What is Spanakorizo?
Spanakorizo is a simple yet comforting Greek vegetarian dish that I know you’re going to love. It mainly consists of spinach and rice, which is what “spanakorizo” literally translates as. And describe it as a Greek version of risotto. However, I find it’s better to think of this dish as spinach with rice rather than rice with spinach. Because trust me you need a lot more spinach compared to rice to make this dish. That being said it is still incredibly filling and nutritious (thanks to the spinach) which is why most people will often eat spanakorizo as a main dish all on its own.
What Type of Rice Should You Use?
Spanakorizo is best made with medium-grain rice as it will give you a rich and creamy texture. And the most traditional rice used in Greece is Carolina rice. However, if you’re like me and don’t have Carolina rice on hand you can use any type of rice that you would use to make risotto (like Arborio). You’ll still end up with a great tasting dish!
Variations on Spanakorizo
- Adding Tomato: A common variation of today’s dish includes tomatoes. Which not only gives it more depth of flavor, but a lovely reddish hue. So if that sounds interesting to you feel free to add some (either 1 tablespoon of tomato paste or ½ of a 14 oz. can of crushed tomatoes) during step 3.
- Additional Aromatics: Dill is the standard herb found in most versions of spanakorizo (and where most of the flavor for the dish comes from). However, there are many recipes that include additional herbs/aromatics, like garlic, mint, & parsley. So if you want to add those to your own spanakorizo then do so. Just make sure to add any minced garlic with the green onions in the beginning and as for any additional herbs toss them in at the same time as the dill.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- Top it with feta cheese: If you want to give this dish a little bit more flavor and protein then sprinkle on some crumbled feta cheese.
- Using frozen spinach: I highly recommend you use fresh spinach for today’s recipe. However, if all you have access to is frozen spinach don’t worry, as that’s perfectly acceptable to use. You’ll need 10 oz of frozen spinach, which is roughly the same as 1 Lb. Just make sure to defrost and drain off any excess liquid from the spinach or else it could make the dish rather soupy.
- Storage: Spanakorizo makes surprisingly good leftovers. So if you have any just store it in an airtight container and leave it in your fridge where it should last at least 3 days, possibly 5.
- Serving suggestions: As I mentioned above this dish is often served as a vegetarian/vegan main all by itself. Nevertheless, you can serve it up as a side dish with meats if that’s what you prefer. For example, it would pair well with either our Greek Chicken or Pork Souvlaki.
Other Rice Recipes You Might Enjoy
Spanakorizo (Green Spinach Rice) Recipe
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 2 to 3
Ingredients
⅓ Cup of extra virgin olive oil
4 Green onions, chopped
1 Lb of baby spinach
½ Cup of medium-grained rice, rinsed
2 Cups of water, vegetable stock, or chicken stock
¼ Cup of minced fresh dill, or 1 Tablespoon of dry (optional)
Pinch of salt & pepper, or to taste
Juice from ½ lemon
Instructions
- Saute the green onion: add the ¼ cup of olive oil to a medium-sized pot and place it over medium-high heat. Once hot, toss in the green onions and saute them for a couple of minutes.
- Add and wilt the spinach: Add some of the spinach to the pot (you most likely won’t be able to add all of it at once) and stir it in with the green onions until they wilt down.
Then add more spinach, and repeat this step until all of the spinach is added and wilted.
- And the rice and liquid of choice (water, or stock) and dill (optional). Then stir everything together.
- Cook the rice: Let the liquid in the pot come to a boil, then cover it with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Then let everything cook undisturbed for 20 minutes.
- Finish the dish: Take the pot off the heat and add the lemon juice followed by salt & pepper to taste.
Then give everything a good stir until thoroughly combined. Again this dish is meant to be rather saucy so don’t worry if there’s some liquid still left. But if you want to reduce the liquid you can continue to cook everything with the lid off for 5 minutes.
- Serve the spanakorizo in bowls and enjoy!
Spanakorizo (Green Spinach Rice) Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅓ Cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 4 Green onions chopped
- 1 Lb of baby spinach
- ½ Cup of medium-grained rice rinsed
- 2 Cups of water vegetable stock, or chicken stock
- ¼ Cup of minced fresh dill or 1 Tablespoon of dry (optional)
- Pinch of salt & pepper or to taste
- Juice from ½ lemon
Instructions
- Saute the green onion: add the ¼ cup of olive oil to a medium-sized pot and place it over medium-high heat. Once hot, toss in the green onions and saute them for a couple of minutes.
- Add and wilt the spinach: Add some of the spinach to the pot (you most likely won’t be able to add all of it at once) and stir it in with the green onions until they wilt down. Then add more spinach, and repeat this step until all of the spinach is added and wilted.
- And the rice and liquid of choice (water, or stock) and dill (optional). Then stir everything together
- Cook the rice: Let the liquid in the pot come to a boil, then cover it with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Then let everything cook undisturbed for 20 minutes.
- Finish the dish: Take the pot off the heat and add the lemon juice followed by salt & pepper to taste. Then give everything a good stir until thoroughly combined. Again this dish is meant to be rather saucy so don’t worry if there’s some liquid still left. But if you want to reduce the liquid you can continue to cook everything with the lid off for 5 minutes.
- Serve the spanakorizo in bowls and enjoy!
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