How to Survive the Spinach Shortage

Kale is a great alternative to spinach as it can be cooked or eaten raw and has a similar taste, although it does tend to have longer, thicker stalks that you may want to cut down. To try out kale in your kitchen, give Lavender and Loveage’s recipe for pumpkin, kale and walnut galette a try. It’s fairly simple to make – especially if you buy your pastry – and you can swap the pumpkin for butternut squash if it’s easier to get hold of.

Another great alternative to spinach is chard, which comes in red or green varieties and can also be eaten cooked or raw, although the flavour is different if you don’t cook it. As well as being tasty, chard is healthy and can work with so many flavours. This is why you should definitely give this recipe from Cook Sister a try. The tasty dish can be a main, side or even breakfast and cuts down on washing up as it is a one pan recipe.

Everybody loves a good pasta dish. They are quick and easy to make, tasty, filling and cheap. You can also keep them healthy by making your own pesto out of kale using this recipe from Tinned Tomatoes. You may not have spinach to put in your pasta bake, but this pesto definitely makes up for it. Plus, you can use pesto on fish and in houmous and other dishes.

Spinach and feta go together so well, which means lovers of this combination may be struggling slightly at the moment. Don’t worry though, as chard can be the perfect replacement and allow you to enjoy wonderfully complementary flavours. Try Nutmegs, Seven’s recipe to create a delicious meal that can be enjoyed hot or cold – you can even switch the filo pastry for puff to make it simpler.

Have you ever thought of adding spinach, or an alternative like kale, to your meatballs? This is a great way to pack them full of flavour, make them healthier and bulk out your meatball mix so it actually goes a bit further. The Kitchen Shed has a great recipe for meatballs that are incredibly tasty and provide a great way for sneaking more green onto the plate. They can also be served in lots of ways, making them even better.