Go Back
Greek Spinach Rice with Lemon and Feta (Spanakorizo) make 4 photos step by step for article

healthy greek spinach lemon rice

A classic one-pot Greek comfort dish. Lemony, herby, and extra virgin olive oil-rich, finished with creamy feta.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: greek
Ingredients Method Video Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 250 g 1¼ cups long-grain white rice
  • 500 g fresh spinach washed and roughly chopped
  • 4 scallions sliced
  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more to finish
  • 750 ml 3 cups vegetable stock or water
  • ¼ cup chopped dill
  • ¼ cup chopped parsley
  • ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 100 g crumbled feta for serving

Method
 

  1. Warm olive oil in a wide saucepan. Cook scallions and onion until soft, then add garlic for 30 seconds.
  2. Add spinach in batches and cook until wilted. If using frozen spinach, cook off excess moisture.
  3. Stir in rinsed rice, dill, parsley, salt, pepper, and stock.
  4. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, reduce heat, and cook 18–25 minutes until rice is tender.
  5. Turn off the heat and rest covered for 10 minutes.
  6. Fluff gently and finish with lemon juice, zest, olive oil, and feta.

Video

Notes

Spanakorizo is Greek comfort in a pot — soft rice simmered with sweet onions, wilted spinach, fresh dill and lemon, finished with good olive oil and salty feta. Simple, bright, and creamy without any cream. The kind of ladera my yiayia made when she wanted something light but satisfying.
Use half the oil to sauté the onions slowly until sweet (not browned), and save the other half to drizzle raw at the end. That finishing oil is where the real Greek flavor comes from.