Spanakorizo: A traditional Greek rice and spinach dish that will become a winter comfort food, thanks to its wonderful flavor and texture.
Ah the spanakorizo … This dish was a winter staple in our home. My mom would make it once a week, all winter long. She would usually accompany it with a small cheese pie (tiropitaki) or one or two Greek meatballs, and while you may think that as children we would hate it because of the spinach, it actually was a comfort food.
It is soft and creamy, and along with plenty of lemon juice, a bit of olive oil and of course feta, it was delicious (and still is).
Spanakorizo is such a simple dish as many Greek ones are, but yet delicious and easy to make. Oh, and did I mention its nutritional value? Spinach full of antioxidants and fiber, the lemon helps with some absorption of the iron in the spinach and the rice is a source of carbohydrates to provide sustenance. The actual recipe has little olive oil during the cooking stage, but adding some olive oil while serving makes it even more delicious and the addition of fat helps with the absorption of antioxidants. Now this recipe makes about 2 main course servings, so basically you are getting ½ pound of vegetables in one sitting. The beauty of the Greek diet… getting your vegetables effortlessly.
The rice
A note about the rice: It is important to use the right type which in this case is medium grain rice. You do not want short grain rice which may end up giving your dish a sticky texture, but not long grain either as you will not have the smooth texture we are looking for in this recipe. As for brown rice, it takes a while longer to cook, it will not have the same texture will not cook to the point of being creamy and as a result you may be overcooking the spinach as well.
*Most traditional Greek recipes require medium grain rice, here in Greece it is called “Carolina” but you may use Arborio if you are unable to find medium grain. From a quick search on Google there are several brands that carry medium grain rice.
Serve it with
This can be enjoyed plain (without feta) for a vegan dish or with feta. And this is considered a main course, but you may serve it as a side dish. It goes well with fish or beef patties (biftekia).
You may also like these recipes
Greek cuisine has numerous delicious rice-vegetable combo recipes. Check out some of my favorites:
Greek Leeks and Rice – Prasorizo
Greek Cabbage with Rice – Lahanorizo
One-Pot Greek Zucchini Rice
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Greek Spinach and Rice – Spanakokorizo
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450 g) fresh spinach rinsed
- Juice of half lemon
- 1 onion chopped or 2-3 spring onions chopped
- 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil plus more for drizzling
- I teaspoon dry mint (preferably spearmint)
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped dill
- 2/3 cups water
- 1/3 cup (60 g) medium grain rice
- Salt/Pepper
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste optional
Instructions
- In a large pot wilt the spinach with the lemon juice and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Set aside to drain.
- In another pot sauté the onion with the rest of the olive oil until soft.
- Add the spinach, dry mint, dill and 2/3 cup warm water and bring to a boil.
- Add the rice, salt (as needed) and pepper and simmer, covered for about 20 minutes until rice is soft. Add additional warm water as needed.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with a squeeze of lemon juice and a bit of olive oil and feta.
Notes
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Image by Elena Paravantes © All Rights Reserved
I just made my first recipe from your website, Greek Spinach and Rice. It is delicious! Tomorrow I’m making the Greek Green Beans, and then the Lentils. I shared your website with my doctor who is a D.O. and all about healthy cooking. She is excited to try your recipes too!
Thank you Kathy! And thank you for sharing!
Hi, Can I use white basmati rice? not sure what a “medium” rice is…. looking forward to trying this!
Hi Debbie, Basmati rice would not be a good choice as it would affect the flavor and texture of this dish. If you are unable to find medium grain rice you can use arborio. Also check out this post for more resources for medium grain rice : https://www.olivetomato.com/greek-leeks-rice-prasorizo/
I just made this for my kids tonight. It was a huge hit with my 8 yr old. I served it with some rosemary bread, potatoes sauteed in olive oil and garlic and green beens. He said it was really good. I did put out cheese but he’s not a huge fan of cheese right now. Thanks for the great recipe. I’ve Bern looking for a better way to serve spinach. It was delicious!
Thanks for sharing Joanne!
What if I used long grain brown rice….will it be a disaster?
Thank you kindly for your reply. Pam
Hi Pam, It most likely not have that smooth texture since brown rice has more of a “bite”.
I had this in Greece and LOVED it. Since then, I’ve tried a few recipes, but none of them were the same….can’t wait to try yours! Do you use fresh or dried dill in this recipe? If you’re using fresh, any idea how much dried I should try? Thanks!!
I have been looking for a spinach and rice recipe for a very long time. I am originally from Toronto and about 40 years ago started going out to a Greek restaurant on Pape Ave. I think it was called Ella’s just north of the Danforth. They had an “open kitchen” and that was one of my favourite dishes. I look forward to trying your recipe soon.
Thanks for sharing Peggie!
Is the rice washed and uncooked when added to the wilted spinach? Can you use canned tomatoes with herbs instead of tomato paste?
Hi Dina,
Yes, the rice is uncooked when added to the spinach. You can add a small amount of canned tomatoes, not too much -you don’t want the dish very tomatoey, you do not even need to add any tomato.
Do you precook rice? And when do you add the onion?
Hi Eleni, No you do not precook the rice, it cooks with the rest of the ingredients for 20 minutes. For the onion in step 3 you add spinach etc. in the pot that you have sautéed the onion.
Thank you
spanakorizo as a base for stir-fry – with or without meat/chicken – is delicious; a combination of culture-cooking, it is colourful & very healthy.
Interesting!
What a revelation! Elena, thank you so much for this recipe: it has been a staple of my diet throughout the winter, and even now that spring is here I can’t seem to stop making it. I’m not sure I even remember what I used to eat all the time! 🙂 It made me want to ask though – because the taste is similar – if you have a good recipe for dolmades (the vegetarian ones)? I love them and I eat them whenever I go to Greece, but I’ve never managed to find a recipe that tastes the same. If you have one I’d love if you could post it! Thanks again – love your site 🙂
Thanks! I will be posting a dolmades recipe in the future.
Made this with whole wheat pastina instead of rice. Elena, I have made almost all your vegetarian recipes for my family and we just love them. As a full time working mom I’m always looking vegetarian recipes that are not labor-intensive but are nutritious– you deliver every time. My spouse and my 1 year old love every recipe we’ve tried. Thank you so much!
Thank you Leila! I appreciate the feedback!
wonderful recipe !
Thanks Hafsa!
I am going to try this but use crumbled cauliflower in place of the rice. Yummm!
Sounds good!
My husband and I enjoyed this for lunch today! He said he would like it better as a side dish, than as a main dish as I served it (I guess too much of a good thing for him, lol). It was fabulous! Would have been terrific with grilled chicken, etc.
I went out and bought medium grain rice, and everything – and presume maybe it made a creamier dish like risotto, and stirred it often, adding more water.
I was afraid to put the tomato paste in, and possibly “ruin” it. What is the verdict or practice that is most common, with the tomato paste?
Hi Nancy, Tomato paste is fine. My mother adds it. It will add a slight reddness to the dish.
Made this last night to go with Greek meatballs and it was great. I added some garlic but didn’t change anything else.
Yes, great combination!