Elana's Pantry

New York Times Bestselling author Elana Amsterdam founded Elana’s Pantry, the go-to website for easy, healthy, grain-free, Paleo recipes, in 2006

spinach cake

Spinach Cake

82 Comments

This Paleo Spinach Cake recipe is perfect for Passover. We like it so much though, that we eat it all year round. This easy recipe is made with 7 healthy ingredients –spinach, eggs, pine nuts, currants, garlic, oil, and salt. It’s so simple that you can throw it together in just a few minutes.

Our weekly CSA share kicked in recently and we received a ton of fresh organic spinach! For those of you who aren’t familiar, “CSA” stands for community supported agriculture. This relatively new socioeconomic concept changes the way food is produced, distributed, and sold, creating small scale closed markets for farmers in which the consumer participates in the risk and rewards of the farm.

One of the great benefits of the CSA is receiving produce the day it is picked. CSA’s also give farmers more time to do what they do best –grow food. By cutting out the middle man, farmers receive more money for their crops, and save time by not having to market produce to stores. Earlier this year my family purchased a “share” in this season’s crop from Abbondanza. We receive organic vegetables straight from the farm each week during the harvest months.

The bounty of our farm share sends me rummaging through my recipes in search of culinary solutions to vegetable overload. The biggest issue has been spinach. What to do with the several pounds of spinach crowding out the other greens in the veggie drawer of my fridge? Spinach cake of course!

Spinach Cake
Serves: 12
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Wilt spinach in a large covered saucepan over low heat (do not add water)
  2. Drain and cool, then squeeze moisture out of spinach
  3. Place spinach in food processor and pulse until coarsely blended, then set aside
  4. In a small skillet, warm 3 tablespoons oil, add pine nuts and sauté until golden brown
  5. Add garlic to pan and saute an additional minute
  6. In a large bowl, combine pine nuts mixture, blended spinach, eggs, currants, and salt
  7. Spread mixture into a greased 7 x 11 inch baking dish
  8. Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes
  9. Serve

This spinach recipe is based on Claudia Roden’s Tortino di Spinaci. She is my all time favorite cookbook author. I often hear Roden speaking about the history of Jewish food on NPR. She is basically a food historian, as well as a culinary genius.

I hope you enjoy Paleo Spinach Cake as much as we do. Here are some of my other Paleo Passover recipes:

Comments

  1. Great recipe. Would make a few changes, half of the pignolis and I needed way more spinach so I added sauteed kale that I chopped. Again, great recipe, will definitely make often!

    Reply

  3. I just made this. It is soooooo good!

    I kind of changed it around only because of what I had in my house. So I didn’t have enough spinach so I threw in kale and bok choy. I didn’t have pine nutes so I used almonds instead. I used raisins instead of currants. I used ginger, cumin, cinnamon, sumac, garlic, cardamom, turmeric, paprika, and ginger. It was fabulous!!!!

    I sent this recipe to my mom. Maybe this will show up at our Passover Seder.

    Reply

  4. I made this last night as a tester for party I’m having next week. I LOVE it! Might try it with arugula next time.

    That said though I wonder if I should jazz it up a little making it an hors d’oeuvre rather than a side. Maybe add a little cheese? Any thoughts on this? Thanks!

    Reply

  6. Thank you Elana,

    We ate this last night and it was delicious (I didn’t have currants, but used organic raisins and it worked just fine) I’m crossing my fingers that it freezes OK as this would be a perfect make ahead meal with a fresh salad.

    Reply

    • Thought I’d update anyone thinking of freezing leftovers. I froze some and would not recommend it. It didn’t taste anywhere near as nice after defrosting. At least, not to me.

      Reply

    • Because eggs are the primary source of binding and moisture, I would not recommend freezing this dish. (And I am someone who freezes EVERYTHING possible – – I have even figured out how to successfully freeze mashed potatoes before Thanksgiving with little to no loss of quality!)

      My family adores this recipe. I often substitute toasted sunflower seeds for the pignoles to save money, however. I prefer the pignoles, but organic pignoles from sources other than China are extremely expensive. I make this recipe too often to use them every time.

