Nana’s Spinach Fata

This is a recipe from my husband’s side of the family. They call it Spinach Fata. It’s one of those things I had to learn to love because I married into it. I really didn’t care for it at first, but I married the man, so I had to learn how to make it. My mother-in-law taught me, and I believe her mother-in-law taught her. If you are a fan of cooked spinach, it is really good. (I just prefer my spinach raw, in salads or on sandwiches instead of lettuce.) 

But my husband and my son list this among their favorite foods and they get excited whenever we make it. Nicholas calls this fata his “favorite thing in the world.” The plate never makes it to the table before he is grabbing some. Apparently Eddie was the same way as a little boy. Hey, whatever gets kids to eat this much spinach, I am all about. 

It’s basically just spinach and cheese.

The family calls it fata. (I have no idea why, because fata is actually an Arab dish made out of lamb and bread, so… not this.)

It is a really good, quick side dish and, if you like spinach, it is tasty. You could even eat it as a vegetarian entree or lunch. And it is very cheap to make. Cheap and healthy and my kids will eat it. Win! It’s not an exact science, I just dump things into the bowl without measuring. It always turns out well.

Ingredients:

-1 pack of frozen shredded spinach, cooked and well drained.

-about 2 tablespoons of Italian bread crumbs

-1 egg

-about 1/3 cup of cheese, more if you want (Eddie’s mom uses Velveeta. I never buy that, so I usually use shredded cheddar)

-salt and pepper to taste.

Directions:

1. Cook spinach according to package directions and drain it well.

2. In a small bowl, mix cooked spinach, bread crumbs, egg (beaten), cheese, and salt & pepper. 

3. Melt a teaspoon of butter in a small frying pan. Spread spinach mixture evenly onto pan. You can see the pans I use here through my Amazon affiliate link. 

4. Cook until browned on the bottom (about 3 minutes) flip, and cook until browned on the other side.  (You can also fry them in individual servings, like a spinach cake.)

Enjoy!