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.

Impact Ratings:

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
  • Sneak it in any pasta dish you have, even regular old spaghetti and sauce
  • Sausage Spinach Pasta Toss
• When I can’t use enough of these ideas in a week’s time, I simply steam a big batch (only for 1-2 minutes) 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.

I’d love to see more of you!  Sign up for an email subscription or grab my reader feed.

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:

• Cruciferous Vegetables
• Garlic and Onions
• Peppers
• Steam Your Veggies
• No More Canned Vegetables

This post is linked to Kitchen Tip Tuesday at Tammy’s Recipes and Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family.