      Reply

  7. Just made this after ogling the recipe for over a year. I used a pound of fresh mixed greens from our CSA share, they had an early harvest from their greenhouse! It included chard, arugula, spinach, etc.

    I also threw in some red onion which I had already chopped in the fridge, and roasted garlic also in the fridge from a previous dinner so I used that instead of raw garlic. I subbed sunflower seeds for the pine nuts, and golden raisins for the currants.

    I used only one egg. I didn’t squeeze all of the moisture out of the greens (due to laziness)… and it turned out great. The roasted garlic made it smell incredible and I love how fresh and delicious the greens are. High quality, local ingredients really make a huge difference.

    Thanks, Elana!

    Reply

  8. I just made this as a side dish, with sunflowers instead of pine nuts, and left out the currants, and eggs (i din’t bake it). It is sooo delicious! what a wonderful recipe

    Reply

  9. I came here to look for a grain free brownie recipie and got totally side swiped by spinach cakes!! (of course i still plan on making the brownines, just perplexed that they took a backseat to veggies!! maybe i’m turning into a grown up!) i didn’t quite have enough spinach on hand or currents so I tried some experimenting that hopefully hasn’t deviated too far…

    with just a little bit of spinach i added a bundle of italian parsley and some fresh mushrooms (chopped in the processor, salted and squeezed out the water in a mesh bag). instead of currents I diced up an asian pear from the tree … oh yes and added 1/2 a lemon’s bit of juice.

    i can’t wait to try it (in the oven at the moment) — thank you for the inspiration! I’ve been looking for more ways to eat greens that’s convenient and quick. thanks elana! :)

    Reply

  10. Here to praise this wonderful and versatile recipe!! I have made these spinach cakes a dozen or more times now, each time a little differently based on what I had on hand. I’ve used almost every kind of nut and it’s delicious each time. I’ve used raisins and other dried fruits when I did not have currents and it works every time. I have used many kinds of greens and now prefer a mix of spinach, kale, chard, collards. Even the more pungent greens are made palatable for less mature taste buds with this recipe. I now ALWAYS double or triple this recipe so that I have lots of cakes. They keep very well in the fridge and get sweeter and more delicious by the day. I eat them cold for breakfast. I take them on the go as an energy bar. I serve them alongside a roasted or grilled meat. I pack them in lunch boxes. This recipe is a sure fire winner and I love to share it with other food enthusiasts. Thank so much for it, Elana!

    Reply

  12. This recipe caught my eye instantly. The cake looks so beautifull and appetizing. When I went through the ingredients, I got even more interested.
    I did not have the pine nuts or the currants, so I used pecans and dried cranberries.
    It is easy to make and very nutritious. My only problem was too much salt. I usually like my food on a salty side and did not think that 1 tsp would be too much. It was for me. I
    I am definitely making this again, and again; but I will be reducing the salt.

    Reply

  13. I cannot believe how delicious this is. I am not a fan of cooked spinach, so I was skeptical, but it’s very tasty with the other ingredients.

    I used pumkin seeds seasoned with tamari and dried cherries (sweetened with apple juice)

    I have an egg sensitivty so I used Energ-G egg substitute and it worked perfectly as a binder.

    Thanks so much for giving me new ways to enjoy vegetables.

    Reply

  14. Hi,

    I tripped upon your recipe for Spinach Cake while trying to find a spinach quiche recipe. I decided to cook your recipe over the quiche recipes I found and I’m glad I did. It was so delicious, easy, and my family devoured it! Thanks for the awesome recipe!

    And on a side note: I didn’t have enough pin nuts so I used a mixture of pine nuts and crushed almonds, which worked great.

    Reply

  15. I made this with quite a few substitutions and it was great, so my conclusion is that this is a pretty versatile recipe. I used rainbow chard, olive oil, walnuts, and dried cranberries instead of the spinach, grapeseed oil, pine nuts and currants. It was pretty with the rainbow chard and cranberries. I was pleasantly surprised that my kids loved it too!

