Spinach recipes - spinach pici pasta on a plate

Super spinach is not just for Popeye! Embrace the green stuff and include spinach in your meals for added colour, flavour and a hit of vitamins A and C. Celebrate it raw or learn how to cook it in a variety of delicious ways with our favourite spinach recipes.

Whether you opt for a bag of the fresh stuff or handy cubes of frozen leaves, it’s wonderfully versatile. Try dropping chunks of frozen leaf spinach into soups, stews, curries or casseroles for a veg boost. Baby spinach leaves can be eaten raw in salads, added to sandwiches, or whizzed up into smoothies, dressings and sauces. The larger leaves are better sautéed or steamed and served as a side dish, or added to pasta, pies or frittatas. Whatever you’re in the mood for, our spinach recipes are guaranteed to go down a treat.

Jamie’s quick and easy take on a spanakopita from his bestselling book 5 Ingredients Mediterranean bigs up budget-friendly frozen spinach and totally delivers on the flavour-front. Packed with dill, tangy feta and topped with a big hit of sesame seeds, this is something special. 

Beautiful baby spinach gives a vibrant punch of colour to this healthy brunch favourite that’s good enough for dinner, too. Top with whatever combo of ingredients you’ve got in the fridge, roll up and enjoy.

Wilted spinach teams up with slow-cooked tomatoes and onions making the perfect base to house oozy eggs here. With lots of lovely spices and sweet red pepper paste, this Turkish-inspired breakfast from Meliz Berg’s cookbook Meliz’s Kitchen makes a great weekend brunch. 

If you’re after a speedy meal for one, this tasty spinach and salmon pasta ticks a lot of boxes. It’s ready in just 8 minutes and you’ll only have one pan to wash up – perfect for a working-from-home lunch or an easy supper, with minimum fuss. 

Utilising ready-rolled puff pastry, Jamie’s speedy take on a salmon en croûte looks super impressive, but is actually a doddle to make. Frozen spinach works best here (and it’s cheaper than fresh spinach), providing a delicious earthy base for the succulent salmon and clever topping.

Need to rattle out a satisfying dinner in under 20 minutes? This flavour-packed chicken dish from Jamie’s 5 Ingredients Mediterranean will do the trick. Golden strips of sumac-dusted chicken sit on a bed of creamy chickpeas and spinach – so good.

Go all out with this epic filo pie. We’re talking sautéed spinach mixed with lemon zest and soft herbs layered between sheets of filo, and finished off with a creamy feta topping – yes please! Invest a little love and care in the layering, then let the oven do the rest. 

Take family favourite mac ‘n’ cheese to the next level by whizzing spinach into the sauce (as well as embracing faithful broccoli for an extra veggie boost). You’ll end up with something packed with flavour, full of colour and sure to put a smile on your face.

Bigging up convenient frozen spinach, this ridiculously comforting number is indulgence personified. Creamed spinach is teamed with a cheesy oat topping to create the ultimate side dish. Love any leftovers on a pizza, in a frittata, or even spread on toast.

Choose your ingredients wisely and you won’t need many to create a winning dish. Ready in less than 20 minutes, this 5-ingredient wonder is a surefire hit. Creamy paneer, toasted cashews and wilted spinach with a hit of curry paste and a little onion is all you need for a banging dinner.

Mix things up on the pasta front and go green! Adding spinach to your pasta dough not only adds colour, it ups the nutrition factor and is fun to make. Get little hands involved in this simple pasta recipe, which can be prepped the day before and left to dry out if you want to get ahead.

Go retro with this super-easy, all-in-one traybake. Flavour friends spinach and garlic create a lovely green bed for succulent salmon stuffed with creamy prawns. Simple to scale up or down, this is a total weeknight winner.

Fresh baby spinach leaves are a salad staple. Use them whole, tear them up, or shred them for added texture. Here, dressed simply in good extra virgin olive oil and lemon, they’re the perfect base for tangy citrus and gnarly garlic chicken kebabs.

Go back to Jamie’s roots with this labour of love – the recipe Jamie was making all those years ago for a TV documentary at The River Cafe, when the Naked Chef was born. Spinach and ricotta is a classic combo, and this is the perfect showstopper for a special occasion.

In the green mood? We’ve got lots more satisfying spinach recipes here.



FAQs

What is spinach?

Spinach is a leafy vegetable in the goosefoot plant family, which also includes beetroot. There are two main types of spinach: the smooth-leaved variety and the more crinkly Savoy spinach. Spinach contains a high percentage of water, which is why it shrinks a lot when cooked.

When is spinach in season?

Spinach is available throughout the year.

How to store spinach

Spinach is best kept in the fridge. Make sure it’s completely dry before chilling or it will become soggy. When choosing spinach, look for leaves that have a strong green colour. Avoid spinach that is wilting, pale or yellow.

What are the health benefits of spinach?

Spinach is a good source of folate. Folate is a nutrient we need to make red blood cells – we need red blood cells to transport oxygen around our body. A dessert bowl of fresh spinach counts as one of your 5-a-day (one portion of veg or fruit is 80g raw weight), and it's high in folic acid, manganese and vitamins A and C – what a joy!