180 degrees for 15 minutes until light golden brown. Then cool it down a little.
- Grate the Conte cheese on a coarse grater and mix half of the portion with sour cream, milk, eggs, seasonings and stir.
- Add the fried brisket with carrots and spinach to the sauce and stir again.
- Pour the filling into a mold with a half-baked crust and sprinkle with the remaining cheese on top.
- Send the quiche lauren with spinach to bake on the lower level of the oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.
Frittata with spinach
A wonderful summer and juicy breakfast - Italian omelette or frittata. Traditional peasant frittata contains leeks and parmesan cheese. But a very tasty, nutritious and healthy dish is obtained with spinach with cheese filling and vegetables.
Ingredients:
- Eggs - 9 pcs.
- Milk - 2 tablespoons
- Parmesan - 30 g
- Salt to taste
- Ground black pepper - to taste
- Olive oil - 2 tablespoons
- Leeks - 1 pc.
- Garlic - 1 clove
- Fresh spinach - 250-300 g
- Goat cheese - 60 g
Cooking spinach frittata:
- Combine eggs with milk and whisk until smooth.
- Grate Parmesan on a coarse grater and add to the egg and milk mass.
- Season with salt and pepper and stir.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Wash the leeks, chop finely and fry in a pan for 5 minutes until transparent.
- Peel the garlic, chop, add to the onion and cook for another 1 minute.
- Wash the spinach, dry it, chop with a knife and add to the pan to the vegetables. Simmer until the spinach has reduced in volume.
- Then pour the egg mixture over the food and smooth it evenly.
- Break the goat cheese into small pieces and place on top of the omelet.
- Cover the skillet and cook the spinach frittata over low heat for 10 minutes.
- Place the skillet in a preheated oven to 180 degrees for 5 minutes to brown the omelet. Usually it is cooked on the stove, and then brought to readiness in the oven. But the last action is not necessary if there is no extra time.
Creamy spinach and cream soup
Thick, rich and delicious creamy soup with spinach and cream. You can use either fresh or frozen spinach to make this green soup. Do not replace butter with vegetable oil, then the soup will turn out to be more aromatic and tender. But you can replace the cream with milk with a high fat content.
Ingredients:
- Butter - 50 g
- Onions - 1 pc.
- Garlic - 2 cloves
- Potatoes - 1 pc.
- Chicken broth - 400 ml
- Cream 10% - 600 ml
- Fresh spinach - 450 g
- Lemon - 0.5 pcs.
- Salt to taste
- Ground black pepper - to taste
- Ground nutmeg - to taste
Making a creamy spinach and cream soup:
- Melt the butter in a saucepan.
- Peel the onions, chop finely and send to a saucepan. Pass it until soft.
- Peel the potatoes, wash, cut into small cubes, add to the vegetables and fry for 1 minute.
- Pour the broth into a saucepan, boil and cook for 10 minutes over moderate heat.
- Then pour in the cream and bring to a boil.
- Wash the spinach and place 2/3 of the parts in a saucepan.
- Wash the lemon, grate the zest on a fine grater and send to the soup.
- Cook everything covered for 15 minutes, cool slightly and add the rest of the spinach to the soup.
- Use a blender to chop the food into a puree and reheat.
- Season the spinach and cream soup with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Garnish with cream before serving.
Chicken in a creamy spinach sauce
Delicate chicken meat, healthy spinach and herbs… aromatic, tasty and uncomplicated dish - chicken in a creamy spinach sauce. For those on a diet, milk or low-fat cream is fine.
Ingredients:
- Chicken breasts - 4 halves
- Spinach - 250 g
- Onions - 1 pc.
- Garlic - 2 cloves
- Cream 10% - 240 ml
- Chicken broth - 180 ml
- Mozzarella - 100 g
- Parmesan - 50 g
- Olive oil - 2 tablespoons
- Salt to taste
- Ground black pepper - to taste
- Paprika - 2 tsp
Cooking Chicken in Creamy Spinach Sauce:
- In a skillet over medium heat, heat half a serving of olive oil.
- Rub the chicken with salt, pepper and paprika and place in the pan. Fry 8 minutes on each side until golden brown and transfer to a plate.
- Peel the onions, wash, chop finely and toss into the pan with the heated remaining oil. Fry, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- Peel the garlic, chop finely and add to the pan. Cook for 1 minute.
