Spinach Parmesan Rice Bake
Spinach Parmesan Rice Bake is a cheesy side dish with spinach, cheese, and rice. Even your pickiest eaters will love this once they take a bite.
SPINACH PARMESAN RICE BAKE
My friends and I just started reading a book called Deliberate Motherhood. My first thought was what is deliberate motherhood? Then that day as I was playing at the park with my kids, I saw a mom drive up, drop her kids off at the park, then she preceded to take a nap on a blanket under a tree.
Meanwhile, her young kids ran around eating other people’s food and pushing other kids off of the slides. Maybe you can let your kids roam free in other parts of the country but in Florida, you better watch your kids or someone will take them. No joke. And I really can’t judge. Maybe she was having A DAY and her choices were to take a nap or drive her car into the ocean. Who knows.
Okay…that sounded bad. I’m not perfect. I definitely check my Instagram more than I should and let out a sigh of relief when bedtime comes (amen). That’s actually what the first chapter is on…accepting that you’re not the perfect mother; letting go of what you think the perfect mom is and what you should be. I think I’ve already mastered that chapter.
I’ll admit that I do have this stigma that I have to serve something green at every dinner. Broccoli, asparagus, salad…those are our staple sides that make me feel like a good mom and make me feel like I tried to serve something nutritious to my kids. This Spinach Parmesan Rice Bake is green but it’s not exactly healthy since it has a fair amount of cheese, butter, and more cheese. But they ate it. And liked it! It’s almost like spinach dip, but baked.
OTHER SPINACH RECIPES:
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Creamy Sausage and Spinach Pasta
- One-Pan Creamy Spinach and Chicken
- Spinach and Feta Pizza
- Strawberry Wonton Spinach Salad
- Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip
- One-Pan Chicken and Spinach Orzo
Spinach Parmesan Rice Bake
Ingredients
- 1 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed to remove excess liquid)
- 2 cups cooked white rice
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup chopped onions or 2 large green onions, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 3/4 cup milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, for topping
- shredded mozzarella cheese, (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and generously grease a 11 x 7-inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl, combine spinach, rice, butter, cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, onions, garlic, eggs, and milk until well combined.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 25 minutes and then top with mozzarella cheese the last 5 minutes of baking if desired.
Can you make this the day before then cook the next day?
Thanks
YEs!
How much is the serving amount and how many carbs per serving?
I have added all the nutritional info.
This recipe was very good 👍. I think the next time I make it, I will add some cooked crumbled bacon 🥓 😋
Great addition!
My family and I love this recipe! We try to have a few meatless recipes now and then and it’s not easy to find a good meatless recipe that the whole family likes so thank you !
So glad you liked this.
Perfect! I’m always looking for meatless dishes during Lent!
Chrissy – Do you think this could be done in a 9×9 pan? I only have 13×9 or 9×9/8×8. Going to try for Thanksgiving!
Sorry typo – “Christy” ! 🙂
Yes, I think the 9×9 would be a great option. Good luck!
Trying this tonight as a main dish. I only had fresh spinach so I chopped that up and added diced smoked sausage. I can’t wait to get it out of the oven and try it! It smells so good cooking!
Hope you love it!
This looks so good! Totally perfect for an easy weeknight meal!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Thanks!
I make something almost exactly like this but I top it with chopped pistachios. So yummy!! Thanks for sharing this!
You are welcome!
Can I use fresh spinach? If so how much?
I would replace ounce for ounce. 10 ounces is called for in the recipe.
Can you use fresh spinach?
This has become one of my favorite recipes to use with leftover rice. We use broccoli instead of spinach because one of my girls is super picky and I also like to add rotisserie chicken which makes it a main dish. So yummy!
Ooh great idea!
I just made it with cauliflower rice, a little healthier and still yummy! I reduced the cheese too. My kids ate it!
Anytime you can get the kids to eat it, I consider it a win.
This looks really good and I can’t wait to try it!
I don’t have an 11×7 dish so should I use a 11×13 or a 9×9?
Can this be made ahead?
this looks delicious! I noticed some questions about freezing it. Wondering if anyone has had success and whether or not they froze it before or after cooking? With the rice and the zucchini I wonder if it gets mushy if you were to freeze it after cooking and then thaw and reheat? I was almost thinking of maybe freezing it without cooking the rice first? I will be using brown rice so that may make a difference to. I love recipes that I can prepare ahead of time and then take out for busy weeknight meals
Rice dish in oven now …hubby made a mistake and bought finely chopped broccoli . So we shall see ….did not use all the cheese !.Looks wonderful……so shall see if these changes make a difference ! Thanks 😁
Yum!!!
Made its tonight…my husband and I loved it! Very delicious!
So glad you liked it!
I simply cannot get enough of this recipe! My husband and I live it so much we almost fight over leftover squares left cold the next day. It’s A favorite for gatherings and tomorrow night it is going with me to a homeowners potluck!!
Ooh! Awesome!
I just made this in the oven now. I used cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese. I also chopped up fresh spinach so I didn’t think it needed to be cooked prior to mixing. We will see how it works out there is a lot of dairy with the milk then eggs and I used margarine and garlic powder rather than chopped fresh garlic. I think as long as you add the eggs and cheese you will get it to bake and create a layer that will easily cut into squares. We will see some of the other posters has some great ideas I think you can improvise quite a bit here just got to use the eggs and the cheese as your binders.
I made this last night (with goats cheese & soy milk as can’t do dairy) & it was delicious!!! My son had 2
helpings & loved it too! Thank you so much for sharing!!! Have a wonderful rest of your week!! Kate
Oooh yum! So glad it worked out.
