What to do with too much Spinach??

[*EJ*]

I have just picked and washed a HEAP of spinach leaves and am wondeing what to do next as it is way too much for me to use right now.

I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions on how best i keep it?

I'm thinking i'll have to cook it and freeze it... but not sure how to cook it on it's own as i usually just throw it into dinners as i'm making them.

I know this could be a very simple straight forward answer but would really appreciate your help.

Thanks

[PumpkinZulu]

A great way to keep spinach is to make it in cannelloni and then freeze it! It freezes and reheats really well too. Because spinach comes down to nothing when heated, it's a great way to get all those yummy nutrients in a meal. I make it all the time and freeze it for later, it's delicious. I don't really follow a recipe, just throw this and that in, but basically:

-Buy a packet of cannelloni shells
-to make the mixture, mix in a bowl 500grams of ricotta, one egg, a handful of parmesan cheese grated, a good pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper and as much or as little as you want of wilted spinach (it just turns to nothing, kwim?)
-stuff the cannelloni shells with mixture
-to make the sauce, chop up some onion and garlic, fry in a pot with some oil. Add tinned tomato, puree, whatever you prefer to make a tomato-y pasta sauce and add some fresh or dried basil. cook up until yummy
-place the cannelloni in a shallow baking/oven-y dish (lol) and cover with the sauce. grate some tasty cheese over the top, and cook until cannelloni is soft. then all you have to do is let it cool, put it into tupperware containers and freeze!

hope that was helpful, not sure if it was what you were after, but I make it all the time for when I know I'll need a quick and yummy dinner ready to go. I grow my own spinach too, I love it, and this dish is great because you can cram so much into it

xx

[Cassius2]

when we have this we just chop it and lightly blanch it then chuck it in tupperware (varying sizes depending on how much you use at a single time ITMS...for example, i use DDs old EMB Avent containers LOL!) and then freeze. to defrost i either do a quick defrost in the microwave (be sure not to overheat!) or, just pop the container in some hot water (just enough to dislodge it) and i throw it in whatever i am cooking even when still quite frozen as it cooks so fast....

HTH!

and yummo! love home-grown spinach!

[MantaRay]

Ooh, great thread! I have the same problem atm - the spinach is doing so well that I'm running out of ideas of what to do with it all!

[Visitor3]

A great way to keep spinach is to make it in cannelloni and then freeze it! It freezes and reheats really well too. Because spinach comes down to nothing when heated, it's a great way to get all those yummy nutrients in a meal. I make it all the time and freeze it for later, it's delicious. I don't really follow a recipe, just throw this and that in, but basically:

-Buy a packet of cannelloni shells
-to make the mixture, mix in a bowl 500grams of ricotta, one egg, a handful of parmesan cheese grated, a good pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper and as much or as little as you want of wilted spinach (it just turns to nothing, kwim?)
-stuff the cannelloni shells with mixture
-to make the sauce, chop up some onion and garlic, fry in a pot with some oil. Add tinned tomato, puree, whatever you prefer to make a tomato-y pasta sauce and add some fresh or dried basil. cook up until yummy
-place the cannelloni in a shallow baking/oven-y dish (lol) and cover with the sauce. grate some tasty cheese over the top, and cook until cannelloni is soft. then all you have to do is let it cool, put it into tupperware containers and freeze!

hope that was helpful, not sure if it was what you were after, but I make it all the time for when I know I'll need a quick and yummy dinner ready to go. I grow my own spinach too, I love it, and this dish is great because you can cram so much into it

xx

This is awesome advice. I would have just said to cook it and freeze it. You can also spoon it into ice cube trays and use it bit by bit in your cooking

[Bathsheba]

My family loves:

Spanakopita
(A Greek Spinach savoury slice)

INGREDIENTS
45 ml olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
910 g spinach, rinsed and chopped
30 g chopped fresh parsley
2 eggs, lightly beaten
125 g ricotta cheese
250 g crumbled feta cheese
8 Filo pastry sheets
60 ml olive oil


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a square baking pan to fit the pastry shgeets.
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, green onions and garlic, until soft and lightly browned. Stir in spinach and parsley, and continue to saute until spinach is limp, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, and feta. Stir in spinach mixture. Lay 1 sheet of filo pastry in prepared baking pan, and brush lightly with olive oil. Lay another sheet of filo on top, brush with olive oil, and repeat process with two more sheets of filo. Spread spinach and cheese mixture into pan and fold overhanging pastry over filling. Brush with oil, then layer remaining 4 sheets of pastry, brushing each with oil. Tuck overhanging pastry into pan to seal filling.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve while hot.


I haven't used this exact recipe... but it looks very close. It's easy as!

[*EJ*]

Thanks so much girls you are so helpful

LOVE the recipe i'm about to walk down the shops so i think i might get a few cannaloni shells.

Cassius2 can i just calrify 'lightly blanch'? Do you mean boil for a few min? Sorry not too sure

This is great because i han't thought of making cannaloni with my spinach.. the two go together don't they!?! But also wanted to know the best way to cook it up to then be able to freeze it for later use.

Bathsheba, thank you also for that recipe it also sounds yummy, will give it a go also

Thanks so much

[PumpkinZulu]

You can also spoon it into ice cube trays and use it bit by bit in your cooking

THAT is a good idea! I do a lot of creamy curries and stuff, that idea would work nicely. I do that with leftover lemon juice too, it's great if you just need a pinch of it in a recipe; either defrost it or chuck it straight in.

[Trillian]

We always freeze or preserve our excess veges and I still have spinach in the freezer from last year! I have a thread on here detailing exactly how to do it so I will hunt it out and post the link.

[*EJ*]

Thanks heaps ladies i've got so much spinach i can make both of those recipes and Trillian i'd love to have a read if you manage to find that thread

Thanks again xoxo

[BrightSparkles]

I was just reading a recipie out of the 4 ingredients cookbook - spinich damer. It looks yummy!

[Nelle]

How about some dips too? You could probably freeze them? I LOVE a spinach, basil and cashew dip from the supermarket, you could make heaps of that.

Or even a creamy cheesy pasta sauce that you could freeze?

I add spinach to everything, pretty much every sauce, I use it like lettuce in sandwiches, in risotto...

[Rivlas]

Pick the leaves while they are smallish and use the same way you would use lettuce. The have a sweeter taste and are healthier.
Another way is to blend it and then cook for a few minutes then place meal amounts in freezer bags or containers.
Can also be used instead of silverbeet....better tasting.
Just remember that it doesn't need much cooking or it's yuk

[Alan]

Wilt some spinach then drain well
Mix in some feta cheese
Spread this mix on a sheet of puff pastry about ? cm thick
Start at one end of the sheet of pastry and roll up into a sausage shape. Same as you would if you were making a jam roll
Brush with a beaten egg
Bake in oven at about 180 for around 20 mins.
You could also a small amount of sweet chilli sauce to the spinach feta mix.