I like to add vegetables into whatever I’m eating, whenever I can, and this Spinach Rice with Feta is such a great way to do that. The spinach adds just a little bit of flavor and color, leaving the rice just about as versatile as plain rice, all while giving you an extra little dose of vegetables with very little effort. It’s a great way to add just a little bit more interest to your plate without making your meal prep a lot more difficult.
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This simple side dish is inspired by Spanikorizo, a Greek rice dish with spinach and tomatoes (see an authentic spanikorizo recipe here). I pared it down and decided to make it more like a pilaf instead of a saucy tomato dish, and kept the flavors super simple and light, so it would go with just about anything. I also took a major shortcut and used frozen spinach, just to make it as fast and easy as possible (and also because I always have spinach in my freezer). The result is something I know I’m going to be making very often.
What Kind of Rice to Use
The recipe below is written for any type of long grain white rice (regular, jasmine, or basmati all work). Brown rice requires more liquid and a longer cooking time, which may leave the spinach overcooked. Short grain rice varieties, like arborio, will create a sticker end product.
Can I Use Fresh Spinach?
Yes, I used frozen spinach just to make my life easier, but you can certainly do this with fresh spinach, especially if you have some on hand that you’re looking to use up! I suggest chopping the spinach and sautéing it in the pot until wilted, just after sautéing the garlic.
What to Serve with Spinach Rice
This week I served this Spinach Rice as the base for a bowl meal, along with Yogurt Marinated Chicken and some grape tomatoes. This rice would also go great with my Beef Kofta Meatballs and Roasted Vegetables, Sheet Pan Greek Chicken and Vegetables, or Chicken Piccata.
Spinach Rice with Feta
Servings 6 1 cup eachIngredients
- 1/2 lb. frozen chopped spinach ($0.65)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.14)
- 1.5 cups long grain white rice ($0.93)
- 3/4 tsp salt ($0.03)
- 2.5 cups water ($0.16)
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice ($0.05)
- 2 oz. feta, crumbled ($1.10)
Instructions
- Thaw the spinach by either letting it sit out at room temperature for an hour, or by microwaving for 1-2 minutes. Squeeze the excess moisture out of the spinach (it doesn't have to be extremely dry for this recipe, just make sure it's not pooling water).
- Add the minced garlic and butter to a medium sauce pot. Sauté the garlic in the butter over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the spinach, rice, salt, lemon juice, and 2.5 cups water to the sauce pot. Stir briefly to combine.
- Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow the water to come up to a boil. Once it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to low, and let the rice simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the heat off and let the pot rest, without removing the lid, for an additional five minutes.
- Fluff the rice with a fork, gently folding the spinach back into the rice (it tends to float to the top during cooking). Finall, sprinkle the feta over top and fold to combine again. Serve hot!
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Nutrition
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How to Make Spinach Rice with Feta – Step by Step Photos
First, thaw ½ lb. frozen chopped spinach (either at room temperature or in the microwave) and then squeeze out the excess water. Mince two cloves of garlic and add them to a medium saucepot with 2 Tbsp butter. Sauté the garlic over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
Add the thawed and squeezed spinach to the sauce pot.
Also add 1.5 cups long grain white rice, ¾ tsp salt, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, and 2.5 cups water.
Give the pot a brief stir to make sure everything is combined (the spinach will float to the top). Place a lid on top, turn the heat up to high, and bring it up to a full boil. Once it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to low, and let the rice simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the pot from the heat and let the rice rest for five minutes, without removing the lid.
After resting for five minutes, remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork, gently folding the spinach back into the rice as you fluff.
Add the crumbled feta to the rice and fold it in to combine (you can save a little to garnish when serving, if you’d like).
Great recipe and so very tasty! It will be a regular one on our weekly menu:-)
The only thing is I have to calculate your American measurements to European… I’m from the Netherlands.
This was so good! I didn’t have spinach but I had chopped frozen kale and some frozen cauli rice (along with the regular rice). I added a spoonful of bouillon concentrate and followed the rest of the irecipe. It was so delicious and we loved the way the feta softened a bit when stirred into the hot rice. Can’t wait to eat this again! Thanks for the yummy recipe.
Really yummy! This was a great side dish for Greek beef kabobs and baked tomatoes! So great, a perfect mix of the rice and spinach and very flavorful. I only had lime but it still tasted great, I added a little extra lime juice over the feta at the end because I like it a little tangy and it was perfect!
I have an allergy to citrus, can I substitute something else for the lemon? If not, I will try it without the lemon juice.
You can sub with another acid, like vinegar. XOXO -Monti
Tasty enough, but disappointed it turned out so watery rather than fluffy. Maybe too much frozen spinach?
Didn’t quite follow recipe as we use instapot to cook rice and didn’t have feta. Sautéd garlic and thawed spinach and stirred into rice after. Served with Parma cheese at the table. Was really good and a nice change to plain rice.
Once again, Budget Bytes makes cooking-what-you-have into a different and delightful quick supper. Thank you!
This is close to the lemon spanakorizo we make in Greek families. We use the spanakorizo with tomato sauce and Greek oregano is a great hearty side for red meats or a star in vegetarian meals. The light lemony spanakorizo doesn’t overpower seafood and other more delicate mains. We usually season it with fresh or dried spearmint, but dill is another good herb to pair with the lemon. Flat-leafed parsley pairs well with the lemon, herbs, and salty feta.
