Spinach is one of those items that, when you want to use fresh, almost always results in some leftovers. A nice big bag or box of spinach is usually more than one recipe calls for. I think it’s important to use fresh spinach in your diet (it’s a Super Food, after all), and it’s also important not to waste food. In that light,
Your mission, if you choose to accept, is to gather a few spinach recipes that your family enjoys so that you can always use up your spinach.
Level of Commitment: Baby Steps
Although spinach can always be thrown into salads raw, either with lettuce or as the whole salad, it’s important to also eat it cooked to neutralize the oxalic acid (see more on spinach’s health benefits here).
I don’t usually have a problem with too much spinach – anymore. I used to struggle to use the whole bag, but now that I have enough recipes and ideas for spinach, using it up is simple.
Your Kitchen Tip for this week – some of my favorite spinach-use-it-up-methods:
- Half and half with romaine lettuce in our salads
- A handful in scrambled eggs
- A handful in spaghetti or pizza sauce, or any casserole like lasagna, turkey pot pie
- In any stew or meat dish, even Mexican food
- In meatloaf and meatballs
- Mixed into mashed potatoes
- Stir fried or grilled in foil with veggies – we’ve especially been loving a mix with zucchini, peppers, onion, garlic and a bit of crushed or diced tomatoes with olive oil and Italian seasoning on top this summer.
- In some of my favorite recipes:
- Sausage, Bean and Kale Soup (with spinach instead of kale)
- Tuscan Bean Soup
- Greek Pasta Salad
- My friend’s stuffed shells recipe
- Sausage Spinach Pasta Toss
- When I can’t use enough of these ideas in a week’s
time, I simply steam a big batch and make food cubes in an ice cube tray, and then I’m ready to go for green smoothies. I’ve used frozen boxed spinach in the smoothies, and there really is a bit of a taste with that stuff that I don’t find at all with home-cooked greens.
I encourage you to try a new recipe that includes spinach if this isn’t a customary food for your household, and then experiment with other uses to make sure you use it all up. Spinach is no longer on the Dirty Dozen Produce list, but it was prior to March 2009, so I still tend to buy it organic when it’s on sale.
For a good way to wash spinach and a page of recipes (once Mr. Linky is working again), see The W.H.O.L.E. Gang’s Foodie fix.
Note: I did ask you to think about salads, if you’re following the mental missions…but I wanted to focus on spinach first, and I’m saving a particular salad Monday Mission for a later date. Sorry ’bout that!
Be sure to pop back in this week for an exciting announcement about my latest dishwasher detergent adventure (and a little something for you)! A hint: this was more successful than the last experiment.
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If you missed the last Monday Mission, click here.
Kitchen Stewardship is dedicated to balancing God’s gifts of time, health, earth and money. If you feel called to such a mission, read more at Mission, Method, and Mary and Martha Moments.
For other tips on “sneaking” veggies and beans into your regular meals:
- Meal Plan Analysis Number One
- Meal Plan Analysis Number Two
- Meal Plan Analysis Number Three
- Meal Plan Analysis Number Four
- Meal Plan Analysis Number Five (and my beans for the week)
And more veggie info:
This post is linked to Kitchen Tip Tuesday at Tammy’s Recipes and Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family.
Hungry for more? Related posts:
What a perfect time for you to post this Monday Mission. I just harvested LOADS of kale from my garden! I planted a mesculin lettuce mix but it is about 80% kale and arugula, both of which are great substitutes for spinach. I have been making green smoothies for breakfast most mornings, check out my recipe here: http://copingwithfrugality.blogspot.com/2009/07/going-green-for-breakfast.html
If you check out my gardening and recipe sections of my blog you will see other ways I have used it, or discussions on how the heck to use it!
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I love spinach as well!! We had a HUGE crop of it in our backyard. We’re going to plant more for the fall. I also did a post on spinach, which you can see here: http://alison.blogsome.com/2009/05/06/spinach/
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I can never get through a whole bag of spinach, so I’m bookmarking this list! Thanks =)
mub’s last blog post..Lemon Sponge Pie
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I’ve heard before that putting spinach in pesto along with the basil is a good way to “hide” it.
Such great ideas!
Stopped by from We are THAT Family.
Genny’s last blog post..An Easy Way to Make Cookies Healthier
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Katie Reply:
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:16 pm
You bet! I just did that this week, too – but you don’t want too much, or the basil flavor starts to fade. MMMmmmmm…
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I’ve never tried the stuff. I don’t know why, but I’m scared to! LOL
Come stop by my blog ~ I’m sharing a tasty thing I found that works for me and my daughter, which you’ll see LOL. Plus I have a little info on a Non-BlogHer party going on with GIVEAWAYS and fun!! http://www.garibaysoup.com
Amanda’s last blog post..This is how we eat our ice cream cupcakes!
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I always have spinach on hand and I put it in just about anything savoury. In winter I buy the snap-frozen spinach in bags from the supermarket freezer section. A nutritionist I work with said that it is virtually just as good as fresh spinach because of the way it is frozen, and that goes for most frozen vegetables these days.
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Katie Reply:
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:17 pm
That’s what I have heard, too!
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We love spinach here. Our favorite way to eat it is in Strawberry Spinach Salad. Thanks for the recipe links they will be put to use.
Alea’s last blog post..Butter Tossed Green Beans
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A friend taught me that it’s really easy to steam spinach by putting it into the colander before you drain pasta. Click my name for details. It’s one of those cooking ideas I think of as a Guy Thing: I wouldn’t have thought to try it myself because it’s not the way my mother taught me, but it’s simple and efficient!
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