Great raw or cooked, spinach is a workhorse of a vegetable that can be served at breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and it can be incorporated into all manner of appetizers, salads, side dishes, and entrées. Whether you have a bag or bunch of fresh spinach in your crisper drawer or a block of the convenient frozen stuff, our best spinach recipes give you a plethora of ways to work these nutrient-dense leaves into your diet. Here are some of our favorites when cooking with spinach.
Stir-Fried Chinese Rice Cakes with Pork Belly, Tomatoes, and Spinach (Dajiujia)
Dark leafy greens are the predominant vegetables in Crete, where more than 100 types grow and they are often paired with beans in sautés, stews, and pies. Get the recipe for Cretan Bean Stew with Spinach »Katherine Whittaker
Joe’s Special is one of the most odd and divine scrambles known to man. Consisting of egg, garlic, spinach, and ground beef, the dish originated in San Francisco in the 1920s, at a long-gone Italian-American restaurant, New Joe’s. Later, it was the signature dish of a Bay Area chain called Original Joe’s—and a standby for countless home cooks in Northern California, including my mom. At least once a month, we ate it for dinner, and I still make it, as there are few dishes so appealing and comforting to eat. —James OselandGet the recipe for Joe’s Special »Todd Coleman
This recipe comes from Madhur Jaffrey’s A Taste of India, though we’ve tested this recipe in the SAVEUR test kitchen, we present it in its original, unedited form from the book. Get the recipe for Roasted Moong Dal with Spinach »Matt Taylor-Gross
Spinach, Chive, and Yogurt Soup with Grilled Scallions
Strangolapreti is a Trentan party food, a luxurious, cheesy dish made with frugal ingredients. Jonathon Sawyer of Cleveland’s Trentina days day-old bread, blanched spinach, ricotta, and egg to make a dumpling filled with ooey-gooey cheese. Get the recipe for Strangolapreti »
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These tender ravioli are filled with spinach and cheese and topped with a tangy tomato sauce bolstered with mushrooms, zucchini, and squash. Get the recipe for Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli »Maxime Iattoni
Buckwheat and Ricotta Gnocchi with Cream, Peas, and Spinach
Spinach and Potato Dumplings with Cold Tomato Sauce
A chilled tomato sauce with sundried tomatoes makes a pleasant contrast to these hot potato and spinach dumplings, which chef Josita Hartanto of Berlin's Lucky Leek binds together with firm tofu and durum wheat semolina. Dry the potatoes and spinach thoroughly so the dumplings will hold their shape. Get the recipe for Spinach and Potato Dumplings with Cold Tomato Sauce »Matt Taylor-Gross
Veal and Spinach Lasagna
Unlike the heavy red-sauced lasagnas served in America, this Abruzzo-style version relies on an ethereal egg and tomato sauce that puffs when the lasagna is cooked, giving it a soufflé-like appearance. Get the recipe for Veal and Spinach Lasagna »Romulo Yanes
Green Minestrone with Kohlrabi, Olives, and Spinach Pesto
A sauce of unabashedly flavorful ingredients—including evaporated milk and, yes, Velveeta cheese—makes for a spectacularly rich take on creamed spinach. We adapted this recipe from one found in the River Road Cookbook, one of Louisiana's most iconic Junior League cookbooks. Get the recipe for Spinach Madeleine »Vanessa Rees