I don’t normally leave a review but this was AMAZING! I made this tonight but used a frozen bag of savory riced cauliflower instead of the rice. It came together super fast and we couldn’t be happier with it. This will be a new favorite at our house.
This was the best rice I’ve ever had. So much flavour. It was great with my yogurt marinated greek chicken
How long does this keep in the fridge? Would it freeze well? I used fresh spinach, if that makes a difference.
The leftovers will be good in the fridge for a few days, or you can freeze for a few months, but the quality can vary quite a bit depending on your freezer and storage containers. Either way, when storing leftover cooked rice it’s really important to get it into the refrigerator right away after cooking so that it doesn’t stay in the “warm” state very long. Once fully cooled in the refrigerator you can transfer it to the freezer for longer storage.
Probably my favourite from this site so far. Really nice fast, easy, and healthy recipe!
Loved this recipe! I did an even lazier/faster version by tossing the rice (my rice cooker is my ride or die) with ghee, fresh spinach, feta, and salt and pepper. The hot rice wilts the fresh spinach really well: no sautéing necessary. I definitely would’ve not skipped the garlic if I’d had the time and I probably would’ve just added it raw, into the rice through a garlic press. :)
Made this last night and got a “Phenomenal” from my husband. Great for my 2 year old also! Besides the feta, these are ingredients we almost always have on hand — so easy to add it into the menu rotation.
I loved this! I struggle with eating enough veggies so will definitely make this more often. I made it in the instant pot, reduced water to 1.5 cups and used Rice setting and it came out great!
But you’re down for the struggle.
So good! I followed the fresh spinach instructions and it turned out amazing. Mine cooked for about 20 minutes before all the water was absorbed.
Here’s a truly Budget Bytes inspired idea- the next morning, reheat a bowl of the leftovers and top with a fresh soft-boiled egg!
Yessss! My favorite type of breakfast. You know me well. :)
If I make this in an instant pot, will I need to adjust the typical 1:1 ratio of water to jasmine rice?
I’m not sure, I’m not well versed with making rice in the IP. But I usually do 1:1.5 rice to water with long grain jasmine rice.
Oops, never mind! Just read the head notes with the recipe about the spinach. Sorry!
If using fresh spinach, should you just dump it in with the rice or saute it first with the garlic?
I’ll be using a rice cooker for this since you state that will work.
Oops, never mind.! Just read the head notes with the recipe about the spinach.
This is several of my favorite foodstuffs combined into one dish. Came out awesome! Definitely gonna have to try this in the rice cooker
Haven’t made this yet but I will tonight, since I had already planned on making a shrimp dish for dinner. For us, I prefer (and have) to use fresh spinach, b/c we like our spinach only ‘slightly’ wilted. I’m out of Feta, so I plan to use Pecorino Romano (yum). Rice is such a great vehicle to add almost anything into, isn’t it? I’m sure we’ll love this! Thank you 🍽
This sounds great! Two questions…we always use brown rice so it is what I have on hand. Would you know how to adjust it for that or would it simply not work?
The chicken recipe you put with this also looked delicious, but I am vegetarian…what vegetables/legumes would you suggest to work with this. (I thought about throwing in a drained can of pintos which is always my go to when replacing meat if I don’t have any better ideas.)
For brown rice you’d need to use the recommended water amount and cooking time listed on the package (it’s more for both than white rice), but that will also cook the spinach longer. Whether not that outcome will be “good” may just come down to a matter of personal preference. For vegetables that go with this, I’d probably just top the bowl with some roasted vegetables and maybe a dollop of hummus. :)
This recipe immediately caught my eye because my family is Greek and I’ve been eating spinach and rich my whole life. My YiaYia sauteed chopped onion in olive oil before adding the spinach. She usually cooked the rice separately before adding it to the spinach and onions. And she always squeezed fresh lemon on top, so I do, too. I’ve never thought to top it with feta but I’m going to try it next time. Interesting that the original recipe calls for tomato sauce- I usually only see that with the green beans and potatoes.
This should work in a rice cooker, shouldn’t it? I’ve got a small-ish one (calls itself 8 cups, but I’m skeptical).
Yes, this should work well with a rice cooker. :)
Have you attempted freezing this? I always forget to halve the recipes.
I haven’t tried that. Sometimes rice can dry out a bit when frozen and thawed, but some people add an ice cube when reheating to fix that. :)
Spinach Rice is my favorite. i like it very much. i want to make at home.
I’d love to make this! However, I’m hunkered down in my home without Feta cheese. I’d like to try Parmesan, sharp cheddar or mozzarella in place of the Feta cheese. Surely, the taste will be different, but what are your thoughts?
I would totally go with the Parmesan because it kind of has a punchy flavor and won’t get gooey in the rice like cheddar or mozzarella can when melted.
I like to use a floursack kitchen towel to squeeze water out of thawed frozen spinach: it’s so easy and effective. Put the thawed spinach right in the middle of the towel, gather up all the sides, and twist, twist, twist! I also use floursack towels instead of paper towels to drain and press tofu.
Finally, something I actually want to make with that bag of spinach in the freezer!
Thanks will definitely try this rice. Sounds delicious.
That looks so good.
I’m gonna try doing it in the instant pot.
I’m going to do the same thing! I love making rice in the instant pot!