This aromatic pork and spinach dish in tomato sauce is easy to make, warm, and comforting. Serve it with potatoes, bread, or rice.
This pork and spinach stew is one of my favorite ways to use spinach. It's a rich-tasting yet pretty light stew recipe with lots of spinach and tender meat pieces stewed in a flavorful tomato sauce. This is Romanian traditional food at its best.
I've mentioned a few times before that Romanian people love their stews dearly and that we pretty much stew anything that can be eaten. From asparagus to zucchini, we stew every vegetable and meat.
Sometimes, we stew fruits in savory dishes, of course, with or without meat. For example, apples, like in this delicious Beef Apple Stew, apricots, like in the Apricot Chicken Stew, prunes, plums, quinces, pears, and so on.
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Ingredients
Pork: I normally use lean pork, which has a shorter cooking time and is less fatty. Pork shoulder can be used instead; it's juicy and delicious. Trim off the excess fat and cook for at least 1 ยฝ hours or until the meat is tender.
Try more pork stews: Pork and Potato Stew or Polish Sauerkraut Stew with Sausages.
Spinach: Use mature spinach, not baby spinach. The baby sort is not suitable for making this spinach and pork stew.
Tomato puree: Plain tomato puree, not tomato sauce or paste.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make pork with spinach?
- Step #1: Saute onion, add pork cubes, stir well, cover, and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes.
- Step #2: ย Add half of the tomato puree, broth, and salt. Stew on low heat for 30-40 minutes until very tender.
- Step #3: Add chopped spinach, let it wilt, and add the remaining tomato puree. Stir and cook, covered, for 10 minutes or until the spinach is cooked but not mushy.
- Step #4: Add garlic and adjust the taste of the pork and spinach stew with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Alternatives to pork
Chicken breast: The stew made with chicken instead of pork has a shorter cooking time.
- Cook the onion. Brown the chicken cubes shortly on all sides. Add the spinach and let wilt.
- Pour in the tomato sauce and cook for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- If using boneless skinless chicken legs (cubed), add a few more minutes to the cooking time and check that the meat is cooked through yet still tender.
- You could also make this Romanian Pea and Chicken Stew.
How to store and reheat the stew?
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Freeze leftover pork and spinach for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator.
Reheat in a small pan on the stovetop (often stirring) or in an appropriate container in the microwave.
What to serve it with?
Bread is my first choice. Try it with Yeast Rolls, