Use it up · Vegetables

Spinach

Have extra spinach? Here’s how to choose, store and prep spinach, plus 15 family recipes to use it all up, best matches first.

🍽 See the recipes 🧺 Pick a few things you have

🛒 Choosing it

Choose bright green leaves with no yellowing or slime.

Best season: Spring and fall. Timing varies by region.

🧊 Storing it

Fridge: 1 to 2 days for best quality
Freezer: 10 to 12 months (blanch first), or buy frozen

Keep the fridge at 40°F or below and the freezer at 0°F. Freezer times are for best quality; food kept frozen at 0°F stays safe. When in doubt, throw it out. Times from Rutgers Cooperative Extension.

🔪 Prepping it

A big pile cooks down to a little. Stir handfuls into soups, eggs, pasta and smoothies.

🌱 Grow it

You can grow your own: spinach. The Food Garden Planner shows how much to plant for your family and when it comes in.

🌱 Plan a garden with it →

📊 Nutrition per 100 g

Baby spinach. 100 g is about 3 1/2 ounces.

Calories	23 kcal	1%
Protein	2.9 g	6%
Total fat	0.4 g	0%
Saturated fat	0.1 g	0%
Total carbohydrate	3.6 g	1%
Dietary fiber	2.2 g	8%
Total sugars	0.4 g
Sodium	79 mg	3%
Calcium	99 mg	8%
Iron	2.7 mg	15%
Potassium	558 mg	12%

% Daily Value for adults (FDA). From USDA FoodData Central 168462 (SR Legacy).

🍽 Recipes that use it up

15 recipes, the ones that use the most spinach first.

Plan them into your week in the meal planner, or find recipes for two or three things at once with the “What can I make?” picker.

Storage times and buying tips are general guides from the sources below; follow any date or instructions on the package. Cook meat, poultry, fish and eggs to the USDA safe temperatures in each recipe.