Spanakorizo is a Greek recipe made with spinach and rice. Along with spring onions, rice, herbs and olive oil - it makes a delicious, nutritional lunch. And don't forget the side of feta cheese!
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Recipe Features
In Greek, the word spanakorizo literally translates as "spinach rice".
The dish may not be the prettiest to look at, but it definitely is the tastiest.
And where does spanakorizo get its flavour from?
The flavour is enhanced by the classic combination of dill, lemon and Greek extra virgin olive oil.
It's a vegetarian dish (and vegan too!) and falls under a group of Greek dishes known as "ladera" (pronounced la-the-ra).
Ladera are foods which have been cooked using an olive oil based sauce.
Related: If you love spinach try mum's homemade spanakopita
What You'll Need
- 80 ml olive oil
- ½ red onion, finely chopped
- 4 spring onions (green onions) trimmed and finely chopped
- 500 grams spinach, washed and roughly chopped
- 250 ml chicken stock
- 80 grams rice, medium grain
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon dill, finely chopped
Step by step instructions
- Heat 60 ml of the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and spring onions, stir and allow the mixture to become soft and translucent.
- Add the spinach and stir, ensuring it becomes soft.
- Add the chicken stock, rice, salt and pepper. Stir again and turn down the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and allow the rice to cook for approximately 15 mins.
- Finish off the spanakorizo by adding 20 ml of olive oil, lemon juice and dill. Stir again to ensure everything is mixed through. Cover and allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Variations
- Spinach - use silverbeet if you don't have spinach or use a combination of both.
- Stock/Broth - Use vegetable stock to make it vegan or use water instead. If using water, add an extra teaspoon of salt.
- Herbs - Substitute the dill with parsley or better yet - use both!
- Rice - You can use arborio rice in place of the medium-grain rice I used. Just be sure to cook it a little longer until it becomes "al dente" - toothsome in texture but cooked through.
- Tomatoes - Add 1 cup of tomato sauce (diced, canned tomatoes/passata/grated tomatoes). This will make the spanakorizo red. And it will change the flavour profile slightly. If you choose to use tomato adding lemon is optional.
Related recipes
If you enjoyed this spanakorizo I can highly recommend the following Greek vegetarian recipes found on my recipe site.
Video - how to make it
📋 Recipe
Spanakorizo - Greek Spinach Rice
Ingredients
- 80 ml olive oil
- ½ red onion, finely chopped
- 4 spring onions, green onions trimmed and finely chopped
- 500 grams spinach, washed, stems removed and roughly chopped
- 250 ml chicken stock
- 80 grams rice, medium grain
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon dill, finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat 60 ml of the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and spring onions, stir and allow the mixture to become soft and translucent.
- Add the spinach and stir, ensuring it becomes soft.
- Add the chicken stock, rice, salt and pepper. Stir again and turn down the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and allow the rice to cook for approximately 15 mins. (See note 1)
- Finish off the spanakorizo by adding 20 ml of olive oil, lemon juice and dill. Stir again to ensure everything is mixed through. Cover and allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- If using arborio rice, cook the for an extra 5 mins. Check to see that it is "al dente" - i.e. it still has a bite and is cooked through.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in August 2008, but was republished with additional step by step instructions and tips in February of 2021.
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