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Home > Explore an Ingredient

Spinach

Seasonality

Fall-Spring

Quick Tips

How to cook spinach

Traditional spinach is best when used raw or lightly cooked through sautéing or steaming. Overcooking spinach will result a slimy consistency. Be sure to rinse the greens directly before cooking or using.

How to buy spinach

Look for spinach in bunches or loose leaves. The leaves should have a solid green color, look and feel crisp, and no wilted leaves or foul smell.

How to store spinach

Store unwashed spinach in a plastic bag or container that is lined with a dry tea towel or paper towels. Excess moisture will cause spinach to spoil quicker.

Varieties

Spinach comes in a few different varieties: Savoy, semi-savoy, flat-leafed, and a spinach-alternative that is a substitute grown in warmer weather. The Savoy, semi-savory, and flat-leafed are best grown in cooler weather and are typically what I use in a recipe.

About

Spinach is best as a cool weather crop. The heat causes spinach to bolt before it’s ready to be picked, and even if the spinach doesn’t bolt, the heat flattens the flavor. I use spinach fairly interchangeably with other dark greens like swiss chard, kale, and arugula. Play around and find the right combination of different greens for your salad recipe.

I eat a lot of leafy greens for the iron content and many other nutrients. Spinach is great freshly plucked and used as a salad base. but versatile enough to be used in many cooked dishes. To keep the nutrients in tact, I often toss spinach with freshly cooked pasta to wilt it just slightly.

If you wish to preserve fresh spinach, the best method is to freeze. This is done by blanching the greens for 2 minutes, followed immediately by an ice bath. From there, the greens can be tossed in a ziplock bag and into the freezer for up to a year (if they last that long).

Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese with Spinach

see full instructions >

 All Vegetarian Spinach Recipes

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    Delicata Squash Spring Rolls with Spinach
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    Garlic Roasted Potato and Spinach Salad with Eggs
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    Grilled Fennel Salad with Orzo and White Beans
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    Halloumi Salad with Spinach and Quinoa
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    Harissa Roasted Carrot Toast
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    Honey-Roasted Butternut Squash and Blue Cheese Salad
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    Noodles in Curry Broth with Spinach and Egg
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    Quick Red Lentil Curry with Spinach
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    Ras El Hanout Farro Skillet
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    Roasted Acorn Squash Salad with Pecan Vinaigrette
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    Roasted Beet Salad with Herbs and Spinach
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    Roasted Carrot Multigrain Pilaf with Pepita Pesto
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    Roasted Golden Beet and Millet Spinach Salad with Herb Dressing
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Spinach

Recent Recipes

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    Spinach Quesadillas with Spiced Pinto Beans
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  • Garlic Roasted Potato and Spinach Salad with Eggs
    Garlic Roasted Potato and Spinach Salad with Eggs

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I'm Erin and this is my space for all things vegetarian food inspired by California and my love of cooking.


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Winter recipes

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  • Adobo Acorn Squash, Crispy Quinoa, and Chimichurri
  • Roasted Sweet Potato Rice Paper Rolls with Spinach
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