Greek

Serving

Greek Kid-friendly

Spanakorizo (Spinach and Rice)

Name: Spanakorizo (Spinach and Rice)
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 1 lb fresh spinach, roughly chopped; 1 cup rice; 1 onion, chopped; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling; 2 cups vegetable stock; 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill; 2 tbsp lemon juice; Salt and pepper to taste; Feta cheese, crumbled, for serving (optional)

A comforting one-pot dish of rice simmered with fresh spinach, dill, and lemon, a simple everyday Greek favorite.

35 minutes

Serves 4

Side

12 min prep

19 min cook

Contains common allergens

Dairy

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Good to know

One-pot

Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: one-pot dinners

Instructions

6 steps

1
Heat olive oil in a large pot and saute the onion until soft, about 5 minutes.
2
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the chopped spinach and cook until wilted, about 3-4 minutes.
3
Add the rice and stir to coat in the oil, then pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
4
Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15-18 minutes, until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
5
Remove from heat and stir in the dill, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
6
Serve warm, drizzled with extra olive oil and topped with crumbled feta if desired.

Spanakorizo (Spinach and Rice) — plated and served — Serving moment. How Spanakorizo (Spinach and Rice) looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

77/100

Good fit for most families

Allergen-friendly 90

Kid-friendly 85

Weeknight-easy 64

Budget-friendly 86

Great leftovers 71

Pantry-friendly 48

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

385

Calories

9 g

Protein

46 g

Carbs

19 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Spanakorizo is a staple of Greek home cooking, a rice pilaf built around wilted spinach that shows up on tables year-round, though it's especially common in early spring when fresh spinach is at its best and often served meatless during Lent alongside feta on the side rather than mixed in.

Listahan note

This version stirs the dill and lemon in at the very end rather than cooking them with the rice, which keeps both tasting fresh and bright against the more savory, simmered base.

Technique cues

Wilting the spinach fully before adding the rice matters because spinach releases a lot of water as it cooks down, and that liquid needs to be accounted for in the total amount of stock added.
Coating the rice in the oil and wilted spinach for a minute before adding stock, similar to a pilaf technique, helps each grain stay separate rather than turning gummy.
Stirring in the dill and lemon juice only after the rice is fully cooked and off the heat preserves both their brightness, cooking them down with the rice would dull their flavor considerably.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Chop the spinach and dill while the onion softens in the pot, so both are ready to go in without slowing down the cooking.
Make-ahead: Spanakorizo is best made close to serving since rice dishes lose some texture on reheating, though it holds reasonably well covered for an hour or so at room temperature.
Leftover move: Reheat leftovers gently with a splash of water or stock to loosen the rice, which firms up considerably once chilled.
Cleanup rhythm: Wipe out the pot while any stuck rice at the bottom is still warm and slightly moist, it hardens and becomes difficult to scrub once fully cooled.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

fresh spinach

the dish's namesake and bulk

Purpose: a full pound of spinach cooks down dramatically, and its wilted volume becomes almost inseparable from the rice, giving the dish its color and character

Handling: roughly chop before adding so it wilts down quickly and distributes evenly through the pot

Adaptation: baby spinach can be used without chopping since the leaves are already small, though it wilts down to a smaller final volume per pound

rice

the pilaf base

Purpose: cooked pilaf-style, coated in oil before the stock is added, the rice absorbs the spinach's moisture and flavor as it simmers

Handling: stir the rice into the wilted spinach and onions before adding any liquid, letting it toast lightly in the residual oil for a minute

Adaptation: a short-grain rice gives a slightly creamier, stickier result closer to traditional versions; basmati works too but yields more separate grains

onion and garlic

aromatic base

Purpose: sauteed first, they build the savory foundation that the spinach and rice cook into, without them the dish would taste flat

Handling: cook the onion until soft before adding garlic, which only needs about a minute to avoid turning bitter

Adaptation: a leek can substitute for the onion for a slightly sweeter, milder aromatic base

fresh dill

the herb signature

Purpose: dill paired with spinach and lemon is one of the most recognizable flavor combinations in Greek cooking, and it's what makes spanakorizo taste distinctly Greek rather than like a generic spinach rice

Handling: chop finely and stir in at the very end, off the heat, so its flavor stays bright rather than cooking flat

Adaptation: fresh parsley can fill in if dill isn't available, though the flavor profile shifts noticeably away from the traditional taste

lemon juice

final brightness

Purpose: stirred in at the end alongside the dill, it cuts the richness of the olive oil and rounds out the dish's flavor

Handling: add just before serving so the acidity stays fresh

Adaptation: a bit of lemon zest added along with a smaller amount of juice can round out the flavor for those who want less tang

Technique notes

Resist stirring the rice too often once the stock is added and the pot is covered, frequent stirring releases starch and can make the finished dish gummy instead of light.
Let the rice rest off the heat, covered, for a few minutes after the liquid is absorbed, this evens out the texture before you fluff it with a fork.
Taste the seasoning again after adding the lemon and dill, since acidity and fresh herbs shift how salty or flat the dish tastes compared to before they went in.

Ingredient swaps

Dairy-free direction: Skip the optional feta topping entirely, the base dish is already dairy-free as written.
Gluten-free direction: Swap in a certified gluten-free 1:1 flour blend or gluten-free noodles/breadcrumbs wherever the recipe calls for a wheat product, and read packaged-item labels closely. This one leans on the vegetable stock.
Vegan direction: Already vegan as written if the optional feta garnish is omitted.

Serve alongside

crumbled feta
crusty bread
Greek salad
grilled fish
a dry white wine
sparkling water with lemon
a light rose

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Keeps refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of water or stock, or in the microwave covered with a damp paper towel.
Freezing is not recommended, the rice's texture turns mushy after thawing.

Equipment

large pot with lid
wooden spoon
fine-mesh strainer (for rinsing rice, optional)

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