    Reply

  18. I just made this again last night. So good! It’s a winner every time. I use cranberries instead of currants, and it’s delish.

    @Alexis, I get 6 pieces out of 1 recipe. They are perfect for work lunches. If I’m having it with no other side dishes, I eat 2 pieces. Otherwise 1/6 recipe is a nice portion size. I like them straight out of the fridge (as well as straight out of the oven).

    Reply

  19. Okay for these spinach cakes… Are the only good at room temperature? how many are a serving would you say… Also, what if I wanted to make couple dozen and then warm them up at work… do you think they would still be good? I’m trying to find recipes that are great for bringing to work and thought these would be a great option! Please let me know!

    Reply

  20. I wasn’t sure how the currants would go in there since I am not a big fan of dried fruit in savoury dishes. I subbed in sultanas since we didn’t have any currants and I would have to say it really makes the dish. Nice and simple way to add a bit of sweetness. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply

  22. I made this dish tonight and LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! I am always looking for yummy ways to make spinach and this one is 5 star!!! I will definitely be making this one over and over. I will pass the link on to MANY of my friends, too!! Thanks, Elana!!!!

    (I added a cup of diced mushrooms in the beginning…. and substituted golden raisins, chopped…. delish!)

    Reply

  24. Somewhere related to Eleanas pantry i saw a comment on how SPINACH is a food that releases HISTAMINES. I think there were other foods in the list. Since I was told NEVER to eat spinach again because i was so allergic to it, I’d LOVE to have that list to pass on to others with food allergy/sensitivity. thanks so much Ps. I am now so well that I DO eat the baby spinach leaves about once a month now.

    Reply

  25. I can’t even explain how delicious this is! It’s perfect! I want it for breakfast, lunch and dinner! I’ll even take it for dessert! :)

    Reply

  26. Elana,
    Thank you for this recipe! I just made it for an early dinner, but I used pecans instead(since it was on a whim). I am in love!!

    Reply

  27. Elana,

    I know that just yesterday I said that I quit email, but I just had to let you know how much I loved the spinach cake.

    Yum Yum!

    Chris

    Reply

  28. Made this dish last weekend and ate the last piece last night for dinner. OMG that is so good. I loved it! Can’t wait to make another one because I still have pine nuts left. They were a little pricey at Whole Foods so this dish is definitely an occasional treat. Still yummy tho! Tks. – L

    Reply

  31. I’m wondering if I could use egg replacers with this instead of eggs or is it one of those recipes that there is no substitute. I have an egg sensitivity.

    Reply

  32. This looks absolutely stupendous! I’m making it for dinner. Strange coincidence: A cousin I just found had a DNA test that showed we have some Sephardic Jewish blood (from New Spain area circa 1500 probably). So just a few minutes ago was searching for Sepahardic recipes and bought Claudia Roden’s Jewish Food Cookbook. Small world :)

    Reply

  33. I just discovered your site a few days ago. Such inspiration! I just tried my first of your recipes – the CSA spinach cake recipe. No currants in the house, so I subbed apple juice-sweetened dried cranberries. DELICIOUS. Thank you.

    Reply

  34. This spiniach cake is amazingggg!
    It goes perfectly with fish.
    I will definitely be cooking this up once a week.

    Reply

  35. Thanks for the recipe! We loved it, even my 5 year old gobbled it down, he just started eating spinach a couple of weeks ago, he wouldn’t touch it before that..
    I did add 1 1/2 tablespoon of coconut flour as I am a new admirer of this flour and I like it’s texture when added in foods.

    Reply

  36. Just made this (sadly with frozen spinach and raisins) as my family’s contribution to a seder. It was a big hit with requests for a repeat next year! It was so delicious that I certainly won’t be waiting ’til then to make it again. Thanks so much for the great (and super easy) recipe.

    Reply

  38. I have only been following your site for a couple of weeks. I am fascinated by your recipes. Everything I have tried has turned out and is delicious. I was excited when I read this recipe because I love all the ingredients separately. I did not have currants so I used raisins. I thought the raisins were too sweet. Since I really like sun-dried tomatoes I added some and they were good but a bit chewy. Even with the too sweet raisins and the chewy tomatoes I thought this was really good and fun to make. Thank you for all you do.

