i need SPINACH recipes please

[buddie]

i just bought this huge bag of spinach at costco.

i don't want any to go to waste and i just love spinach, so any hardy recipes you have would be great. THANKS!!!!

[Jessica]

Oooh, one of my favorite CL pastas uses spinach and it can even be a bit wilted. I forget the name because I memorized it.

Two cans chopped tomatoes with basil and garlic
One can cannellini or other white beans ( I prefer Great Northern), drained
8 oz pasta (shapes work better than long noodles)
4-6 oz spinach, torn
2 oz feta cheese

Mix tomatoes and beans in large skillet. Bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
While this is simmering, prepare and drain pasta (those nuggets work real well).
Add torn spinach to sauce and cook just till wilted. Pour over pasta and sprinkle with feta.
Serves four.
I sometimes substitute low-salt tomatoes and just add basil and garlic.

[Susan]

Here are some more CL recipes:

Cavatappi with Spinach, Garbanzo Beans, and Feta

8 cups coarsely chopped spinach
8 cups hot cooked cavatappi (about 12 ounces uncooked spiral-shaped pasta)
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 (19-ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or other white beans, drained
4 garlic cloves, crushed
Freshly ground pepper
Lemon wedges (optional)


Combine first 10 ingredients in a large bowl; toss well. Garnish with lemon wedges, if desired.
Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 11/3 cups).

CALORIES 288 (27% from fat); FAT 8.6g (sat 2.3g, mono 4.2g, poly 1.3g); PROTEIN 11.2g; CARB 42.2g; FIBER 4.40g; CHOL 9mg; IRON 3.60mg; SODIUM 334mg; CALC 106mg

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Artichoke-and-Pasta Salad

1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups cooked radiatore (about 5 ounces uncooked short coiled pasta)
2 cups thinly sliced spinach
1 cup chopped seeded tomato
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled feta cheese


Combine 2 artichoke hearts, olive oil, and the next 6 ingredients (olive oil through garlic) in a blender or food processor, and process until mixture is smooth. Chop the remaining artichoke hearts. Combine the chopped artichokes, pasta, spinach, and chopped tomato in a large bowl. Pour pureed artichoke mixture over pasta mixture, and toss well to coat. Cover and chill 2 hours. Sprinkle with feta cheese.
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup).

CALORIES 153 (23% from fat); FAT 3.9g (sat 1.1g, mono 1.9g, poly 0.5g); PROTEIN 5.9g; CARB 24.9g; FIBER 1.80g; CHOL 4mg; IRON 2.20mg; SODIUM 137mg; CALC 70mg
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Orzo with Pesto and Peas
Arugula, an aromatic salad green with a peppery mustard flavor, gives this easy-to-make pesto its unique flavor. Add fresh shelled peas and pasta, and you have a quick spring meal.

Pesto:
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped walnuts
1 garlic clove, peeled
11/2 cups torn spinach
11/2 cups trimmed arugula
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
11/2 tablespoons olive oil
Remaining ingredients:
2 cups hot cooked orzo (about 1 cup uncooked rice-shaped pasta)
1 cup shelled green peas (about 3/4 pound unshelled green peas)


To prepare pesto, drop walnuts and garlic through food chute with food processor on; process until minced. Add spinach and next 6 ingredients (spinach through pepper); process until finely minced. With food processor on, slowly pour oil through food chute; process until well-blended. Combine pesto, orzo, and peas in a large bowl, and toss well.
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup).

CALORIES 141 (30% from fat); FAT 4.7g (sat 0.8g, mono 2.3g, poly 1.2g); PROTEIN 5.5g; CARB 19.7g; FIBER 1.70g; CHOL 1mg; IRON 1.50mg; SODIUM 194mg; CALC 58mg
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Tortellini, White Bean, and Spinach Soup

1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups coarsely chopped spinach
2/3 cup water
1 (16-ounce) can navy beans, drained
2 cups FreshVegetable Broth or 1 (141/2-ounce) can vegetable broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1 (14-ounce) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1 (9-ounce) package uncooked fresh cheese tortellini
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese


Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, bell pepper, seasoning, and garlic; saute 5 minutes or until tender. Add spinach and next 5 ingredients (spinach through artichokes); bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 2 minutes. Add tortellini; cook until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with cheese.
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 11/2 cups soup and 2 teaspoons cheese).

