Prepare Frozen Spinach

Spinach is an amazingly versatile vegetable. Frozen spinach is cheap, widely available, and can be easily reheated to perfection over the stove or in the microwave. Additionally, frozen spinach can also be added to almost any savory dish to improve the nutritional qualities. Simply reheat the spinach, drain it well, and toss it into your favorite recipe just before serving.

Steps

Reheating Spinach on the Stove

  1. Set the frozen spinach on the stove. First, place a large frying pan over low or medium low heat. The pan should be large enough to easily accommodate all of the frozen spinach. Once the pan has warmed up, add the frozen spinach to the pan. The spinach will hiss slightly and release some steam.
    • If the spinach releases a large amount of steam or makes loud cracking sounds, your pan is too hot. Reduce the heat.
  2. Reheat the spinach slowly. Stir the block of frozen spinach around the pan until it becomes tender. Once tender, use your cooking utensil to break the block into smaller chunks. [1] As the spinach warms up, continue breaking apart the spinach to help it reheat faster. The whole process will take about four to six minutes. Your spinach will be done thawing when it’s limp and very warm to the touch.
    • Don’t worry if there’s a lot of liquid in the pan. You will drain this away later.
    • Avoid overcooking the spinach. Burned spinach has a very distinct flavor.
  3. Drain the hot spinach. Place a heat-proof colander into a clean sink. Pour the reheated spinach into the colander. As it drains, use a large spoon to press out as much of the liquid as possible.[2]
    • If you want to reserve the cooking juices, place the colander into a large bowl or casserole dish before draining the spinach.

Steaming Frozen Spinach in the Microwave

  1. Place the spinach in microwave safe bowl. Avoid using paper bowls, plastic Tupperware, or any bowls with metallic paint or trim. Instead, choose a glass or ceramic bowl.[3] Additionally, the bowl should be large enough to easily contain all of the frozen spinach.
    • Some packages of frozen spinach ask you to keep the spinach in the bag while reheating. If so, place the bag on a ceramic or glass plate before putting it in the microwave.[4]
  2. Microwave the spinach. Follow the microwaving instructions on the package. If you can't find them, start by microwaving the spinach for one minute on high. If the spinach is not completely reheated, place it back in the microwave and heat it again in thirty second intervals.[1]
    • Stir the spinach between heating intervals to evenly distribute the heat.
    • Check for doneness by carefully touching the spinach. Fully reheated spinach will be easy to stir and warm to the touch.
  3. Drain the spinach. Place a clean dish towel in a large ceramic bowl. Next, pour the spinach over the dishtowel. Hold the edges of the towel together and lift the spinach away from the bowl. Squeeze the spinach tightly inside the towel to drain away all of the cooking liquid.[5]
    • Let the spinach cool slightly before using this method. Otherwise, you may burn your hands.

Serving Reheated Spinach

  1. Serve the spinach as a side dish. Season the spinach to taste with salt, pepper, or your favorite spice blends. To create a creamier side dish, mix a tablespoon of butter into hot spinach and let it melt. Next, season the dish with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Other delicious seasoning options include:
    • Old bay seasoning blend
    • Lemon pepper
    • Garlic salt
    • Curry powder[6]
  2. Add spinach to your favorite recipes. You can stir reheated spinach into other recipes to add a nutritional boost. Spinach mixes well with hearty soups, meaty chili, any curry, tomato pastas, and more.[7] Add the reheated spinach just before serving the dish to avoid overcooking the spinach.
    • Make sure the spinach is completely reheated and drained before adding it to another recipe. Otherwise, the spinach juices may water it down.
  3. Make Spinach Dip. Most baked spinach dip recipes call for frozen spinach.[8] If you use fresh spinach in a baked spinach dip recipe, the dip will become watery and flavorless. However, you can drain frozen spinach while it thaws, controlling the amount of liquid in your baked dip.
    • Reserve the cooking liquid after you drain the spinach. Many baked spinach dip recipes have you add a few tablespoons back into the dip.
  4. Replace blanched spinach with reheated spinach. You can add reheated frozen spinach to any recipe that calls for blanched spinach. In fact, reheated spinach is often a better option as it won’t water down your recipe.[7] Some examples of blanched spinach recipes include:

Tips

  • Some people believe that it’s unhealthy to reheat spinach as it can form indigestible nitrates. However, this is a myth.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.livestrong.com/article/539439-how-to-cook-frozen-spinach-without-destroying-nutrients/
  2. ↑ https://marleyspoon.com/archive/6752-miso-cod-bamboo-rice-with-sesame-spinach
  3. ↑ http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/tools-products/cookware-bakeware/food-containers-safe-for-microwave
  4. ↑ http://www.favoritefreezerfoods.com/easy-spinach-artichoke-dip.html
  5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW6NUU2GFJ0&feature=youtu.be&t=10
  6. ↑ http://www.livestrong.com/article/513960-good-seasoning-for-spinach/
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 http://www.thekitchn.com/5-ways-to-cook-with-frozen-spinach-shop-your-freezer-200171
  8. ↑ http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/baked-creamy-spinach-dip

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