This spinach rice with feta recipe is a great way to add vegetable to your meal. Read this article of Apronese to see how to make it.
What Rice to Use?
This recipe is for any type of long grain white rice (regular, jasmine, or basmati).
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 stick end product.
Can I Use Fresh Spinach?
Yes, you can. I used frozen spinach just to make things easier, but you can certainly use fresh spinach, especially if you have some on hand that you’re looking to use up.
It’s best to chop the spinach and sauté it in the pot until wilted, right after sautéing the garlic.
How to Serve Spinach Rice?
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 pair well with beef kofta meatballs and roasted vegetables, sheet pan Greek chicken and vegetables, or chicken piccata.
Spinach Rice with Feta Recipe
This veggie filled rice will make a great bed for grilled meats or vegetables, with an extra pop of flavor thanks to feta cheese.
Author: Beth
Prep Time: 5 mins / Cook Time: 25 mins / Total Time: 30 mins
Servings: 6 (1 cup each)
Ingredients
- 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). Finally, sprinkle the feta over top and fold to combine again. Serve hot!
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cup ・ Calories: 240.97 kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 39.48 g ・ Protein: 6.13 g ・ Fat: 6.4 g ・ Sodium: 464.14 mg ・ Fiber: 1.73 g
The nutritional values shown here are only estimates. Please see our nutrition disclaimer.
How to Make Spinach Rice with Feta – Step-by-step Photos
Step 1: First, thaw 1/2 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.
Step 2: Add the thawed and squeezed spinach to the sauce pot.
Add 1.5 cups long grain white rice, 3/4 tsp salt, 1 tbsp lemon juice, and 2.5 cups water.
Step 3: 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.
Step 4: 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.
Step 5: 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).
You can also try these flavored rice recipes:
- Coconut Rice
- Yellow Jasmine Rice
- Tomato Rice
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Mushroom Rice
The spinach adds a little flavor and color, leaving the rice just about as versatile as plain rice, at the same time, it gives you an extra little dose of vegetables with very little effort.
