How do you use frozen spinach?

Defrosted frozen spinach can be added to any recipe that calls for leafy greens. " Once defrosted, squeeze out excess water, and add to fritter batters, smoothies, soups, stew, a pot of creamy beans, or my favorite, as a lasagna layer ," Bruning says.

Do you thaw frozen spinach before cooking?

And if the greens are already cooked, do you need to thaw them at all? In the case of soup, no . A little extra water never hurt a broth. But when it comes to pretty much everything else—be it eggs, quesadillas, or skillet pizza—moisture is the enemy, so you're going to want to let the spinach thaw.

Does frozen spinach need to be cooked?

Anytime what you're making won't be ruined or made too soggy with excess liquid, feel free to use the spinach straight from the freezer . Things like smoothies and soup are great examples but also pasta and stir-fries, where the additional moisture will quickly evaporate in the hot pan.

Can you cook and eat old spinach?

Any slimy spinach should be thrown away , along with any spinach it has come in contact with. You don't want to eat decomposing plant matter (unless you're an insect or a worm!). It's important to remember, too, that spinach (like other leafy greens) can be be contaminated with bacteria such as E. coli.

How do you make frozen spinach not soggy?

So when you defrost your frozen spinach, it has already been wilted down and cooked to some degree. The best way to defrost frozen spinach is to warm it in the microwave for a few minutes or warm it over low heat on the stove in pot and strain excess water with a mesh sieve or colander .

How do you thaw frozen spinach for a recipe?

Warm water: The quickest way to defrost frozen spinach is to place the spinach in a strainer. Run warm water over the strainer and continually turn the leaves to ensure all the ice melts.

Why do you have to cook frozen spinach before eating?

Frozen spinach can be eaten raw, but it's generally recommended to cook it before consumption to eliminate potential bacteria and enhance its flavor and texture .

Can you use frozen spinach in place of fresh?

If a recipe calls for fresh spinach but you have only frozen, or vice versa, it's perfectly OK to sub one for the other — at least in most recipes.

Spinach Squares {Classic Appetizer Recipe} (2024)

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You’ll love this easy, cheesy spinach squares recipe! This classic appetizer is a must save for effortless entertaining. You can even bake ahead and freeze!

Spinach Squares {Classic Appetizer Recipe} (1)

I love looking through old recipe books. You know, the kind where half the ingredients aren’t even made anymore. The measurements are approximate. A few of the steps are completely missing.

It’s like the authors assume everyone knows the recipe and just needs a quick reference guide so they don’t miss an ingredient.

These spinach squares are exactly the kind of recipe you’ll find in those books. Only the ingredients are simple enough that they’re never going out of style. This recipe shouldn’t either. I’m a bit sad I hadn’t really tested it before this year!

Spinach Squares Ingredient Notes

Can I just say that these are a fabulous budget-friendly appetizer recipe? The main ingredients are easy to find, inexpensive, and flexible!

Spinach Squares {Classic Appetizer Recipe} (2)

The first ingredient you’ll need is… spinach. Buuuuuttttt, for simplicity, you want frozen spinach. If you use fresh, you’ll have to cook it down, let it cool, and chop it so you don’t have spinach strings.

Busy cook that you are, there’s no time for that! Buy chopped frozen spinach, thaw it. Squeeze out the excess liquid and move along! These squares will take less than 10 minutes from start to oven using this shortcut.

Also, the onion is optional. But you won’t really taste it and it does add a really nice flavor. I prefer to use either red or sweet onion, but use what you have.

And if you’d really like to amp up the savory flavors, feel free to add a little garlic. Or make the squares a bit spicy with some red pepper flakes.

Let’s talk about cheese

Consider the type of cheese in the recipe as a suggestion. Honestly, whatever cheese you like with spinach is GREAT!

Why spinach squares are the make-ahead appetizer you need…

Darlings… these are perfect to make in advance! Seriously, you can make them up to 3 days ahead of serving and refrigerate, or freeze them for up to a month!

The recipe makes about 2 dozen depending on how you cut them. So you can always make the full batch and split a portion depending on what you need.

Spinach Squares {Classic Appetizer Recipe} (4)

For example, while we do bigger holiday meals for Thanksgiving and Christmas, New Year’s Eve is always heavy appetizers. So while I might make a batch of these squares to serve as a starter with the Christmas meal, I’ll freeze a portion to reheat for New Year’s Eve.

A few more notes…

If you’re serving these as part of a couple starters, cut them on the smaller side. These spinach cheese squares are FILLING!

They smelled amazing, so the Godfather and I ate two of the bigger squares each after I finished shooting. This was just before lunch. We didn’t finish our lunch.

Extras are also reeeeallly good warmed and topped with a runny egg for breakfast. It’s like a lazy-cook’s florentine eggs and so good!

I hope you enjoy this recipe darlings!

Easy Spinach Cheese Squares

Yield: 24 squares

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

You'll love this easy, cheesy spinach squares recipe! This classic appetizer is a must save for effortless entertaining. You can even bake ahead and freeze!

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup finely diced onion (optional)
1 pound shredded cheese (see notes)
2 10-ounce packages of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Melt the butter in a 9x13-inch casserole dish while the oven heats and you mix your batter.
Once the butter has melted, remove the pan. You may need to use a pastry brush to ensure the butter is evenly spread over the dish.
While the oven is preheating, whisk together the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add the flour, milk, salt, and baking powder. Stir to combine.
Add the onion, cheese, and thawed spinach to the bowl. Stir to combine, then pour into your prepared casserole dish.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown on top. Remove and allow to cool 30-40 minutes to set. At this time, bars can either be cut, or refrigerated up to 3 days, reheat before serving (see step 8).
Cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.
If preparing in advance to freeze: Cool the squares, cut, and freeze the spinach squares in a single layer on a baking sheet until solid. Then place in an airtight container. When you wish to serve, place the desired number of squares on a baking sheet and bake in a 325 F oven for 8-12 minutes until warmed through.
To reheat refrigerated squares, bake in a 325 F oven for 5-10 minutes until just warmed through. You can also microwave for a few seconds, but the texture is better when warmed in the oven - almost identical to fresh!

Notes

In this recipe, I used a half-pound of shredded cheddar and a half-pound of shredded Monterey Jack cheese. Use any combination of cheese that you like with spinach. An Italian shredded cheese blend with a sprinkle of Parmesan on top just before baking is another family favorite.
You can omit the onion if you really hate it, but we like the texture it adds to the bars. Measurement doesn't have to be precise, but I wouldn't go with more than half of a small/medium-small onion.
This recipe will work with non-dairy butter, milk, and cheese.

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