Greek Spinach and Rice (Spanakorizo) Recipe
This is a classic Greek comfort food that is meant to be more of a savory, stew-like dish than just dry rice with some greens mixed in. The entire texture depends on using a starchy rice like Arborio and letting the massive volume of spinach cook down to flavor everything. The dill and lemon at the end keep it from being heavy.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped (~1 1/2 cups)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound fresh spinach
- 3/4 cup Arborio rice, rinsed
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/4 cup fresh dill, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Build the Base
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and a pinch of salt, and cook until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
Wilt the Spinach
Add the spinach to the pot in large handfuls. The mountain of spinach will look wrong, but it cooks down to almost nothing. Stir each addition until it wilts before adding the next. This process will take about 5 minutes.
Simmer the Rice
Stir the rinsed Arborio rice into the wilted spinach and onions, toasting it for about a minute. Pour in the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot tightly, and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Don’t lift the lid while the rice simmers—you need that trapped steam to cook it properly. The rice should be tender and most of the liquid should be absorbed, but the mixture will still look loose and saucy.
Finish with Fresh Flavors
Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the fresh dill, parsley, and lemon juice. The heat is off so these fresh flavors stay bright.
Gently fold in the crumbled feta cheese. Taste and season generously with salt and pepper. The final dish should be creamy and cohesive. Serve immediately.
Greek Spinach and Rice (Spanakorizo)
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion ~1 1/2 cups, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound fresh spinach
- 3/4 cup Arborio rice rinsed
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/4 cup fresh dill minced
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley minced
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 4 oz feta cheese crumbled
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Cook onion with pinch of salt until soft, 5-7 minutes.
- Add garlic, cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add spinach in batches, stirring until wilted, about 5 minutes total.
- Stir in Arborio rice, toast 1 minute.
- Add chicken stock, bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, simmer 20 minutes until rice is tender.
- Remove from heat. Stir in dill, parsley, and lemon juice.
- Fold in feta cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
