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    Home » Italian Sides

    Roman Style Spinach | Spinaci alla Romana Recipe

    Published: Mar 24, 2022 · Modified: Jun 6, 2024 by Silvana Nava · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe

    Roman Style Spinach is a quick and easy Italian side dish, made with spinach, butter, raisins and pine nuts. The slightly bitter flavor of the spinach pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the raisins and the crunchiness of the pine nuts.

    In many traditional Italian recipes, we often use spinach to make fillings. In particular we use to combine spinach together with ricotta cheese and other flavors, like in Torta Pasqualina, Gnudi recipe or Lasagna with spinach, for example.

    roman style spinach

    In this recipe, however, spinach is the real and only protagonist of the dish.For this reason we recommend to use fresh spinach in season. Compared to frozen spinach, they are more tender, more flavorful and less watery.

    Roman style spinach is a very special and tasty side dish. Serve them with meat, fish or egg dishes. They are sure to be a hit!

    Roman style spinach

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Storage
    • Tips
    • Variations
    • Recipe Card


    Ingredients

    • Prep Time: 10 Min
    • Cook Time: 15 Min
    • Servings: 6

    • 1 kg (2.2 pounds) of spinach
    • 80 g (⅔ stick) of unsalted butter
    • 1 clove of garlic (optional)
    • 100 g (⅔ cup) of raisins
    • 100 g ( ⅔ cup) of pine nuts
    • salt to taste
    • ground black pepper to taste

    Instructions

    Roman style spinach step 1 (1)

    Step 1) - First, soak the raisins in a cup of water, it usually takes about half an hour for them to rehydrate well.

    Meanwhile, wash the spinach to remove any remaining soil. Then drain and pat them dry.

    Roman style spinach step 2 (1)

    Step 2) - In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. If you like, you can add a peeled clove of garlic to flavor the butter. Then add the well-drained spinach and simmer for about 2 minutes.

    Roman style spinach step 3 (1)

    Step 3) - At this point, mix the spinach well so that the ones on top go to the bottom of the pan. Then cover with a lid and continue cooking for about 5 minutes, always over low heat.

    Then squeeze the raisins well and add them to the spinach. Mix well.

    Roman style spinach step 4 (1)

    Step 4) - Add the pine nuts as well. Mix everything together, add a little salt and black pepper to taste. Remove the lid and cook for another two minutes over high heat to allow excess liquid to dry.

    Transfer the Roman Style Spinach to a serving dish and serve hot.

    roman style spinach

    YOU MUST ALSO TRY:

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    Storage

    Store the spinach alla romana, sealed in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to one day.

    You can prepare the Spinaci alla romana a few hours in advance, but in any case during the same day. For a fresher taste, stop the cooking immediately after adding the raisins and pine nuts. Then, just before serving, finish cooking the spinach alla romana. That way you'll have a side dish that's cooked ahead of time but looks like it was just made!

    Tips

    How to Cook Spinach

    Baby Spinach: If you are using tender baby spinach, as in our recipe, no precooking is necessary. Rinse the spinach and then place them raw directly into the pan with the melted butter. There is no need to add liquid, the vegetables will cook in their natural moisture. Cooking is very quick given the tenderness of the leaves.

    roman style spinach

    Regular Spinach: If you use regular "full leaf" spinach, older then baby spinach, you must first wash it much more thoroughly to remove the soil that lurks in the roughness of the leaves.

    Then cut the leaves from their woody stems. Pre-cook the leaves in boiling salted water for about five minutes, drain immediately and run the spinach under cold water to stop the cooking process. Squeeze the liquid out of the spinach and proceed with the recipe.

    Frozen Spinach: If you can't find fresh spinach, you can use frozen spinach in the same amount. Of course, the taste will not be the same as fresh spinach, but frozen spinach can be a valuable resource.

    In this case, we recommend to buy frozen spinach in the form of whole leaves, not in pieces. You will have to thaw them first in boiling water and then squeeze very well before putting them in the pan with butter.

    roman style spinach

    Variations

    Genovese Style Spinach: Spinach Genovese style is an appetizing side dish made with spinach, raisins, pine nuts and anchovies in oil. As you can see, the most important difference from Spinaci alla romana is the addition of anchovy fillets.

    Sauté the anchovy in a little extra virgin olive oil. When it has melted, add the spinach. During cooking add raisins and pine nuts and at the end - another difference - sprinkle the spinach with plenty of chopped fresh parsley.

    Appetizer: Usually, as we said, Spinach alla romana, is a side dish suitable for both meat and fish dishes. However, if you serve spinach Roman style on croutons or in single-portion glasses, it can become an original and tasty idea for an aperitif with friends, an appetizer or a buffet dinner.

    roman style spinach

    Recipe Card

    STEP BY STEP PHOTOS ABOVE!Have a look at my step-by-step photo instructions, variations and tips. That way, you can get it perfect the first time you try it!
    spinach roman style

    Roman Style Spinach (Spinaci alla Romana)

    Silvana Nava
    Roman Style Spinach is a quick and easy Italian side dish, made with spinach, butter, raisins and pine nuts. The slightly bitter flavor of the spinach pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the raisins and the crunchiness of the pine nuts.
    5 from 1 vote
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    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 25 minutes mins
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 6
    Calories 296 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 kg spinach - 2.2 pounds
    • 80 g unsalted butter - ⅔ stick
    • 1 garlic - clove (optional)
    • 100 g raisins - ⅔ cup
    • 100 g pine nuts - ⅔ cup
    • salt - to taste
    • black pepper - to taste

    Instructions
     

    • Soak the raisins in a cup of water, it usually takes about half an hour for them to rehydrate well.
    • Meanwhile, wash the spinach to remove any remaining soil. Then drain and pat them dry.
    • In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. If you like, you can add a peeled clove of garlic to flavor the butter. Then add the well-drained spinach and simmer for about 2 minutes.
    • Mix the spinach well so that the ones on top go to the bottom of the pan. Then cover with a lid and continue cooking for about 5 minutes, always over low heat.
    • Then squeeze the raisins well and add them to the spinach. Mix well.
    • Add the pine nuts as well. Mix everything together, add a little salt and black pepper to taste. Remove the lid and cook for another two minutes over high heat to allow excess liquid to dry. Transfer the Roman Style Spinach to a serving dish and serve hot.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 100gCalories: 296kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 8gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 138mgPotassium: 1172mgFiber: 5gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 15966IUVitamin C: 48mgCalcium: 176mgIron: 6mg
    Keyword roman style spinach, spinaci alla romana
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    Comments

    1. Sonya says

      June 13, 2022 at 9:02 pm

      5 stars
      I absolutely love spinach and will be making this often, thank you.

      Reply
    5 from 1 vote

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    Barbara & Silvana

    CIAO! Barbara & Silvana here! We are the authors of these amazing Italian recipes. Living in Italy, they are part of our culture, tradition and everyday life. And we want to share them with you all, straight from Italy! Learn more about us! Read our story!

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