- Wash the spinach, dry it and add portions to the pan. Cook under a lid over moderate heat until reduced in volume.
- Pour the cream and broth into the pan, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Grate mozzarella and parmesan on a medium grater and add to the pan. Stir to melt the cheese.
- Place the fried chicken in the skillet and cook together for 5 minutes, pouring the sauce over the poultry. You can use pork tenderloin medallions as the main product, and the procedure will remain the same as with chicken breast.
Turkey meatballs with spinach
To surprise ordinary minced meatballs with their taste, play with their composition. Turkey meatballs with spinach are a memorable dish for lunch and even on a festive table.
Ingredients:
- Minced turkey - 450 g
- Frozen spinach - 300 g
- Eggs - 1 pc.
- Breadcrumbs - 80-100 g
- Onions - 1 pc.
- Garlic - 1 clove
- Salt to taste
- Ground black pepper - to taste
- Vegetable oil - for frying
Cooking turkey meatballs with spinach:
- Defrost the spinach at room temperature without using the microwave. Squeeze out excess liquid.
- Beat eggs with a whisk until smooth and mix with breadcrumbs and minced meat.
- Peel onions and garlic, wash, chop and send into minced meat.
- Season with salt, pepper, and add any spices to taste.
- Spread the minced meat well with your hands and form small balls from the resulting mixture.
- Grease a baking sheet with a thin layer of butter and lay out the meat balls.
- Heat the oven to 200 degrees and bake the turkey meatballs with spinach for 20 minutes.
Gnocchi with spinach and ricotta
Homemade ricotta gnocchi with spinach are rich in vitamins and many trace elements. The dish is especially useful in spring and summer heat. If there is no ricotta, you can modify the recipe by replacing it with Adyghe cheese.
Ingredients:
- Frozen spinach - 280 g
- Ricotta - 200 g
- Parmesan - 60 g
- Egg yolk - 1 pc.
- Flour - 3 tablespoons
- Salt to taste
Cooking spinach and ricotta gnocchi:
- Defrost the spinach indoors without using the microwave. Then squeeze out all the liquid well.
- Break the ricotta into pieces and send to the spinach.
- Grate Parmesan on a coarse grater and send to the products.
- Add egg yolk with flour, salt and whisk all ingredients with a blender.
- From the learned mass, mold small balls and sprinkle them with flour. If the gnocchi do not hold their shape well, add a little more flour to the dough.
- In a saucepan, boil the salted water and boil the gnocchi with spinach and ricotta in portions for 3 minutes.
- When they float to the surface, the dish is considered ready.
Salad with spinach, apples and cheese
Fresh spinach, the king of greens, does well in vitamin salads. The main thing is that it should not be stored in the refrigerator for more than 2-3 days. Vitamin salad of spinach leaves with apples and cheese, seasoned with olive oil is easy to prepare and for the body.
Ingredients:
- Fresh spinach - 280 g
- Apples - 2 pcs.
- Goat cheese or feta - 140 g
- Walnuts - 50 g
- Dried cranberries - 80 g
- Olive oil - 80 ml
- Apple cider vinegar - 60 ml
- Lemon juice - 2 tablespoons
- Dijon mustard - 1 tablespoon
- Salt to taste
- Ground black pepper - to taste
Cooking salad with spinach, apples and cheese:
- Wash the apples, peel, core and cut into thin slices.
- Wash the spinach and dry with a paper towel.
- Dry the walnuts in a clean, dry frying pan.
- Cut the goat cheese or feta into large pieces.
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and add cranberries.
- For dressing, combine olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the salad, stir and sprinkle with the cheese shavings.
Milk spinach smoothie
A healthy and original drink is a milk smoothie with spinach. A thick, cold shake with a pleasant texture can be made dietary by using pure water or fruit juice as a liquid base.
Ingredients:
- Milk - 240 ml
- Natural yogurt - 250 g
- Fresh spinach - 60 g
- Kiwi - 3 pcs.
- Banana - 1 pc.
Making a spinach milk smoothie:
- Pour the yogurt and milk into a blender bowl.
- Wash the spinach and put it in the milk.
- Peel the kiwi with banana, cut into any pieces and send to the liquid base.
- Whisk the food until smooth and smooth.