Spanakorizo is a Greek rice dish made with an abundance of spinach, fresh herbs, bright lemon, onion, garlic, and of course olive oil. It’s easy to make and packs in tons of flavor with minimal effort. Serve it as a vegetarian main dish or as a healthy side dish.
Spanakorizo is a classic Greek vegetarian dish usually served on its own but can easily work as a side dish alongside a protein. It features a flavorful combination of rice, spinach, alliums (some combination of leeks, onions, shallot, scallions, and/or garlics), herbs (parsley, dill, and/or mint), lemon, and may or may not include a tomato product.
Spanakorizo is typically on the wet side, perhaps a bit like risotto. The level of wetness can really vary depending on personal preference. Some versions are very brothy while others are just a little wetter than regular rice.
If I had to compare spanakorizo to another beloved dish, it reminds me a bit of my mom’s incredible yalanchi or vegetarian stuffed grape leaves. It uses the same type of rice, olive oil, onions, tomato paste, herbs, and lemon. The spinach even reminds me of the actual grape leaves used in yalanchi. The first time I tried spanakorizo, I likened it to a deconstructed yalanchi, but it’s so much easier and less time consuming to make!
Ingredient notes
- Rice: Ideally, use medium-grain white rice for spanakorizo. You could also use arborio (which is a type of short-to-medium-grain rice used for risotto) but it will take longer to cook and may require additional liquid. Other types of short grain rice will typically yield a sticky and mushy rice (whereas arborio won’t get sticky or mushy). Meanwhile, long grain rice won’t give you a creamy and silky texture, but if that’s your preference you could certainly use that instead.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Use a good quality extra-virgin olive oil, preferably Greek!
- Spinach: You could use fresh or frozen spinach, but I like using fresh baby spinach. It’s tender, easy to use, cooks fast, and doesn’t require stemming or chopping. If you use regular mature spinach instead (which is technically the traditional option), make sure to remove the stems and roughly chop the leaves before using it in this recipe. If using frozen spinach, I prefer the kind that is already chopped! Thaw the frozen spinach and squeeze out as much of the water as you can before using.
- Alliums: My spanakorizo recipe calls for a combination of chopped onion, scallions, and some garlic. You could also use leek and/or shallot if you’d like in place of the onions and/or scallions.
- Fresh Herbs: Typically there is some variety of chopped fresh herbs added to spanakorizo. Common options include parsley, dill, and mint. I generally don’t like dill so I use parsley in mine, but you can use whichever herb or herbs you prefer.
- Lemon: Don’t skip the lemon and please squeeze the juice fresh for the best flavor!
- Broth or Stock: You can use vegetable broth or stock or, if you’re not vegetarian, you could use chicken broth or stock. These will give the rice a bit more flavor. Otherwise, water will also work in a pinch.
How to make it
Rinse rice thoroughly in cold water until the water runs clear. Drain and set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and scallions and saute until softened. Reduce the heat and add minced garlic, lemon juice and tomato paste, if using, stirring to combine evenly.
Finally, add baby spinach in batches. Stir in between additions to start wilting and make room for more in the pan. Once all the spinach has been added, continue stirring until all of the spinach wilts.
Add the drained rice along with broth or water and season with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to bring to a boil, then cover the pot and lower the heat to low. Cook the rice, undisturbed, for about 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has absorbed (it will still look wet).
Remove from the heat, cover the pot and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Add chopped herbs and combine.
Serve the rice topped with crumbled feta cheese, if desired, and/or chopped herbs.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips
Some people skip the tomato entirely, while others may include fresh tomato or even tomato paste. I like using tomato paste because it’s concentrated and adds a great depth of flavor with minimal effort. It also doesn’t rely on seasonality.
The longer the spanakorizo sits, it will continue to absorb liquid. Just keep that in mind if you prefer a more saucy/brothy result.
For cooking rice (generally and also in this specific instance), I recommend using a pot with a tight-fitting lid that does not have a vent or hole in it. When cooking rice with a lid that vents, it often cooks unevenly, especially on top.
Other recipes you may like
- Fasolakia Giaxni / Lathera (Greek Stewed Green Beans)
- Gigantes Plaki (Greek Baked Beans)
- Giouvetsi / Youvetsi (Greek Beef Stew and Orzo Casserole)
- Yalanchi (Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves)
- Spinach Fatayer (Lebanese Spinach Pies)
- Spaghetti with Lentils, Roasted Tomatoes, and Spinach
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Spanakorizo (Greek Spinach Rice)
Ingredients
- 1 cup medium grain rice
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 4 scallions thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced or crushed
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional, but recommended)
- 1 pound baby spinach
- 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth or water
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- Crumbed feta cheese for garnish (optional)
- Chopped scallions and/or parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Rinse the rice thoroughly in cold water until the water runs clear. Drain and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and scallions and saute until softened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium or medium-low, add the garlic, lemon juice and tomato paste, if using, stirring to combine evenly.
- Finally, add the baby spinach in batches, stirring in between additions to start wilting and make room for more in the pan. Once all the spinach has been added, continue stirring until all of the spinach wilts.
- Add the drained rice along with the broth or water and season with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to bring to a boil, taste the broth for seasoning and add more if needed, then cover the pot and lower the heat to low.
- Cook the rice, undisturbed, for about 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has absorbed (it will still look wet). Remove from the heat, cover the pot and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Add the chopped parsley and combine. Serve the rice topped with crumbled feta cheese, if desired, and/or chopped herbs.
Notes
- You could use fresh or frozen spinach, but I like using fresh baby spinach. It’s tender, easy to use, cooks fast, and doesn’t require stemming or chopping. If you use regular mature spinach instead (which is technically the traditional option), make sure to remove the stems and roughly chop the leaves before using it in this recipe. If using frozen spinach, I prefer the kind that is already chopped! Thaw the frozen spinach and squeeze out as much of the water as you can before using.
- This recipe calls for a combination of chopped onion, scallions, and some garlic. You could also use leek and/or shallot if you’d like in place of the onions and/or scallions.
- Typically there is some variety of chopped fresh herbs added to spanakorizo. Common options include parsley, dill, and mint. I generally don’t like dill so I use parsley in mine, but you can use whichever herb or herbs you prefer.
- The longer the spanakorizo sits, it will continue to absorb liquid. Just keep that in mind if you prefer a more saucy/brothy result.
- For cooking rice (generally and also in this specific instance), I recommend using a pot with a tight-fitting lid that does not have a vent or hole in it. When cooking rice with a lid that vents, it often cooks unevenly, especially on top.
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
Mimi Rippee says
This sounds wonderful! Great recipe.