Spanakorizo – Greek Spinach and Rice With Cauliflower Rice

Lemony, herby, and out of this world delicious, Spanakorizo or Greek Spinach and Rice is a wonderful side dish that you can make for weeknight meals.  It pairs perfectly with a lean protein like chicken or fish or you can add protein to it like chickpeas to eat as a meal. 

It’s low carb, vegetarian, gluten-free, healthy, and can be made dairy-free if you exclude the cheese.  But honestly, the cheese makes it, so be sure to substitute with vegan feta. 

I grew up eating Spanakorizo Kokkinisto, which is Greek Spinach and rice with tomato sauce.  While it was one of my favorite meals as a kid, I’ve since discovered I prefer my spanakorizo without tomato sauce and with a lot of fresh herbs, lemon and with salty feta cheese.  It has a fresher flavor profile than the stewed tomato version.

Cauliflower rice is a popular low-carb substitute for rice that’s made by grating fresh cauliflower.  The recipe below calls for the frozen riced cauliflower, which is so convenient for busy people. 

If you are watching your carbs, cauliflower rice spanakorizo is perfect for you as it does not have the same blood sugar spiking effect as white rice. 

At 25 calories per cup, cauliflower rice provides just 10–20% of the calories you’d expect from the same quantity of cooked rice.  In addition, cauliflower rice is low in carbs. It provides only 3 grams of net carbs per cup, which is 18 times fewer carbs than the same quantity of rice.

Does it taste like rice?  Well no, but it acts like rice, so you can add veggies and protein to it to make it take on the flavor of its pairings. 

Greek Spinach and Rice Ingredients

This recipe was created for a 12 oz package of the Signature SELECT frozen Riced Cauliflower.  It serves 2.  For larger portions, you can double the recipe.

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 3 green onions, chopped, (reserve 1 tablespoon of the green parts for garnish)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 12 oz Signature SELECT Frozen Riced Cauliflower
• salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• 3 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped or 16 oz frozen chopped spinach
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
• 2 oz feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice and zest 

How to Make Greek Spinach and Rice Spanakorizo With Cauliflower Rice

Take the frozen riced cauliflower out of the freezer and allow it to thaw slightly while prepping the ingredients. 

In a large non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. 

Saute the yellow and green onions until soft – about 3-4 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  

Add the riced cauliflower and stir to incorporate with the onions and garlic.    Cook for a few minutes until the cauliflower rice is hot. 

Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Add the chopped fresh parsley and dill along with the chopped spinach. Stir to incorporate and cook until the spinach is wilted. 

Add the feta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest.  Stir and cook for another minute or so to warm the feta so it gets slightly melted. 

Plate and top with green onions, additional lemon zest, and extra fresh chopped parsley and dill if desired. 

If you want to make the traditional spanakorizo, you would need to use 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of vegetable broth to soften the rice.  Because cauliflower rice is mostly water anyway, there is no need to add additional moisture other than the lemon juice. 

Note – an alternative to feta cheese would be crumbled Boursin cheese.  The garlic herb flavor would work perfectly in this dish. 

What to Serve with Greek Spinach and Rice

One Pan Roasted Chicken and Potatoes with Lemon, Feta & Dill

Creamy Lemon Dill Salmon

Keto Salmon Patties

Greek Roasted Chicken With Potatoes and Kalamata Olives

Skillet Chicken With Creamy Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach

Greek Spinach and Rice with Cauliflower Rice

Lemony, herby, and out of this world delicious, Spanakorizo or Greek Spinach and Rice is a wonderful side dish that you can make for weeknight meals.  It pairs perfectly with a lean protein like chicken or fish or you can add protein to it like chickpeas to eat as a meal. 

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Greek

Keyword: Cauliflower Rice Spanakorizo, Greek Spinach and Rice, Keto Greek Spinach and Rice, Spanakorizo

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 servings

Calories:

Author: Eva Fry

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion diced
• 3 green onions chopped, (reserve 1 tablespoon of the green parts for garnish)
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 12 oz Signature SELECT Frozen Riced Cauliflower
• salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• 3 cups fresh spinach roughly chopped or 16 oz frozen chopped spinach
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice and zest
• 2 oz feta cheese crumbled

Instructions

• Take the frozen riced cauliflower out of the freezer and allow it to thaw slightly while prepping the ingredients.
• In a large non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
• Saute the yellow and green onions until soft - about 3-4 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add the riced cauliflower and stir to incorporate with the onions and garlic.    Cook for a few minutes until the cauliflower rice is hot.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Add the chopped fresh parsley and dill along with the chopped spinach. Stir to incorporate and cook until the spinach is wilted.
• Add the feta cheese, lemon juice and lemon zest.  Stir and cook for another minute or so to warm the feta so it gets slightly melted.
• Plate and top with green onions, additional lemon zest and extra fresh chopped parsley and dill if desired.

Notes

If you want to make the traditional spanakorizo, you would need to use 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of vegetable broth to soften the rice.  Because cauliflower rice is mostly water anyway, there is no need to add additional moisture other than the lemon juice. 

Additional Cauliflower Rice Recipes

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto With Riced Cauliflower

Cauliflower Risotto With Asparagus and Mushrooms

Cauliflower Fried Rice

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