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Home » Course » Side Dish

How To Cook Canned Spinach

Published: May 14, 2019 · Modified: Jul 1, 2025 by Wendi Spraker · This post may contain affiliate links · 12 Comments

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
How to Cook Canned Spinach

Popeye LOVED dark green, nutritious, tasty canned spinach and so will YOU! Once you know how to cook canned spinach! .

side view of blue and white bowl filled with green spinach
Delicious nutritious canned spinach

Why This Recipe Works

Contents show
1 Why This Recipe Works
2 Here’s How To Cook Canned Spinach…
3 Frequently Asked Questions About How To Cook Canned Spinach (FAQ’s)
3.1 How Do I Season Canned Spinach?
3.2 HOW LONG WILL CANNED SPINACH LAST?
3.3 IS CANNED SPINACH GOOD FOR ME?
3.4 CAN YOU FREEZE CANNED SPINACH?
4 TIPS AND TRICKS FOR HOW TO COOK CANNED SPINACH...
5 PRO TIP: Spinach and other greens are often bitter. If you are noticing bitter flavors, add more salt. Salt covers bitter flavors well.
6 IF You Enjoyed THIS recipe for How To Cook Canned Spinach You Might Also Enjoy These Other Canned Food Recipes...
7 YA’LL HELP ME OUT
8 How To Cook Canned Spinach
8.1 Ingredients
8.2 Instructions
8.3 Notes
8.4 Nutrition
9 A VERSE TO SHARE
9.1 James 1: 17
9.2 You May Also Love:
  1. Easy!
  2. Canned Spinach is ALWAYS in Season!
  3. You probably have everything to make canned spinach taste good right in your kitchen!

Here’s How To Cook Canned Spinach…

STEP 1. 

Start with some flavorful bacon or in this case stock. Add the Canned Spinach.

a hand scooping canned spinach into the saucepan for how to cook canned spinach
Adding the popeye canned spinach to the saucepan

STEP 2. 

Season the spinach with salt and pepper, garlic or other seasonings...

Minced Garlic being added to the spinach in the saucepan
Add the seasonings

STEP 3. 

Heat all the way through.

Saucepan heating with steam rising on burner
Heat through

Frequently Asked Questions About How To Cook Canned Spinach (FAQ’s)

How Do I Season Canned Spinach?

You have some choices when seasoning your canned spinach, and it just depends on your tastes! You can choose…

  • Smoked Turkey
  • Bacon
  • Fat Back
  • Onions
  • Garlic
  • Cayenne Pepper
  • Hot Sauce
  • Vinegar
  • Hot Vinegar
  • Lemon
  • Sugar
  • Liquid Smoke

Try to pick at least...

  1. one seasoning that adds some FAT (the meats) and then
  2. a seasoning that adds FLAVOR (Onion or garlic - or both) and then
  3. one flavoring that adds some HEAT ( Hot sauce, cayenne) .
  4. Then, just for good measure, add a splash of some acidic something (Vinegar or lemon).
  5. If you can pick something that adds smoke too, you’ll really be in business!

See?  That canned spinach are tasting better already!

HOW LONG WILL CANNED SPINACH LAST?

Your canned spinach will be good for several days if you follow my recipe below. I would throw them out after they have been in the refrigerator for 5 days though.

Simply allow them to come to room temperature after you cook them, then cover with some plastic wrap and put them in the fridge. They will be even better by tomorrow!

IS CANNED SPINACH GOOD FOR ME?

ALL spinach is good for you, including canned spinach. Canned spinach is an excellent source of fiber and calcium and even have a little protein.

Canned Spinach is low in calories! Just be careful, like all canned foods, they already contain salt.

CAN YOU FREEZE CANNED SPINACH?

If you have cooked up a can of spinach but just can’t eat the rest, then yes, you can freeze them just fine.

When they thaw back out, simply heat them up. You will note that when they thaw back out, they are a little mushier than they were to start with.

overhead view of a bowl of hot spinach
Bowl of canned spinach

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR HOW TO COOK CANNED SPINACH...

  • You will want to drain the canned spinach very well before you start to cook with it.
  • Most canned spinach is cut up much smaller than what you would do at home if you were making it from scratch.
  • Typically, you will want to add the flavors that I have listed above when you are jazzing up your canned spinach.

PRO TIP:  Spinach and other greens are often bitter. If you are noticing bitter flavors, add more salt. Salt covers bitter flavors well. 

IF You Enjoyed THIS recipe for How To Cook Canned Spinach You Might Also Enjoy These Other Canned Food Recipes...

How to Cook Canned Collards

How To Cook Canned Corn

Cooking Canned Green Beans

Or ANY of our Canned Food Recipes! 