CALORIES 281 (18% from fat); FAT 5.7g (sat 2.1g, mono 1.7g, poly 0.6g); PROTEIN 15g; CARB 43.9g; FIBER 4.20g; CHOL 23mg; IRON 2.80mg; SODIUM 562mg; CALC 158mg

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Creamed Spinach

2 (10-ounce) bags fresh spinach
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/2 cup tub-style light cream cheese, softened


Remove large stems from spinach, and rinse with cold water; drain. Place a large Dutch oven over medium heat, and add spinach. (Spinach will need to be tightly packed into the pan to cook all of it in one batch). Cover and cook 5 minutes or until spinach wilts; stir spinach well after 2 minutes. Place spinach in a colander, and drain well, pressing spinach with the back of a spoon to remove as much moisture as possible. Place pan coated with cooking spray over medium heat until hot. Add shallots; saute 2 minutes. Combine flour, salt, and nutmeg; add to pan, stirring well. Cook 30 seconds. Add milk and cheese, stirring with a whisk; cook 1 minute or until thick. Add spinach; cook 30 seconds or until thoroughly heated.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2/3 cup).

CALORIES 110 (44% from fat); FAT 5.4g (sat 3g, mono 0.3g, poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 7.9g; CARB 9.5g; FIBER 5.20g; CHOL 17mg; IRON 3.60mg; SODIUM 346mg; CALC 204mg


[This message has been edited by Susan (edited 12-11-2000).]

[Kristi]

This one is excellent!

Rigatoni with Spinach and Blue Cheese

1 teaspoon olive oil
3/4 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups fresh spinach leaves, chopped
11/3 cups chopped seeded tomato
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
8 cups hot cooked rigatoni (about 16 ounces uncooked tube-shaped pasta)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted


Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and cook 20 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Add garlic, and saute 1 minute. Add spinach, tomato, and broth; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Combine spinach mixture, pasta, cheese, and pine nuts in a large bowl; toss well to coat.
Yield: 5 servings (serving size: 11/2 cups).

CALORIES 432 (21% from fat); FAT 10.1g (sat 3.1g, mono 3.3g, poly 2.6g); PROTEIN 17.7g; CARB 69.8g; FIBER 7.50g; CHOL 9mg; IRON 5.90mg; SODIUM 267mg; CALC 155mg

[lindrusso]

If you search this board for "Spinach Balls" and/or "Chicken Florentine Casserole", you will find two of my favorite spinach recipes. The nice thing about the spinach balls is that you can freeze them for later - so you don't turn "green" eating all that spinach.

[mightyh]

Cooking light has a really easy recipe for spinach and blue cheese calzones.... It's great and only takes about 5 minutes to prepare.

[Ohioan]

Funny you should ask ... last night, here's what I made for dinner:

Ziti with Spinach, Raisins, and Pine Nuts
Serves: 2

6 oz ziti or other tubular pasta
2 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
6 cups spinach, coarsely chopped
Salt, to taste
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp raisins
1 Tbsp pine nuts

Cook the pasta al dente. Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, spinach, salt, and red pepper flakes. Cook until the spinach is tender, about 2 to 4 minutes. Add the raisins and pine nuts and keep warm over low heat. When the pasta is cooked, drain it and combine it with the spinach mixture. Serve with lots of freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

For a more robust dish, you can also add some chopped or pureed tomatoes just as the spinach begins to wilt.

Cheers,
Phoebe

[BethH]

I have spinach on the menu this week as well! I'm doing Orzo with spinach and pine nuts from the 5 Star book, Spinach with Cannelini beans and pasta from CL--I found it on the website...so quick and yummy, and a recipe that I lightened which has shrimp, lemon juice, white wine, light butter, 1 can diced tomatoes, garlic and spinach in it.

Can you tell I bought one of those big bags too? I love fresh spinach and can even get SO to eat these recipes. (He's currently working through some veggie-phobias.) http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

[mommywannabe]

The spinach calzone from either the Nov or Dec 2000 issue was really yummy, and easy to make. Enjoy!

[lorilei]

Why not use some of it to make a spinach pesto? This can be frozen in cubes and added to various sauces/soups over the winter.

Spinach pesto is great over pasta, and makes a gorgeous sauce for veggies. It's also excellent as a topping for potatoes!