It’s time we all looked at frozen spinach with fresh eyes and new respect. After all – aside from politely taking up minimal space in the freezer – at less than $2 for 250 grams, frozen spinach is around one-fifth the cost of fresh baby spinach. It’s also incredibly accommodating, adapting to just about any cuisine, from gently spiced saag dals to crunchy-topped, buttery spanakopita. And it’s super quick to cook.
“If you are adding it to soups, stews and curries, or anything ‘wet’, then defrosting isn’t necessary,” says the chef of Penrith’s Cafe Royce and author of Australia: The Cookbook, Ross Dobson.
“However, because frozen spinach contains a lot of water, if you’re adding to anything that needs baking, then defrosting is best. Simply put the spinach in a colander and let it defrost at room temperature,” he says. “Then squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible before using.”
Simmered on the stove
Spinach is perfect for adding a pop of colour to soup. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall adds fresh spinach at the end of his spinach and lentil soup, along with tomatoes, carrots and shallots, but you could easily swap fresh for frozen if you give it a few more minutes.
Hangry? You can whip up Dobson’s cream of spinach soup in the time it takes to toast some bread. “Cook frozen spinach, vegetable stock and a pinch of grated nutmeg until the spinach has completely dissolved,” says Dobson. Then, “stir through cream and serve with buttered toast”.
Dal is also a perfect dance partner to spinach, says Bhavna Kalra of the Modern Desi, who runs Indian cooking classes in Sydney. Her recipe (below) takes about 30 minutes – but if you’re short on time, Tom Hunt’s simple five-minute dal is not only speedy but economical, made with pantry staples of tinned pulses, tinned tomatoes, garam masala, an onion and frozen (or tinned) spinach.
Spiced up
Kalra leans on turmeric for adding earthy notes to frozen spinach and chilli powder for heat. Her easy one-pot spinach and potato combo is on particularly high rotation:
“Heat some vegetable oil with one teaspoon of cumin seeds and a clove of chopped garlic and fry some diced potatoes until translucent. Add the frozen spinach and salt to taste, cover and cook until the potatoes are cooked and the spinach is thawed. Add turmeric and red chilli powder, stir for a few minutes and you have a tasty side dish.”
Meera Sodha sings the praises of frozen spinach in a more substantial potato curry that uses a number of spices – perfect to use up the leftover bits from your spice jars.
Dobson, meanwhile, unashamedly shortcuts his palak paneer with a ready-made masala paste, which can be bought at about $3.50 for a jar in supermarkets.
“Whiz up frozen spinach in a food processor with ready-made green masala paste. Cook the mixture until boiling, then stir through cubed paneer cheese (a mild Indian cheese, available at supermarkets for about $7.50). Stir through some yoghurt and serve with basmati rice.”
Made into pasta
Spinach pici pasta enjoyed a viral moment on TikTok last year thanks to its resemblance to green beans. While many home cooks wound up finding that project high on mess and low on flavour, Dobson has an incredibly easy but impressive-looking alternative, with absolute minimal kitchen skills required.
“Whip up some defrosted frozen spinach with ricotta, grated parmesan and egg until thick and creamy. Stir through some plain flour until dough-like. Roll into walnut-sized balls and cook in boiling water until they rise to the top. These ‘naked’ ravioli can then be served with a simple Napoletana-style tomato sauce and grated parmesan.”
Jamie Oliver credits a spinach and butternut pumpkin pasta dish, learned early in his career, with “changing his life.” It was what he was cooking while the River Café documentary was filming and he was “discovered” as a result. All it takes are some premade lasagne sheets (about $4 in supermarkets) rolled around a filling of butternut pumpkin, spinach and feta, then cut into loose, upstanding squat “cannelloni”, cooked in a simple sauce of jarred passata.
Baked into pie
One of spinach’s greatest starring roles is the Greek classic spanakopita, where its slight tannic bitterness and soft texture is the perfect juxtaposition to salty, creamy feta and explosive, buttery pastry.
“Defrost the frozen spinach, then drain,” says Eleftheria Amanatidis of Melbourne’s Eleni’s Kitchen and Bar.
“Sauté chopped onion with olive oil and butter until translucent,” she elaborates. “Add salt and pepper and mix in the spinach. We make the pastry ourselves, but you can use bought filo pastry (about $4 in supermarkets).
“Layer each pastry sheet with melted butter (approximately two-thirds of the pastry packet). Spread across the spanakopita mix and crumble feta over the top. Add the top layers, buttering each one and tuck in the edges. Brush with plenty of melted butter and cook for 35-40 minutes, to be really crisp.”
Felicity Cloake passes on the tip of using olive oil instead of butter and “drizzling” rather than brushing, so the sheets don’t stick together and air pockets are created – which makes for a crunchier end result. She also adds lots of green herbs to her spanakopita, including dill, mint and oregano.
Lucy Tweed’s photogenic supergreens pie also goes hard on herbs, with frozen spinach to bulk out fresh kale and chard. While the outcome is hugely flavoursome, you’ll need a thriving herb and veggie patch at home to avoid paying sky-high supermarket prices for the fresh greens required.
Whipped into dip
People of a certain age will remember the “bring a plate” Australian classic: cob and dip. Not only is it tasty fun, but being both a dish and a plate, it saves the post-party hassle of trying to retrieve your Tupperware.
“Cut a slice off the top of a cob loaf and pull out the soft bread inside the cob,” says Dobson.
“Tear the bread into chunks and cook in a moderate oven until golden. Set aside. Now fill the cob with a combination of defrosted frozen spinach, grated cheddar cheese, cream cheese and grated mozzarella. Bake until the cob is crusty and golden and the filling is hot. Serve with the toasted chunks of bread.”
Yotam Ottolenghi’s spinach dip is an updated version, eschewing the cob loaf for the crunch of a breadcrumb topping, adding tofu for body, jarred artichokes and a dialling up the flavour with some miso paste.
Bhavna Kalra’s dal with frozen spinach
1 1/2 cup red lentils
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp garlic paste
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
4 cubes frozen spinach
1 tsp red chilli powder mix
Soak one and half cups of red lentils in water for 15 minutes, rinse, then add three cups of water, a teaspoon of turmeric and salt to taste and cook on medium heat until the dal is almost done. Clear the foam on top with a slotted spoon.
Finely chop two tomatoes and a large onion. Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil or ghee in a pan and add a teaspoon each of cumin seeds, ginger, garlic paste and the onion and fry until the onion is translucent.
Then add the tomatoes, three or four frozen spinach cubes, salt to taste and cook for 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and the spinach has heated through.
Add a teaspoon of turmeric and a teaspoon of red chilli powder and mix well.
Add the cooked dal to the pan and cook for another 10 minutes on a low flame, then serve hot with rice or bread.
