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Greek Spinach Rice

Liz DellaCroce Avatar

LIZ DELLA CROCE

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Greek Spinach Rice is a 15-minute side dish recipe made with just a few simple ingredients you probably already have on hand. Perfect for serving with roast chicken, grilled lamb, or broiled fish.

In need of a new, quick side dish? My Greek Spinach Rice recipe is a great way to add more flavor and nutrients to a side of rice, but still won’t take longer than 15 minutes of your time. And while it may be inspired by classic Greek spanakorizo, it’s great to pair with all sorts of cuisines. I love to serve it with grilled salmon with lemon garlic sauce, grilled lamb chops with tzatziki sauce, or roast chicken. But you could serve it with just about anything.

Why You’ll Love this Greek Spinach Rice

  • It takes a classic side dish and amps up the flavor!
  • If you’re trying to increase your vegetable intake, it’s a great way to add more veggies to your diet.
  • While I usually use fresh spinach, you can use frozen and it still tastes great!
  • It’s tasty! It pairs well with almost protein, and will be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.

Ingredients

  • Butter: You could also use olive oil, but the butter helps to cook the onion and toast the rice.
  • Onion: A white onion is mild enough to not overpower the simple dish with onion flavor, but still adds some depth of flavor.
  • White rice: I like to use long-grain rice, usually enriched and par-boiled such as Uncle Ben’s. You can use any type of rice, but follow cooking instructions as cook time may vary.
  • Chicken broth: I like to use chicken broth to cook the rice to up the flavor of the dish, but you could also use water or vegetable broth to keep the dish strictly vegetarian.
  • Spinach: Slightly bitter and earthy in taste, spinach is full of iron, potassium, and also a source of protein!
  • Dill: Slightly sweet and grassy, the dill adds bright flavor to the final dish.

Easy Swaps

  • Make it vegan. To make this dish vegan, use olive oil instead of the butter, and swap the chicken broth or vegetable stock.
  • Use a different grain. This same recipe would work with quinoa, orzo, or farro.
  • Add some citrus. You could add some lemon zest and lemon juice and it would pair great with the flavors.

How to Make Greek Spinach Rice

Step 1. Start by chopping your onion and washing your spinach (if using fresh), and rinsing your rice.

Step 2. In a large sauce pan, melt the butter and sauté the onion until translucent.

Step 3. Add the rice to the pan with the onion and toast for a minute before adding the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer.

Step 4. When rice is finished, stir in the spinach and cook until bright green and wilted, then add the dill and stir.

Garnishing Greek spinach rice with chives.

Garnish with some freshly chopped scallions, and enjoy your Greek Spinach Rice!

Frequently asked questions

Can you add spices to already cooked rice?

The rice will take on the flavor of the spices better if you season it before cooking, but you can add spices to already cooked rice as well.

Do I need to soak rice before cooking?

You don’t have to soak rice before cooking it, but letting your rice soak ahead of time can improve the texture of the final product.

How do you get rid of the weird taste in spinach?

Spinach can sometimes have a strong bitter taste when eaten raw, but cooking spinach usually helps to get rid of that bitter taste.

More Easy Sides

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A deliciously simple side the whole family will enjoy, give my Greek Spinach Rice a try!

Your fork is waiting.

Greek Spinach Rice

4.79 stars average
Greek Spinach Rice is a 15-minute side dish recipe made with just a few simple ingredients you probably already have on hand. Perfect for serving with roast chicken, grilled lamb or fish.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
CourseSide Dish
Serves4

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup long-grain enriched white rice rinsed
  • 2 cups chicken broth low sodium
  • 4 cups spinach raw or 2 cups frozen
  • ¼ cup minced dill
  • minced scallions optional garnish

Instructions
 

  1. Heat butter over medium heat then add onion to the pan along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute onion until translucent then add in rice. Toast rice for about 60 seconds until you can begin to smell it.
    1 tablespoon butter, 1 medium onion, salt and pepper, 1 cup long-grain enriched white rice
  2. Pour chicken broth into the pan along with another pinch salt and pepper. Stir once then bring to a boil. Place lid on pan then reduce heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes with lid on then stir in spinach to wilt right before serving. Check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper to taste. Stir in dill and garnish with minced scallions before serving,
    2 cups chicken broth, 4 cups spinach, 1/4 cup minced dill, minced scallions

Nutrition

Calories: 218kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 5gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 482mgPotassium: 355mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 2901IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 56mgIron: 1mg

Have you tried this?

Let us know how it was!

4.79 from 32 votes (26 ratings without comment)

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14 responses to “Greek Spinach Rice”

  1. Susan Avatar
    Susan

    Every good thank you

  2. Joan Avatar
    Joan

    I loved this recipe it is simple to prepare. I used EVO instead of butter and added a garlic clove.

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      Great alterations, glad you enjoyed it!

  3. Maria Sofia Avatar
    Maria Sofia

    Nice But I didn’t understand when you mixed the spinach with already rice.
    They cook separate then you mixed or you cooking together

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      You can do either one! Wilt the spinach separately in it’s own pan if you want more control of how cooked it is, or just add the spinach to the pot of cooked rice while it’s still hot and let it wilt in the rice.

  4. Becki Avatar
    Becki

    This was easy to make but needed more flavor for me. I am intolerant to onions and scallions so couldn’t use either of those, but, just salt, pepper, and dill is not enough. And dill and spinach together can, often, make a weird fishy taste. I’ve noticed that with several dishes I have made over the years! I ended up adding a decent amount of salt and pepper (not sure of measurements; I just added and tasted, added and tasted!), garlic powder, and a bit of chili powder. I also ended up having to cook it another 10 minutes because it was still brothy, even with following the instructions.

  5. Vida Avatar
    Vida

    Easy to make and tastes great! Just chopped leftover chicken right into it.
    Love the addition of spinach so will definitely make again.

  6. yes no wheel Avatar
    yes no wheel

    This dish is so delicious! I love the lemon flavor and the spinach is a great addition. I can’t wait to make it again.

  7. Melody Avatar
    Melody

    I made this today for the first time and I absolutely loved this! It’s so quick and easy to make with not a lot of ingredients… my kind of recipe! I will definitely be using this again. I added chicken breast pieces to mine to make it a meal and it blended perfectly! Thanks so much!!

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!!!

  8. Ang Avatar
    Ang

    I was trying to use up some spinach in a way my non-spinach eating bf would consume, lol. This was perfect! Thanks so much. Glad I came across this! Nothing heavy or overstated-just right.

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      Oh good I’m so glad you enjoyed!!!

  9. Eve Avatar
    Eve

    That is not Greek spinach with rice. Try changing the amount of rice to about 10%-15% of the weight of spinach .Do not use butter , use olive oil and add 1 tbsp of tomato paste per 2lbs of spinach.

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      Thanks Eve – that sounds delicious!