Spinach is in season! Not only does this dark green veggie add color to your meal, it is an easy way to add fiber, vitamins, and minerals too. Healthy really can be easy! Spinach comes in two basic varieties: smooth and crinkly (also known as savoy). Smooth spinach is the most common and likely the type you see at the grocery store. Crinkly spinach is more common at farmers markets or home gardens. Both are delicious and easy to cook with! Fresh spinach has a mild, slightly sweet taste while cooked spinach has more of a tangy, acidic flavor and goes well in most savory dishes. 

How to get started

Spinach is easy to add to any meal because it will cook down or wilt with heat. It may look like you added too much at first, but it will wilt quickly. Start by rinsing the fresh leaves of spinach with water then dry them with a salad spinner or towel. Spinach will wilt quickly, so add it in during the last few minutes of cooking. Add a handful of spinach at a time, mix it in, then add more as it starts to cook down. 

Simple ways to use spinach

Here are some of our favorite, easy ideas for adding spinach to your dinner: 

• Sauté it:
  • One of the simplest and quickest ways to enjoy spinach is by sautéing it with fresh herbs or spices. Try sautéing spinach in a skillet with olive oil and garlic or add it to your homemade stir fry.
  • Enjoy sautéed spinach over rice or on the side. 
• Add it to pasta:
  • Add finely chopped spinach into your marinara or creamy pasta sauce.
  • Or add sautéed spinach over pasta.
  • Mix it with hot, freshly strained pasta to slightly wilt spinach. Let cool & add dressing with the rest of your veggies for a tasty pasta salad! 

• Add it to eggs:
  • Add veggies to your breakfast-for-dinner by adding chopped spinach to an omelet, casserole, or frittata. 

• Salad, as a main or a side dish:
  • Add any of your favorite salad fixings; add a protein like hard-boiled eggs or grilled chicken to make it a main dish, or serve it as a side. Get your greens and enjoy something sweet with our Cucumber Watermelon Salad!

• Add it to your soup, stew or chili: 
  • After washing the fresh spinach, stir it in during the last 15 minutes of cooking to your favorite soup, stew, or chili. 

Still not sure what to do with spinach? Take a look on our easy-to-use recipe finder at onieproject.org/recipes. Use the search bar to find easy, tasty recipe ideas that your family will love.

Use our interactive map to locate where you can find locally grown spinach at SNAP-accepting farmers markets.

Have another way you love to use spinach that we missed? Let us know in the comments below!