Oops, I have too much is a blog series dedicated to the inevitable abundance of seasonal produce. Whether you grew it in your garden, got it in your CSA box or just couldn’t resist buying beautiful seasonal produce at the grocery store or farmer’s market, I’ll give you ideas for delicious ways to use your excess food + tips to preserve it for later so it won’t go to waste.
What to do with too much spinach
I’m launching this new series with spinach for two reasons:
- My CSA box had lots of beautiful spinach this week and last
- Plus my garden is OVERFLOWING with the stuff.
Time to eat some leafy greens!
Storing spinach
Short term:
Rinse the spinach in water, then pat it dry or use a salad spinner. Wrap it loosely in a paper towel or a thin cotton cloth to absorb moisture, then store in a large plastic bag or storage container.
Note: for maximum longevity, don’t wash before refrigerating. But I am more likely to eat it quicker if it’s already cleaned and ready to go.
Long term:
If you’re short on time, or just have way more than you can use before it spoils, the best way to preserve spinach is to blanch, drain and freeze it. Blanching the spinach before freezing will preserve the color and flavor. Step by step instructions can be found here.
This will shrink the volume of your spinach considerably–a pound of fresh spinach will yield approximately a cup of frozen spinach. I like to chop mine before freezing it, so it’s ready to thaw and use later.
Quick & easy
- Add it to smoothies
Toss a generous handful of fresh spinach in with your smoothie. Once it’s pureed, you’ll barely even notice it’s there…but your smoothie will be superpowered with nutrients. It will mix best if you blend in the greens at the very end, when the rest of the ingredients have already been blended. - Make a spinach & strawberry salad
Toss spinach with feta cheese and strawberries (the more the merrier), then add poppyseed dressing. This is my favorite recipe for poppyseed dressing. I’ve had this for lunch three times this week. - Or any other salad, for that matter
Young spinach in particular is great in salads, both on its own and mixed with other types of lettuce. - Make a simple, healthy side dish
Heat a shallow pan to medium, and put a little bit of olive oil on the bottom. Put a large handful of spinach in the pan, and gently stir until the spinach is wilted and turns a deeper green. Add sea salt and serve with almonds, if you have them. - Spinach pesto
Swap half (or more) of the basil in pesto for spinach, and prepare as you would regular pesto. Use as a dip for crackers or on pasta. Or make a fancy grilled cheese with it.
More recipe ideas to use spinach
- Spinach, mushroom & feta quiche
- Spinach & artichoke dip
- Triple cheese and spinach strata
- Mediterranean chicken pizza (I must confess, I just copy Papa Murphy’s ingredient list and make it at home – garlic, cooked chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, feta and basil if I have it. DIVINE.)
Now it’s your turn! What’s your favorite way to cook with spinach?
