How to prepare spinach
For most people (and me most of all), spinach brings back bad memories of canteens... But, well prepared, it's a fine and delicate vegetable which goes remarkably well with scrambled eggs, fish, and many another things. Here are two ways of preparing it.
3.39 M 3.8/5 (981 reviews)
1 hour 9 min.
Easy
500 g
5 IngredientsLast modified on: June 5th 2015
For 500 g, you will need:
- 1
1 kg fresh spinach - 2
20 g butter - 3
coarse salt - 4
salt - 5
pepper - Total weight: 1,020 grams
Change these quantities to make:
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 55 min.
Cooking: 20 min.
All in all: 1 hour 9 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 10 min.
Start by washing 1 kg fresh spinach in several changes of lukewarm water (not too cold, like for all earthy vegetables).
Stage 2 - 2 min.
Drain.
Stage 3
To prepare the leaves, you need to remove the central vein, for that there are two methods:
Fold the leaf in two along the central vein.
Fold the leaf in two along the central vein.
Stage 4
Then with a knife, remove the central vein.
Stage 5
You should keep only the green and tender part of the leaf.
Stage 6
Second method: fold the leaf in half along the central vein.
Stage 7
Then detach the vein by pulling on the stalk, from the base towards the top (in the direction of the arrow), until it's completely detached.
Stage 8 - 30 min.
Do this for all the leaves.
If you don't want to blanch the spinach, but just wilt it with a little butter, dry thoroughly in a salad spinner and go on to the following stage.
If you don't want to blanch the spinach, but just wilt it with a little butter, dry thoroughly in a salad spinner and go on to the following stage.
Stage 9 - 10 min.
To blanch spinach
If you wish to blanch before cooking, which brings out the flavour, boil a large pan of water, then salt using 1 tablespoon of salt per litre of water.Also prepare a large container, or your sink, full of water as cold as possible (ice-cold).
Stage 10
Tip in spinach leaves.
Stage 11 - 1 min.
Plunge the leaves down under the water, while waiting for it to come back to the boil.
Stage 12
As soon as it boils again, remove spinach from pan with a skimmer, and transfer to ice-cold water.
Stage 13 - 5 min.
As soon as spinach is completely cooled, drain thoroughly.
Stage 14 - 5 min.
Then use a salad spinner to remove as much water as possible.
Note: you will sometimes read in other recipes that you should squeeze spinach in your hands to remove water. I don't think this is a good idea because it gives you hard blocks of spinach, with the leaves all stuck together, not so easy to use.
Note: you will sometimes read in other recipes that you should squeeze spinach in your hands to remove water. I don't think this is a good idea because it gives you hard blocks of spinach, with the leaves all stuck together, not so easy to use.
Stage 15
And finally set aside on absorbant paper to collect any remaining water.
The spinach is ready to be used in your recipe.
The spinach is ready to be used in your recipe.
Stage 16
See how to in this video.
Stage 17
If you wish to eat it like this (and it is already excellent), you just need to heat it through in a frying pan with a knob of butter.
Stage 18 - 1 min.
Spinach "wilted" in butter
If you have not blanched you spinach, take a high-sided pan, and melt 20 g butter in it.Stage 19 - 5 min.
As soon as it's fairly hot, add the spinach. If it won't all fit in the pan, wait until the first batch wilts, then add the rest.
Stage 20
As soon as spinach wilts, salt and pepper, taste to check, it's ready.
Remarks
There is a a huge task of "spinach rehabilitation" to be done with children: "spinach is not inevitably the horrible green mush which you ate in the canteen"...
Keeping: Several days in the fridge, in a closed jar.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 20 RDI=8 % | 30 RDI=3 % | 20 RDI=3 % | 350 RDI=20 % | 1,470 RDI: 20 % |
| Per 100 g | 1 RDI=1 % | 2 RDI=0 % | 1 RDI=0 % | 30 RDI=2 % | 140 RDI: 2 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 500 g : 3.35 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
Some other recipes using this recipeSee them all 37
Thin spinach and potato tart
A savoury tart with a thin puff pastry base, crushed potatoes, spinach, bechamel sauce and topped with a sprinkling of grated cheese.
32 K5 60 min.
Baked eggs with chicken and spinach
A classic recipe for baked eggs (œufs cocotte), cooked in ramekins with a base layer of spinach and diced chicken.
40 K4 30 min.
Gratin slices with spinach
A slice of bread with a gratin of bechamel containing hard-boiled egg and topped with cheese, served with fresh spinach.
97 K4.1 1 hour 35 min.
Spinach parmentier
A parmentier with its classic layer of mashed potatoes on top, but sliced hard-boiled eggs underneath, and grilled spinach and bacon tied together with a béchamel sauce.
2,649 60 min.
Pan-fried cheese, egg and spinach toastie
Here's a new French twist on the famous American grilled cheese. This version plays on the great combination of spinach and eggs.
30 K 40 min.
This recipe uses (among others)
Fresh spinach
Like these other recipes: Chilli chicken and spinach gratin, Koulibiak in pie dish, Pistachio and spinach pesto, Mixed vegetable curry, Late Winter Soup with Fresh Spinach, ... See them all 9
Butter
Like these other recipes: Bounty-style tart for Alison, Brioche feuilletée (flaky brioche), Gratin slices with spinach, Green beans with tomatoes, Galette Charentaise, ... See them all 470
Pepper
Like these other recipes: Multicoloured cucumber-tomato salad, Purple artichokes braised in white wine, Salmon rillettes, Quail egg canapés, Avocado mayonnaise, ... See them all 622
Coarse salt
Like these other recipes: Roast potatoes "à la provençale", Pickled gherkins, Foie gras cured in salt, How to prepare endives , Potted meat (rillettes), ... See them all 16
Other recipes you may also like
Natural leaven
Leaven is a natural raising agent, a fermented mixture of water, flour and the microscopic yeasts which are present in the air. It's a delicate living substance, sensitive to the external environment. The recipe is around 4000 years old and dates back to the Egypt of the Pharaohs, via a beautiful...April 3rd 20201.71 M 304.0 7 days 15 min.
French baguettes
This classic of French baking is rather different from the recipe for leavened bread, it's a question of making a good crust and light crumb along the whole length. To succeed, you should know that there are two secrets: water first of all (much more than for normal bread), and the working of the...October 24th 20171.08 M 364.7 5 hours 6 min.
Mushroom velouté
This smooth, creamy soup with its lovely mushroom flavour is quick and easy to make.May 10th 2023151 K4 55 min.
Nanou's chocolate cake
A moist melting cake, very very chocolaty...June 22th 2013283 K4.6 1 hour 45 min.
Exotic fruit tart
An exotic fruit tart (bananas, kiwi and pineapple), with crisp pastry and almond cream which are cooked beforehand. It's a rather simple recipe, but the final result will impress your guests.May 27th 2020322 K5 2 hours 25 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-06-01)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe (as 47 people already do)
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.