My creamy spinach and rice recipe, also known as spanakorizo, is the Greek version of an Italian risotto. Lemon, fresh dill, and feta cheese are blended into the silky rice to add vibrancy and make it “pop.” It’s anything but boring!

This is one of my favorite side dishes to make because it’s healthy and is cooked in one saucepan without the constant stirring required for a risotto. In this recipe, the type of rice used matters! Many recipes for spanakorizo call for long-grain rice, which creates a fluffier pilaf texture. There’s nothing wrong with that! But after playing around with different types of rice, I’ve found that I prefer the creamy texture that a medium-grain rice, like bomba or arborio, yields. My favorite is bomba, a Spanish rice traditionally used for paella. It’s soft (but not sticky!) and is just a little more textural than arborio. I add a little extra stock when cooking to make it saucy; the starch blends with the liquid to make a slurry that renders it silky.

Spinach is the traditional leafy green used in spanakorizo, but I like swapping it out with chard, kale, or even the leaves from the broccoli plant growing in my garden. Pair it with sauteed fish or try my recipe for roasted chicken leg quarters, rubbed with lots of garlic, oregano, and sun-dried tomato!

Lemony Spinach and Rice (Greek Spanakorizo)

Recipe by Danielle Prewett

Serves

Ingredients

Olive oil for cooking
½ small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
¾ pound baby spinach
1 cup medium-grain rice, like bomba or arborio
2 ¾ cups salted chicken or vegetable stock
1 lemon, juiced
Coarse sea salt and cracked black pepper
Chopped fresh dill and feta for garnish

Directions

Place the rice in a rice colander or saucepan and rinse with cold water until the water runs clear. Drain excess water.
Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Once hot, drizzle in about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the yellow onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent. Add the green onions and cook another couple of minutes until soft, and then add the garlic. Cook for an additional minute, or until fragrant. Add the spinach and stir until it softens.
Stir in the rice and let it “toast” for a few minutes. Next, pour in the stock, lemon juice, a pinch of salt, and black pepper. Stir until the liquids come to a boil. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cover with a lid.
Cook the rice for 15 minutes, then turn the heat off and allow it to finish cooking (with the lid still on) for another 5 minutes.
Remove the lid and check the rice; it should be soft and fully cooked. You’ll notice a little bit of liquid leftover in the saucepan. Add a thin drizzle of olive oil and gently stir the rice. The liquid will thicken to a creamy sauce as it starts to cool.
Serve the rice with fresh minced dill and feta cheese. Leftovers will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator; add a little extra water when reheating to thin the sauce if needed. Rice also freezes really well and can be frozen for up to 6 months.