23 Clever Ways to Cook With Spinach—From Creamy Pastas to Elegant Quiches Our collection of spinach recipes shows the versatility of this healthy green. Close Credit: Jacob Fox Is there anything spinach can’t do? It’s versatile and good for you; it’s also an easy-going green, much easier to love than the more assertive kale or collards. As our collection of spinach recipes proves, this leafy vegetable shines in simple sides and salads as well as cheesy baked pastas, rich quiches, hot appetizers, and creamy casseroles. Whether you’re using fresh leaf spinach, baby spinach, or frozen spinach, you’ll find delicious ways to enjoy it. How to Store Spinach So It Last for Weeks, According to a Produce Expert 01 of 23 Easy Creamed Spinach Credit: Diana Chistruga One of our most popular recipes and our top side dish, this simple spinach recipe is just right for any dinner, from weeknights to special occasions. What makes it so easy is that there’s no sauce; instead, we use one of our favorite shortcut ingredients—cream cheese. Mixed with milk and stirred into sautéed onion and garlic, it creates a creamy foil for the greens. View Recipe 02 of 23 Spinach Strawberry Salad Credit: Kelsey Hansen Baby spinach, strawberries, salty and creamy feta cheese, toasted almonds, and sesame seeds are tossed with a white balsamic vinaigrette in this colorful salad. View Recipe 03 of 23 Bacon and Spinach Quiche Credit: Bryan Gardner This quiche is a hybrid of quiche Lorraine (the classic bacon) and Florentine (spinach), and it’s the best of all possibles. We use baby spinach and Swiss cheese along with cooked, crumbled bacon. View Recipe 04 of 23 Hot Spinach Dip Credit: Jason Donnelly A party starter, this hot, cheesy dip is a favorite for good reason. Even better, our version can be made ahead and is a one-dish recipe—we love when there is less to clean up. View Recipe 05 of 23 Penne With Spinach Pesto and Turkey Sausage Credit: Sidney Bensimon Fresh spinach plus basil and peas create a super-green pesto that’s delicious on any pasta. We also crisp spinach leaves in the oven as a crunchy topping for this fun dinner. Turkey sausage adds protein and heft, but skip it for a vegetarian meal. View Recipe 06 of 23 Spinach and Three Cheese Pizza Credit: Mike Krautter Proof that pizza does not need tomatoes or sauce. Martha’s recipe makes four individual pizzas topped with three cheeses: mozzarella, Gruyère, and Pecorino Romano, plus spinach and olive oil View Recipe 07 of 23 Spinach and Cheese Strata A strata is an Italian version of a savory bread pudding and a favorite for breakfast or brunch, though this hearty egg bake also makes a delicious dinner. We use fresh spinach (feel free to sub frozen), with cheddar, eggs, milk, and day-old bread in our version. View Recipe 08 of 23 Wilted Spinach and Cherry Tomatoes Spinach makes a nutritious side dish, and when you wilt it with olive oil and add in cherry tomatoes, it becomes a quick, colorful, and healthy option. It's also a great way to get the potentially spinach-averse to give this healthy green a try. View Recipe 09 of 23 Quinoa and Spinach Pilaf Credit: Andrew Purcell A healthy, protein-packed side, we love this dish with everything from roast beef or ribs to chicken and fish. View Recipe 10 of 23 Spinach Lasagna This rich vegetarian baked pasta layers no-bake noodles with béchamel sauce, baby spinach, and sliced zucchini. Mozzarella and pecorino Romano bring on the cheese. View Recipe 11 of 23 Chicken and Spinach Casserole Credit: Rachel Marek Easy and delicious, this family favorite casserole uses rotisserie chicken. It's shredded and mixed with sautéed spinach and cream sauce, then finished with torn bread for texture on top. All it needs is a quick turn in the oven, and dinner is ready. View Recipe 12 of 23 Soba Soup With Spinach Flat-leaf spinach stars with soba noodles, shiitake mushrooms, ginger, scallions, lime, and soy in this brothy meal. View Recipe 13 of 23 Creamed Spinach Gratin Credit: Ngoc Minh Ngo Creamed spinach meets the classic French gratin in this must-make recipe. Nutty Gruyère cheese and crunchy toasted breadcrumbs take the classic steakhouse side to the next level. It's sure to become an often-requested recipe in your house. View Recipe 14 of 23 Lemony Pasta With Goat Cheese and Spinach Credit: Jacob Fox Dinner in 20 minutes—that’s this easy spinach pasta. Baby spinach stars along with cilantro. Parsley, walnuts, and goat cheese come together to create a creamy sauce. View Recipe 15 of 23 Steamed Spinach in the Microwave Credit: Jake Sternquist Steaming spinach in the microwave produces perfectly tender greens and couldn't be quicker or easier. All you need is a microwave-safe bowl and a couple of minutes of hands-off time. Add a pinch of salt, and it’s ready to eat as is or use in your favorite recipes. View Recipe 16 of 23 Easy Spinach-Ricotta Dip Credit: Jason Donnelly A tasty and healthy take on spinach dip, our recipe swaps the usual cream cheese and sour cream for ricotta, creating a lighter dip that’s just irresistible. The spinach can be steamed or sautéed. View Recipe 17 of 23 Warm Spinach Salad With Shiitake Mushrooms and Red Onion Spinach stars in two different ways in this warm salad. It’s sautéed with shiitake mushrooms and also used raw. Quick-pickled red onions add a boost of color, and sesame seeds bring crunch. View Recipe 18 of 23 Lentils With Spinach Easy and versatile, this spinach and lentils dish can be the main event of a vegan meal or a supporting player for a family dinner. Lentils are cooked with carrot, onion, garlic, and bay leaf—the spinach is added just before serving. View Recipe 19 of 23 Spinach Manicotti in Creamy Tomato Sauce An Italian-American classic, this cheesy stuffed pasta packs in spinach and tomato sauce along with ricotta, Parmesan, and heavy cream for added richness. View Recipe 20 of 23 Spinach and Cheddar Slab Quiche Credit: Julia Gartland Made with store-bought puff pastry and frozen spinach, this slab quiche is delicious for brunch, lunch, or dinner. View Recipe 21 of 23 Salmon and Spinach Burgers Credit: Frank Frances Not the usual patty, these salmon burgers are made with the fish plus spinach, goat cheese, olive oil, and lemon. Serve them with flatbreads—no buns needed! View Recipe 22 of 23 Creamy Corn-and-Spinach Pasta Credit: Johnny Miller This 35-minute one-pan pasta melds sweet summer corn with fresh baby spinach, pasta, cream cheese, and pecorino cheese. It’s just delicious. View Recipe 23 of 23 Spinach-Feta Pizza Slab Pie Credit: Linda Pugliese A must-make for potlucks and all kinds of parties, this pie feeds a crowd and is made with store-bought pizza dough. The filling is fresh spinach, mozzarella, and feta. View Recipe Explore more: Recipes Ingredients Vegetables Spinach Recipes