    Reply

  39. Hi there!

    A friend of mine told me about your site and I have to say I really love it! I am looking to start on the Paleo diet and many of your recipes go along with it. I tried this spinach tonight with cranberries and it was devine! Even my picky 2 yr old ate it! I will be putting it on my blog to share with others. Thanks!!!

    Reply

  41. I made it and it is just delicious!! I will try it with frozen spinach next time. I used raisins and it was great and even my spinach-hating husband liked it.I am so excited about finding your blog.As a previous e-mail said “gluten-free and Jewish” What a great combo…..Terrific!

    Reply

  45. Hello again, & Chag Sameach!

    Sunflower seeds = okay.

    Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) = fantastic!

    They turn the oil bright green while being toasted, though you can’t tell once everything is mixed together.

    Also, I can’t find my forum thread on this, so let me report that in the egg-replacing department, I do not recommend the flaxseed trick w/this recipe. That is unless you like stuff to gleam like low-quality (pseudo-)Asian food with too much cornstarch. =-] Mashed white beans worked well, but of course they don’t bind together like the eggs. Worth a try if you’ve got an eater who can’t have any eggs, bc the flavors of the basic recipe are quite yummy.

    Reply

  48. Hi Ninafur,

    Thanks for stopping by and letting me know how your experimentation went! I really like to hear about results when people tinker.

    Shehecheyanu is my younger son’s favorite prayer (mine too), so thanks for sharing with me that you used it to bless the spinach cake.

    I bet the sunflower seed version will be delicious, please let me know how it turns out if you make it for the nut-allergy cousins.

    Shana Tova!
    Elana

    Reply

  49. L’Shana Tova Elana and guests!

    I can report to you and to ~M that indeed, using cranberries instead is very yummy. Even with the corner-cutting version I made, I hesitate to admit, with frozen spinach from parts unknown. Also w/only 2 T of oil (ran out).

    This is the first Elana’s Pantry recipe I have tried, and I said a little Shehecheyanu (sp?) over it. I will probably try to make a version w/sunflower seeds (cheaper and okay for my nut-allergy cousins) as well.

    Not only is tonight’s edition delicious, it was pretty easy to make. And maybe other readers can relate to this — after years of replacing this or that ingredient, it was exciting to cook something that was completely cooked in the time stated in the recipe, woo-hoo!

    Thanks for sharing your work…

    Reply

  51. I made a completely gluten free Rosh Hashanah dinner. The spinach pie was loved by one and all. It was even better cold the next day. My kids have asked me to make it again so they can take it in their lunch.

    Reply

  57. Naomi -Thanks so much! Love your blog, especially the recent story of the wolf whistlers. You go girl!

    ~M – I like your substitution ideas for this recipe, I think they sound delicious. Per the traveling question, yes, I think the power bars would travel well. I also like to bring trail mix along with me when I go on vacation. Have a great trip!

    Judith -Good decision and I’m so sorry about all of the flooding out there.

    Megabeth -Thanks for stopping by and if you do make it, let me know how it turns out for you.

    Reply

  59. Looks delicious! I had considered a CSA this year but I was apparently late in joining and the only one still available that had half shares didn’t really have stuff I like. Now I’m glad, because Iowa is pretty much entirely underwater and I’m sure there won’t be much fresh produce available for the rest of the season :-(

    Reply

  60. This looks absolutely delicious, Elana. Do you think it would work just as well with dried cranberries or green raisins instead of the currents?

    I would appreciate some advice – from Elana or any of y’all…I am going out of town for 2 days for a friend’s wedding. What healthy snacks would you bring? I am seriously considering making another batch of your amazing power bars (and not sharing them!!) :)

    Reply

  62. Ayden Thanks!

    Lauraldawn Glad to have you stop by and thanks for you sweet comment.

    Ya’ara -Thanks, if you make it let me know how it turns out for you :-)

    Moi -It’s in Boulder, CO., though I bet you have a bunch of CSA’s in Seattle.

    Reply

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