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Use it up

What to do with the last of the spinach

Wilt it into soups, curries, or pasta sauces where texture matters less. Blend into smoothies or add to scrambled eggs.

How long it keeps
Keeps for three to five days in the fridge in a plastic bag or sealed container. Wash just before eating.
How to tell it has turned
Leaves are slimy, darkened, or smell musty. Some brown spots are normal but discard if widespread.

A handful of leaves

Spinach and egg skillet

A handful of wilted spinach with eggs stirred through, finished under the broiler until the top is just set. This is how you use up those last leaves tonight, fast, in one pan.

Serves 2. 12 minutes, 8 at the stove.

About 280 calories a serving, 12 g protein, 7 g carbohydrate, 22 g fat. From USDA figures for 80% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

You need

From your shelf

  • a handful of leaves spinach

Staples

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 small, sliced onion
  • 2 cloves, minced garlic
  • to taste salt
  • to taste pepper
  • 4 eggs
  1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 small sliced onion and cook, stirring often, until it softens, about 4 minutes. Stir in 2 minced garlic cloves and cook for 1 minute more.
  2. Add a handful of spinach leaves and stir until wilted, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Crack 4 eggs into the skillet and gently stir through the spinach mixture, keeping the yolks mostly intact. Cook over medium heat without stirring until the whites are nearly set, about 2 minutes.
  4. Turn the heat to broil and place the skillet under the broiler until the egg tops are just set, about 2 minutes. Watch it carefully so it does not brown too much.

Note Swap the spinach for any soft green you have wilting in the crisper. Leftovers keep in the fridge for one day and reheat gently in a low oven. Serve with toast or alongside rice to stretch it further.

Half a bag

Creamed spinach with pasta and eggs

Half a bag of spinach wilts down to almost nothing in a hot pan, so cream it with butter and garlic, toss it with pasta, and top with a soft egg to stretch it into dinner for two. This is how you use spinach before it turns to slime.

Serves 2. 30 minutes, 25 at the stove.

About 710 calories a serving, 21 g protein, 69 g carbohydrate, 40 g fat. From USDA figures for 100% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

You need

To buy

  • 1/2 cup [120 ml] heavy cream

From your shelf

  • half bag [about 150 g] spinach

Staples

  • 6 oz [170 g] pasta
  • 2 tablespoons [30 g] butter
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • to taste salt
  • to taste pepper
  • 2 eggs
  1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook 6 oz pasta until al dente, about 10 minutes, then drain and set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, mince 2 garlic cloves and place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons butter; when foaming, add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute.
  3. Add the half bag of spinach in big handfuls, stirring and letting each batch wilt before adding the next, about 5 minutes total until no raw leaves remain.
  4. Pour in 1/2 cup heavy cream, season with salt and pepper, and simmer until thickened slightly, about 2 minutes.
  5. Toss the drained pasta into the spinach cream.
  6. Divide the pasta between two bowls, then fry 2 eggs in the same skillet over medium heat until the whites are set but the yolks still soft, about 4 minutes; set one egg atop each bowl.

Note Swap the cream for crème fraîche or sour thinned with pasta water if you have it. Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for two days and rewarm gently on the stove with a splash of water. Serve with a green salad and lemon to cut the richness, or add a handful of pine nuts to each bowl.

A bunch from the market

Spinach and garlic pasta

Wilted spinach coats hot pasta with nothing but garlic, oil, and salt, a weeknight dinner when you need to use half a bunch before it fades. The whole point is the spinach here, tender and garlicky against the starch.

Serves 2. 20 minutes, 15 at the stove.

About 620 calories a serving, 17 g protein, 88 g carbohydrate, 23 g fat. From USDA figures for 100% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

You need

From your shelf

  • 4 oz [115 g] spinach

Staples

  • 8 oz [225 g] pasta
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • to taste salt
  • to taste pepper
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add 8 oz pasta and stir often until just tender, about 8 minutes, and reserve 1 cup of the cooking water before draining.
  2. While the pasta cooks, mince 3 garlic cloves. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a wide skillet over medium heat and add the garlic, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  3. Add 4 oz spinach to the skillet in two batches, wilting the first batch before adding the rest, stirring often until all is tender, about 3 minutes.
  4. Tip the hot pasta into the skillet with the spinach and add 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water, tossing over low heat until the spinach coats the pasta, about 1 minute. Add more pasta water if needed to loosen it.
  5. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Note Swap spinach for any tender greens like arugula or chard; cook chard a minute longer. Leftovers keep two days in the fridge and reheat gently with a splash of water. Serve with grated Parmesan and lemon wedges.

Products that cook as spinach

More: dinners written for shelves that held spinach.

Have some? Cook with it now Photograph your shelf