8 Anti-Inflammatory Recipes for Using a Half-Bag of Spinach

You open the refrigerator and find half a bag of spinach behind the yogurt, but dinner already feels like enough decisions. You could push it back and hope it lasts, or give that small handful a clear job in something you’d actually make tonight.

Sound familiar?

Nutritious ingredients are easier to use when the amount matches what you’ve got left. Each recipe uses 70 g of fresh spinach, roughly half a 5-ounce bag, beside a measured protein or bean base and other vegetables; that keeps the overall eating pattern practical without buying another giant bag to finish the recipe.

Choose one recipe, weigh out 70 g of usable spinach, and put the rest of the ingredients on the counter.

This is general wellness information based on current research, not medical advice. If you have specific health concerns, please consult with a healthcare provider.

Use fresh spinach that’s still crisp enough to eat; discard slimy leaves and follow the package handling instructions. Bag sizes vary, so the weighed 70 g portion governs every recipe rather than a guessed handful.

1. Spinach Chickpea Tomato Soup

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 70 g raw spinach, chopped
• 300 g canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 300 g canned no-salt-added tomatoes with juice
• 350 g water
• 13.5 g extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 g ground cumin

Directions:

Bring the chickpeas, tomatoes, water, oil, and cumin to a simmer in a saucepan over medium-high heat, allowing about 5 minutes. Simmer for 8 minutes, then add the spinach and simmer for 2 more minutes, for 15 minutes total cooking, until hot throughout. Divide the soup evenly between two bowls to make 2 servings.

Why It Works: Chopped spinach spreads through the soup instead of becoming one slippery clump. These anti-inflammatory recipes put a small remaining amount to work without making spinach the whole meal.

2. Spinach Egg Ricotta Scramble Plates

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 70 g raw spinach, chopped
• 200 g raw egg without shells, about four large eggs
• 80 g part-skim ricotta
• 280 g cooked boiled peeled potatoes, diced
• 9 g extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Warm the potatoes and spinach with oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat for 4 minutes. Beat the eggs with the ricotta, pour them into the skillet, and gently stir for about 6 minutes, for 10 minutes total cooking, until the eggs are set and reach 160°F. Divide the soft scramble and potatoes onto two plates to make 2 servings.

Why It Works: Ricotta blends into the eggs, so a small spinach portion spreads through a soft, substantial scramble. Cooked potatoes provide the rest of the meal.

Before we get to Meal #3...

My clients frequently ask me “Which foods actually help with inflammation?”

Knowing the foods is only useful if you understand why they matter and how to use them consistently.

Because knowledge is power.

So I ranked 10 science-backed foods that can support a lower-inflammatory eating pattern, including why they matter and practical ways to use them.

I hope you find it helpful!

3. Spinach Tuna Lemon Pasta

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Ingredients:

• 70 g raw spinach, finely sliced
• 220 g canned light tuna in water, drained
• 300 g cooked whole-wheat pasta
• 30 g fresh lemon juice
• 13.5 g extra-virgin olive oil
• 70 g water

Directions:

Put the tuna, pasta, water, and oil in a covered skillet over medium heat for 6 minutes, stirring once. Stir in the spinach and lemon juice for 2 more minutes, for 8 minutes total cooking, until steaming hot. Split the pasta evenly between two bowls to make 2 servings.

Why It Works: Finely sliced spinach wilts in the moisture already in the pan. Lemon brightens canned tuna without an elaborate dressing.

4. Spinach Lentil Apple Walnut Salad

Cook Time: 0 minutes (no-cook)

Ingredients:

• 70 g raw spinach, sliced
• 300 g cooked unsalted lentils, cooled
• 200 g raw apple with skin, cored and diced
• 50 g English walnuts, chopped
• 13.5 g extra-virgin olive oil
• 30 g fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Toss the diced apple with lemon juice first, then fold in the spinach, lentils, walnuts, and oil. Divide into two equal portions to make 2 servings and refrigerate until eating.

Why It Works: Lentils give this high fiber recipe a substantial base while apple and walnuts add crunch. Thinly sliced spinach mixes into the dressing instead of becoming a bed underneath the meal.

5. Spinach Chicken Tomato Stuffed Potatoes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Ingredients:

• 70 g raw spinach, chopped
• 220 g cooked roasted skinless chicken breast, chopped
• 400 g cooked boiled peeled potatoes, two whole potatoes
• 220 g canned no-salt-added tomatoes with juice
• 13.5 g extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Warm the chicken, tomatoes, and spinach with oil in a covered skillet over medium heat for 8 minutes. Heat the cooked potatoes in a covered microwave-safe dish at high power for about 4 minutes, for 12 minutes total sequential cooking, until both potatoes and filling reach 165°F. Split each potato and divide the full chicken filling between them to make 2 servings.

Why It Works: The tomato liquid carries the chopped spinach through a generous chicken topping. Each potato becomes dinner rather than waiting for another side.

6. Spinach White Bean Mushroom Toasts

Cook Time: 14 minutes

Ingredients:

• 70 g raw spinach, chopped
• 280 g cooked unsalted navy beans (white beans), drained
• 160 g raw white mushrooms, sliced
• 160 g store-bought commercially prepared whole-wheat bread, four slices
• 13.5 g extra-virgin olive oil
• 50 g water

Directions:

Sauté the mushrooms in oil in a skillet over medium heat for 7 minutes, then add the beans, spinach, and water for 5 minutes until hot and mash a few beans with the back of a spoon. Toast all four bread slices together under a broiler for about 1 minute per side, for 2 minutes and 14 minutes total sequential cooking, watching constantly. Spoon the bean mixture over the toasts and serve two per person to make 2 servings.

Why It Works: A quick mash of a few beans helps the topping stay on the bread. Mushrooms make the small spinach allocation feel like part of a generous topping.

7. Spinach Tofu Peanut Noodle Bowls

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Ingredients:

• 70 g raw spinach, sliced
• 280 g firm calcium-set tofu, drained and cubed
• 280 g cooked whole-wheat spaghetti
• 140 g raw carrot, grated
• 35 g smooth unsalted peanut butter
• 100 g water
• 20 g reduced-sodium soy sauce

Directions:

Heat the tofu and carrot with 50 g water in a covered nonstick skillet over medium heat for 7 minutes. Whisk the peanut butter, soy sauce, and remaining 50 g water together, then add the sauce, spaghetti, and spinach for about 5 more minutes, for 12 minutes total cooking, until steaming hot. Toss thoroughly and divide into two bowls to make 2 servings.

Why It Works: The sauce coats the fine spinach strips so they travel with the noodles. Grated carrot softens without a separate cooking pot.

8. Spinach Salmon Yogurt Rice Cups

Cook Time: 0 minutes (no-cook)

Ingredients:

• 70 g raw spinach, finely chopped
• 220 g canned pink salmon, drained, skin and bones removed
• 280 g cooked long-grain brown rice, cooled
• 100 g plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 25 g fresh lemon juice
• 5 g fresh dill, chopped

Directions:

Flake the salmon with a fork and stir it with the yogurt, lemon juice, dill, spinach, and cooled rice. Divide into two wide bowls to make 2 servings and keep refrigerated until eating.

Why It Works: Finely chopped spinach folds into the yogurt rather than piling up underneath the salmon. The canned fish and cooled rice make a substantial cold meal.

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