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Greek spinach rice in a bowl garnished with crumbled feta and chopped dill.
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Greek Spinach rice-Spanakorizo

Greek spinach rice, also called Spanakorizo is a simple rice dish with the refreshing and delicious Greek flavors of lemon, dill, feta cheese, and extra virgin olive oil. This classic Greek dish is a comforting one-pot meal that's loved by everyone who enjoys simple flavors.
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Greek, Mediterranean
Diet Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 5
Calories 259kcal
Author Vandana Chauhan

Equipment

  • 1 Large cooking pot
  • 1 Spatula
  • Knife and chopping board

Ingredients

  • 1 cup uncooked medium-grain rice around 200 grams
  • 500 grams spinach roughly chopped
  • 1 medium red onion finely chopped
  • 1 leek discard the dark green part and root end, chop the remaining leek.
  • 4 stalks spring onion finely chopped
  • ¼ cup finely chopped dill
  • Juice of a medium lemon adjust to taste
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 vegetable bouillon cube
  • 4 cups water or as required to get the desired consistency
  • Salt to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper adjust to taste
  • ¼ cup feta cheese for garnishing optional

Instructions

  • Rinse rice well and keep aside.
  • Heat oil in a large cooking pot. Add chopped red onion and saute for around 2 minutes.
  • Add chopped leek and spring onion. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
  • Add tomato paste and crumbled vegetable bouillon cube. Saute for a minute.
  • Add chopped dill and spinach. Mix everything and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the spinach leaves get wilted.
  • Add rinsed rice, salt, and ground black pepper. Saute for a minute.
  • Add water and cook until the rice grains are cooked well. You may cover the pot to fasten the rice cooking process.
  • Once the rice is cooked, turn off the heat. Add fresh lemon juice and mix.
  • Garnish with crumbled feta.

Video

Notes

  1. Use medium-sized rice grains to make this Greek rice. If you use short grain rice, the rice will turn mushy. If you use long grain rice, you won't get the desired creaminess.
  2. Vegans may skip feta cheese, spanakorizo tastes delicious even without the cheese.
  3. If you are planning to add feta, add salt carefully as feta is savory too. 
  4. You may also add fresh chopped tomatoes or canned crushed tomatoes to this dish.
  5. Adding a dollop of butter when the rice is cooked, makes this dish taste even better.
  6. For extra lemony flavor, add some lemon zest too.
  7. Different people prefer different consistency of Greek spinach rice. I prefer slightly creamy spanakorizo. You make it the way you prefer and adjust the consistency by changing the amount of water you use in the recipe.
  8. To fasten the process of cooking rice, cover the pot with a lid while cooking.
  9. If you don't have vegetable bouillon cube, you may use vegetable stock instead of water to cook rice.
  10. You can also use baby spinach or frozen spinach in this recipe.
  11. More recipe tips and tricks are shared in the post above, please follow them to make this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 370mg | Potassium: 779mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 10081IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 182mg | Iron: 4mg