Salmon Spinach And Rice

This salmon spinach and rice recipe is my kind of healthy comfort food and the perfect lazy dinner idea. It’s super easy, it tastes like something you can’t stop eating and it’s pretty nutritious too. There’s spinach in it, so it must be. Pretty sure, there’s a written rule for that in life. You know how most salmon and rice recipes are “Asian-inspired” – this one’s more Mediterranean inspired. It’s also gluten-free and dairy-free.

When I was a kid my family used to make a similar recipe all the time when there was spinach or sorrel available and it was SO good! It’s very similar to the Greek spinach and rice recipe (aka spanakorizo) but slightly modified and a bit more veggie-heavy, because I used some cauliflower rice in it.

So if you’re in the mood for a Mediterranean recipe made with salmon and rice and spinach – this one’s for you and you must make it. Plus you won’t have to stand by the stove to stir or the sink to clean up. It all happens in one large pan / skillet and is the perfect lazy meal.

I know, I should sell cars or jewelry or essential oils or anything. I’ll be really good at it, especially if they were made out of food. Watch out Tesla, here I come Flinstone style.

Speaking of, a few weeks ago, I actually tried watching The Flinstones with my nephew. It was one of my favorite cartoons when I was a kid. Ah, the good old days when the dinosaurs we played with weren’t toys, but living beings. Yeah, that’s how old I feel.

So, I tried watching it and I couldn’t. First of all, because my nephew was jumping right next to me on the couch and my eye started twitching from stress.

And second, because of how old it all looked and sounded. I usually love old things, because they are more real and, I find, high quality. But it really did take some time to adjust. And I didn’t have that time, because the little guy then changed “the channel” to some dogs trying to be superheroes. There – 3 reasons I couldn’t watch the cartoon. And I was really disappointed in myself. I know, you wish we had more life-changing conversations like this, don’t you?

Salmon, Spinach and Rice Ingredients

But we’re here to do some work in the kitchen, so let’s get back to this salmon spinach and rice recipe aka the perfect lazy dinner with salmon! Here’s what you need to put it together:

Salmon. We need fillets, anything from the salmon without bones, okay?

Spinach. I used fresh spinach, not baby, the father type. Also, frozen spinach can be perfectly good in the recipe as well.

Rice. You need white rice like Arborio to make this tasty dish happen. Long-grain, brown or any other type just won’t provide that same type of comfort or consistency, so stay away from them when making this recipe.

More vegetables. Now in this salmon spinach and rice skillet, we’ve got some invisible cauliflower and lots of green onions. Aka spring onions, aka scallions. As I found out a few months ago – those are all the same thing. And I also threw in some spring garlic as well, because life’s not the same without garlic, even during spring. If you have, also please, please – use fresh mint. It’s so good in rice dishes. Dill might work as well, because this is also a salmon recipe and fish usually goes really well with dill. Can’t make any promises though, I’m just throwing it out there.

Salt, pepper, water, dried spices. You can also use stock for the recipe. With these types of recipes, when you’re cooking from scratch and starting with water – you’ll need to add more salt than you’re comfortable with. I’m always surprised at how much salt they “gobble up”. But if you want to be on the “safe” side – use stock. I know, lots of quotation marks, makes me feel like a “real” writer.

How To Make The Salmon, Spinach And Rice

You are going to love how easily this salmon spinach and rice recipe comes together for dinner. If you can put things into a pan and cover it with a lid, you can call yourself a chef from now on, because that’s almost everything you need to do here.

Before you put the things into the skillet though, wash the vegetables and chop them thinly. That makes the cauliflower, garlic, spring onions, fresh mint if using and of course – the spinach. I lied, you don’t need to cut the spinach too thinly. It might scare it away, especially if it’s a baby. You can even leave it whole. Once you heat it up it will shrink like it’s on a weight loss show.

Now that you’ve got it all washed and chopped and ready, throw it into a pan. Add the salmon, the washed rice, salt and water (or stock) and if you want – some spices and dried herbs.

Give it a good stir. Cover the pan, put it on the stove and turn the heat up.

Once it starts boiling – reduce the heat and let the salmon, rice and all the other participants simmer to perfection.

Which would take around 15-20 minutes. No longer. Or until the rice is tender. If needed add a bit more water / stock. (I didn’t have to).

If you wish in the last few minutes add another clove of garlic to the salmon spinach and rice skillet – to make the garlic smell more intense. That’s something you want for your home. Once all is cooked – flake the salmon and stir gently through the rice dish.

Serve immediately as is, or add some black pepper and chili flakes on top and enjoy!

More Options

Now, as you will taste, this salmon spinach and rice recipe is perfect and humble like me. But, if you do want to change things up you can try these variations:

• Use another type of fish. If you don’t have salmon, but another type of fish fillets at home – they might work here as well.
• Chicken. If you’re not a fan of fish – chicken is also a great choice here. You can use boneless skinless chicken and it will be the perfect healthier comfort food!
• Use other greens. You can even use kale here, but I would prefer things that wilt better, wild greens like sorrel or stinging nettle.
• Make it spicier. Now, if you love spice and can’t have a meal without it – then add in some hot paprika or chili powder along with all the other ingredients.

And there are probably even more ways to modify the recipe!

More Lazy Healthy Dinner Ideas

I hope you try and love this salmon rice and spinach recipe, whether you make it for a quick and lazy dinner tonight or meal prep it for the week ahead. We didn’t have any leftovers, but if you do – store them in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat on the stove or in that radioactive incubator – aka the microwave. If you need even more quick and easy healthy dinner ideas, make sure to check these as well:

• Easy Rice and Calamari Recipe
• 15-Minute Shrimp and Zucchini In Garlic Tomato Sauce
• Easy and Healthy Chicken Tostadas

Yield: 3

Salmon Spinach and Rice (Gluten-Free Dairy-Free)

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This gluten-free dairy-free salmon spinach and rice recipe is my kind of healthy comfort food and the perfect lazy dinner idea - you just can't stop eating it!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice
• 1 1/2 cup cauliflower rice or thinly chopped
• 10oz/280g salmon
• 1 tbsp dried mint or 1/4 cup cup fresh leaves
• 4 scallions, thinly chopped
• 1 spring garlic, thinly chopped (or 2 minced garlic cloves)
• 1 spring garlic, thinly chopped (or 2 minced garlic cloves)
• 2 1/2 cups spinach
• 2 1/2 cups spinach
• 2 1/2 cups water / or stock
• 2 1/2 cups water / or stock
• Salt and pepper
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Wash the scallions, spinach, spring garlic, mint and cauliflower (if using cauliflower and not cauliflower rice). Thinly chop them all, except the spinach (can roughly chop it). You can also use 2 garlic cloves - mince them.
2. Add everything to a large pan, cover with water and add some salt. Alternatively, you can also use stock of choice here.
3. Stir together and turn the stove on. Bring to a boil and then reduce, so that the dish can simmer. If needed throughout the cooking process - add some more stock or water (I didn't need to).
4. Allow to cook for around 20 minutes or until rice is tender and there's no more excess water.
5. Serve with some black pepper and chili flakes and enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

3

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 351Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 409mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 6gSugar: 3gProtein: 30g