I made this last night (with goats cheese & soy milk as can’t do dairy) & it was delicious!!! My son had 2
helpings & took some to school for lunch!! Now his new favourite!! Thank you so much for sharing!!! Have a wonderful rest of your week!! Kate
I added about 1.5tsp of Dijon mustard to give it a little kick! Was awesome! (and definitely sautéed the onion and garlic ahead of time)
Great addition!
This one of my favorite go-to recipes! Easy, fun to make, and always comes out delicious. I use a 9inch glass pie baking dish because I don’t have the 11×7 and it’s just fine. Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome!
Looks delicious. I’m planning on making this for Thanksgiving. I’m going to add half the rice and half riced cauliflower. I don’t think anyone will notice, can’t wait! Yum 😋
Yum!
You mention this can be frozen. Can it be frozen after it has been cooked or must it only be frozen in a pre-cooked state? I made this and I didn’t realize how much this makes. It is only my husband and myself at home.
Either way it can be frozen!
I loved this recipe. I did not think it needed the mozzarella cheese, so I left it off. The Dish was cheesy enough without it. I think even spinach haters would love this dish. I wasn’t sure how much salt to use, so I used 1/2 tsp and it was just right.
So yummy!!! I made it with (10oz.) fresh spinach & used almond milk & 1/2 and 1/2 (only because I had both that needed to be used soon) I will definitely make this again (esp. for parties)!!
Ooh! Good to hear!
Do you cover it for the oven ?
I did not cover it.
This was a great filling dinner. 1st time we made it as is,as a side dish. Picky 6 yr old was reluctant to eat due to green nutritious color but loved the taste and never put up a fight. 2nd time we made it as the main dish and added shredded chicken. A hit again. This recipe is a keeper that adults and kids both will adore.
Thank you!
This sounds delish. I am thinking of making it for family Easter. How many servings does the recipe above make? We have 17 people for dinner so thinking I will need to at least double.
It makes about 8 servings.
Can you use fresh Spinach instead of frozen?? I live in SA and we don’t have frozen Spinach here…
Of course! I would cook it down a bit before adding it.
I made this dish but added cottage cheese, chicken, and used homemade chicken broth (1cp) when and 1 cup water when I made my brown rice. My husband rated this meal a 9.5. I would rate it the same. Loved all the spinach in this meal.
Love your additions. They sounds wonderful!
I just found this recipe and it looks yummy! My first thought was brown rice with chicken too. Do you think quinoa would be to light to hold up to the other ingredients?
No, I don’t think so but I haven’t tried it to be sure.
This sounds so yummy, I will making it this week for dinner but will be adding chicken to it to make it a main dish with side salad and sweet potatoes.
Sounds like a great idea!
I have made this several times and we and our guests love it. It’s my take to a dinner party dish. As a matter of fact, I am taking it today to a Christmas dinner 🎄.
Thank you so much for posting it.
You’re welcome!
Would love to make this as side for Christmas. Can it be made ahead and frozen?
YEs! Totally.
Would it work if I omitted the eggs. My son is allergic. Or is there a substitute ?
This was good the night I made it but the leftovers were amazing!! This is one of those dishes that just keeps getting better! I’ve eaten leftovers the past two mornings. Thanks so much for sharing!!
You’re welcome! Thanks for the feedback.
This was delicious!! Thank you!!!
You’re welcome Michele!
I love this recipe (so does my husband)! I use cooked brown rice and add a grated zucchini, with an additional egg, for extra fiber. It’s terrific for a healthy work lunch. Thank you!!
You’re welcome. Love your additions Cathy!
Just made this and it is delicious! Thank you!
You’re welcome!
Has anyone tried adding shredded chicken?
I loved this recipe. The only change is that I mixed half and half with almond milk. It was delicious. I took it to a dinner party as a side.
I made this and bought it as a side dish to a dinner party. It was a hit and delicious. I made one change – I divided the milk because I use Almond Milk, I did half Almond Milk and half – half and half. It was soooo good.
Could I use fresh spinach instead of frozen??? I’m not a fan of frozen spinach
Yes. It should work.
This was delicious! I added coconut oil with my rice. This was the only change I made and the dish came out super moist. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you.
You’re welcome!
This may be a silly question, but do I cook 2 cups of dry rice to use, or do I cook rice and then just use 2 cups of that rice? I’m guessing you use 2 cups of already cooked rice, but I want to make sure. Thanks 🙂
Yes, use 2 cups of cooked rice.
I was curious about the same thing! Especially because of the 2 cups of cheese to go with the 2 cups of rice… anyways, I’m trying this now!
Looks great. I will try it soon using brown rice, maybe cutting back on the cheese just a bit and use 2% cheese.
I have to ask you a question — I’m new to Pintrest and couldn’t find a way to do so on the Melting Snowman Cookie recipe — is the Nutrition Information correct for that recipe? I just can’t believe the caloric value — is that for the whole batch of cookies or how many? The number shown is enough to scare a lot of people, including me from making the adorable cookies!! Thanks, Eleanor
Haha. Yes. That’s for the whole batch!!
Yum. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
Thank you! And to you too!
I wish I wasn’t sat my desk at work because I want to make and eat this right now! I know this is going to be on the menu at home very very soon. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks Dawn!
I have ALL of these ingredients right now!!! I foresee a big bowl of this to make myself warm tomorrow night.
Do it!
I love sneaking veggies like spinach into a starch. It helps fill you up without more carbs.
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
Haha. I like your thinking..
Haha! I agree.