5 Ways to Sneak Spinach Into Your Meals

Published on October 22, 2016

I'm always trying to work more vegetables into my diet, and one of my new favorite things to do is stealthily include spinach in surprising dishes. It's a powerhouse low-calorie superfood, loaded with iron, fiber, minerals and vitamins. That rich green color makes it pretty tough to miss the sight of those leafy greens in these spinach recipes, but I promise, your taste buds won't detect a thing.

Pancakes

I came up with the idea to blend spinach into pancake batter when I was trying to create a Seattle Seahawks-inspired pre-game breakfast, but it's great for everyday pancakes, too. Simply throw a handful of spinach into your favorite batter, then blend! They look super green (go Hawks!), but the taste is all pancake-y goodness.

Smoothies and Smoothie Bowls

This one is actually pretty obvious, but still worth mentioning. I am always shocked at the amount of spinach I can blend into a smoothie or smoothie bowl, and still not taste it. Such an easy way to get some greens in first thing in the morning.

Pesto

This traditionally basil-packed sauce is the perfect hiding place for spinach. After all, it's already green!

Spinach Basil Pesto

Yogurt Bowls

I often wished that I could add spinach to things that I didn't necessarily want to put in a blender, like a yogurt and granola bowl. Then I thought, why don't I purée the spinach and stir it in? So, that's what I did! Use this simple recipe for making and freezing puréed spinach, then defrost one or two cubes the night before your morning yogurt.

Oatmeal and Overnight Oats

Try stirring your puréed spinach into hot oatmeal (you can also mix it with some cashew cream first, as pictured below), or drop some frozen cubes into your favorite overnight oats recipes, then stir it all together in the morning.