YA’LL HELP ME OUT

I LOVE to hear from you and want your 5 STAR REVIEW 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟! Please leave me a comment in the comment section at the end of this post.

side view of blue and white bowl filled with green spinach

How To Cook Canned Spinach

Popeye LOVED dark green, nutritious, tasty canned spinach and so will YOU! Once you know how to cook canned spinach! .
5 from 7 votes
Print Pin SaveSaved! Rate
Course: Side
Cuisine: American
Keyword: canned spinach, how to cook canned spinach
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 181kcal
Author: Wendi Spraker

Ingredients

  • 2 slices of bacon cut into 5-6 pieces each
  • 2 slices onion chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic chopped
  • 1 14.5 oz can of spinach drained well
  • ½ cup chicken stock
  • 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoon hot sauce like Franks or Texas Pete
  • 2 teaspoon white vinegar
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, add the cut up slices of bacon and allow those to cook till crispy. Do not pour off the bacon grease.
  • Add the onion and garlic and allow to cook till fragrant and softening (about 3 minutes).
  • Pour in the drained can of spinach, stock, sugar, hot sauce and vinegar and stir well.
  • Stir frequently and continue to heat over medium heat until heated through.
  • When heated through, the greens are ready to serve, taste first and add salt and pepper until you are satisfied with the taste. If they taste bitter at all, add more salt. Add more hot sauce, per your tastes.

Notes

  • The main idea is to add the following flavors to the spinach: smoke, savory meat, salt, sugar, vinegar and heat. You don’t have to stick straight to bacon.
  • You can branch out and try smoked turkey wings, fat back, etc. '
  • If you are vegetarian, change the chicken stock to vegetable stock or water and use a few drops of liquid smoke instead of any meat.
PRO TIP:  Spinach and other greens are often bitter.  If you are noticing bitter flavors, add more salt.  Salt covers bitter flavors well. 

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
How To Cook Canned Spinach
Amount Per Serving
Calories 181 Calories from Fat 90
% Daily Value*
Fat 10g15%
Saturated Fat 3g15%
Cholesterol 16mg5%
Sodium 530mg22%
Potassium 1352mg39%
Carbohydrates 14g5%
Fiber 5g20%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 10g20%
Vitamin A 20600IU412%
Vitamin C 66.7mg81%
Calcium 218mg22%
Iron 6.1mg34%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @loavesanddishes or tag #loavesanddishes!

A VERSE TO SHARE

STOP! If you are averse to seeing anything Christian or religious, then I invite you to STOP right now. This part ISN'T for you. Go back up to the top and read about spinach.

I don't preach at people.

All I'm doing is simply sharing some happiness from my own life. 

So,  if you would like a little blessing to help ease you on your way, read on. 

God has blessed me greatly and I am so thankful.

James 1: 17

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

 

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Comments

  1. Missy Farber says

    February 18, 2025 at 1:15 pm

    5 stars
    This was a game-changer for me. I only used canned spinach in quiche before. This recipe is excellent with poached eggs on toast.

    Reply
  2. Brianna Biggers says

    January 21, 2025 at 7:57 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you so much 4 sharing your happiness with me & helping me learn all of this helpful & interesting knowledge about spinach🍀 &i love the beginning about Popeye! Because i remember back when i was a lil girl my daddy💙 showed me & taught me about Popeye lol☺️💚 & my daddy was the first one to give me spinach in my life &i remember we would have spinach together a few times & watch Popeye together or he would give me some spinach & he would let me watch Popeye alone & thank you 4 sharing a HolyBible Verse. That made me extremely happy because i love GOD & so seeing a HolyBible verse as a part of this Webpage you made is sooo awesome and cool! Thank you for taking the time 2 make it & it did make me sooo happy as well😁 GOD Bless you🙏🏿😇

    Reply
  3. Carole says

    January 16, 2024 at 10:08 am

    5 stars
    I used some lemon juice, hot sauce, and bacon fat. Turned out awesome!

    Reply
    • Wendi Spraker says

      January 16, 2024 at 12:19 pm

      Glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  4. JC says

    March 17, 2022 at 7:46 pm

    5 stars
    Amazing taste! I didn't have bacon but I had some frozen turkey fat, which worked just as well. thank you

    Reply
    • Wendi Spraker says

      March 19, 2022 at 6:12 pm

      Hi JC, Glad you found a work around and turkey fat should do the job, no problem.

      Reply
  5. SANDRA COCHRAN says

    May 09, 2021 at 7:07 am

    Thank you for all the information and recipes on canned spinach. My family and I love canned spinach. Sandy

    Reply
    • Wendi Spraker says

      May 11, 2021 at 7:56 am

      THat's great! You are welcome!

      Reply
  6. Gary Williams says

    November 13, 2020 at 10:57 pm

    5 stars
    Finally, someone understood what I was looking for, how to use canned Spinash.

    Reply
    • Wendi Spraker says

      November 16, 2020 at 10:25 am

      Glad to help Gary!

      Reply
  7. gerry says

    June 28, 2020 at 3:23 pm

    5 stars
    my stepfather was greek. i hated spinach but i learned to love it after tasting how greeks made it. feta cheese helps but also lemon and nutmeg.

    Reply
  8. Wendi Spraker says

    May 14, 2019 at 12:56 pm

    5 stars
    aggregate testing

    Reply

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Welcome!

Hi! I'm Wendi and I believe that food made with love and passion has power. It can bring people together AND carry them home. I'll show you how to get amazing flavor from simple dishes. Your family and friends will exclaim, "WOW! Amazing! I NEED this recipe!" Join me and nourish your body and soul.

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