Name: Spinach Patties Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 28
Cuisine: Israeli
Ingredients: 16.5 oz of spinach (you can also try kale, beet greens, or chard); 4 oz goat cheese (or feta cheese); 2 eggs; 1/2 cup matzo meal; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon pepper; Enough canola or vegetable oil to cover the bottom of a frying pan; 4 tablespoons olive oil; 1 1/2 cups chicken stock (you can substitute with vegetable broth to make this dish vegetarian); Juice from 2 lemons; 7 garlic cloves, minced; 3 bunches of cilantro leaves (remove stems and wash well); Salt and black pepper to taste

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Learn how to make delicious spinach patties with simple ingredients! Crispy outside, tender inside — a perfect healthy snack, side dish, or vegetarian meal.

Lady Lee’s Note…

Do you know how sometimes you can clearly tell that someone who entered your life had a certain purpose? Well, my ex-mother-in-law’s purpose in my life was to teach me how to make these spinach patties!

I’m not making fun (well… maybe a little), these patties are the kind of food that you put in your mouth and wonder where has it been all your life. How did I not know that something this delicious existed?

I know, it’s not right, but I’m here to fix it, baby. We’re gonna set things straight and show you how to make this deliciousness!

Spinach Patties Video…

Why You’ll Love These Patties…

Freshness – all these greens! I love making these in Spring when all the fresh greens come out of the garden, and they are so flavourful and delicious. This dish, honestly, makes me feel closer to Mother Nature!
A way to preserve greens – it can be a bit tricky to preserve greens. These patties freeze very well. If I have a ton of greens, I make a lot of patties and send them to the freezer (without the sauce. More on that below).
Not just spinach – I named this post spinach patties for ease, however, there are so many different greens you can use for this recipe! And you can combine them too. Try making these patties with chard, beet greens, collard greens, kale, bok-choi… I’m sure I missed a few.
Process a ton of greens – if you harvest a lot of greens and are tired of salads, this recipe is here to save you.

Ingredients

Spinach
Goat cheese
Eggs
Matzo meal
salt
Black pepper
Oil for frying
Olive oil
Chicken stock or vegetable stock
Lemon
Garlic
Cilantro

Tools…

Pasta pot – to steam the spinach. I’ve tried a few different ways to do this but the pasta pot works best.
Tongs
Food processor
Large mixing bowl
Nonstick pan
Turner
Baking sheet and rack

How to Make Spinach Patties Step-By-Step…

Step One – steam the spinach. Add an inch or so of water to the pasta pot. Add the spinach to the large steamer, set it inside the pot, and place the pot on the stovetop. Cover the pot, turn the heat high, and boil the water.

Once the water is boiling, the spinach only takes a few minutes to wilt. We don’t want it completely mushy, just wilted a little bit. Make sure to use tongs to mix the spinach a bit because many times the leaves on the bottom wilt and cover the holes of the steamer, and it’s hard for steam to pass by and wilt the spinach that is on the top.

Once the spinach is ready, turn the heat off and elevate the steamer so it’s on its side (as I show in the bottom right image above). Let the spinach drain and cool for a few minutes.

steamed spinach processed in food processor

Step two – prep the patty mixture. Transfer the spinach to the food processor and pulse a few times. Then, transfer the processed spinach to a mixing bowl. Add goat or feta cheese, eggs, matzo meal, salt, and black pepper. Mix well.

Note – we want the mixture not to be too wet so it holds well when frying. First, make sure that the spinach isn’t too wet when you add it to the bowl, and if you feel that it’s still not holding well together, add a bit more matzo meal.

Step three – fry the patties. Heat oil in a frying pan. Shape the patties and add them to the oil. Fry for a few minutes before turning the patties and frying a few more minutes. Remove from the oil and place on the cooling rack.

Option – you don’t have to make the sauce if you don’t want to. These patties are delicious just fried. You can serve them hot or cold, and store leftovers in the fridge or freezer. The sauce is delicious tho, so let me show you how to make it.

Step four – make the sauce. Heat olive oil in a pan. Reduce the heat, add the garlic and fry for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn. Add the stock, lemon juice, cilantro leaves, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to Medium.

Tip – make sure all the ingredients for the sauce are measured and ready to go. This goes really fast, and there is no time to gather everything once you start.

Step five – add the patties. Add the patties to the pot in one layer. Cover the pot and cook for 5-7 minutes.

How to Serve…

Once the patties are ready, turn the heat off and let them cool for a few minutes. Then, it’s time to dig in! The patties absorb most of the sauce and get this lemony and garlicky taste that is such a great complement to the spinach leaves.

There are two main ways to serve these delicious patties…

Over rice, quinoa, or bulgur wheat.
With bread. It can’t be just any bread. Please make sure it’s the most delicious bread you can put your hands on. Try this no-knead bread or get a good sourdough loaf. Sometimes I spread mayo on the bread, but not always.

If you choose not to make the sauce, you can serve the patties as an appetizer or in a sandwich, and honestly, just as a snack. I leave them on the counter, and everyone who walks by grabs a patty.

How to Store Leftovers…

In the fridge – place leftovers in the fridge. They will last a few days. Reheat in the microwave or a skillet (add a bit of water).
In the freezer – add to a freezer-safe container and freeze. These are also great to freeze right after frying them (let cool all the way before freezing), therefore, I use these patties as a way to preserve greens sometimes.

Options and Variations…

Use feta cheese instead of goat cheese.
Use other kinds of leaves like chard, collards, or beet greens. Or you can combine a few kinds.
Use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
Make a lot of patties, then freeze them. If you still want to serve them in the sauce, make the sauce and place the frozen patties right in it. Cook a little longer than the recipe calls for.
You can also reheat the frozen, fried patties in the oven to bring back the crispiness.

You guys, I hope that you’d give this recipe a try. With or without the sauce, these are delicious. Once you get the right consistency for the mixture, the rest is pretty easy. They are great as a side dish or a main meal!

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