Well, Popeye was certainly onto something with his never-ending spinach chomping. Did you know that 100g of the green stuff will offer up almost two days’ worth of Vitamin A? So, it’s the ideal food for strong hearts, lungs and kidneys. Old Popeye knew what he was doing.
But no matter how attractive growing cartoonishly large forearms may be, for many of us eating spinach by the can is asking a little much. Look, we’re fans of the old sailor as much as anyone else, but when it comes to choosing how best to enjoy a helping of spinach, he’s more brawn than brains. But, that’s where we come in: to show you the endless opportunities that spinach has to offer.
Here are our favourite ways to gobble spinach.
Baked Cheese and Spinach Mushrooms
If a broad, juicy mushroom isn’t tantalising enough as it is, then fill it to the brim with baby spinach and top with cheese. Once they’re baked, you can always drizzle some olive oil or garlic to top it off. They’ll make perfect veggie burger patties, but we think there’s enough flavour packed in there to enjoy on their own.
When it comes to choosing a spinach type to go with, you can’t go past the baby spoon spinach. They fit neatly on the mushroom base, and their edible stalks means you can bite right in without hesitation.
Creamy Spinach Soup
This soup is so green, it makes guacamole look brown! As with most soups, this one is a super simple winter warmer; spinach, cannellini beans, onion, cream, garlic, blended. No need to complicate it! All we recommend is some feta and parsley to garnish this creamy green soup (you may begin to notice a bit of recurring feta theme).
Spinach and Walnut Salad
If you’re after something fresher, try a raw spinach salad to get the full flavour from the leaves. You can really appreciate how much flavour is packed into the dainty little leaves – you’ll be surprised! Some classic complementary ingredients to plump up your spinach salad include, walnut, cold pumpkin chunks, baby tomatoes, or even dried berries. And of course, feta!
You can get a little experimental with your spinach choice here too. Why not try the tender, sweet red spinach for a splash of colour? Or even a savoy spinach for that crispy crunch? It’s a matter of finding what you think works the best.
Spinach Cob Loaf
Here’s to the entertainers. Cob Loaf is a certified party starter in our books, with its convenient edible bowl and its built-in velvety spinach dip – we’re satisfied. Not only is it objectively delicious, but it also has simplicity going for it. Once you’ve made the bread bowl, it’s simply a matter of combining the spinach, sour cream, cream cheese, and French onion mix and baking the loaf for about 20 minutes. See? Perfect to get a party started, or keep one from crashing
We recommend sticking to the traditional, smooth leaf spinach. This dish has plenty of flavour, and so going for a spinach that will blend well with the French onion and cheese will work best.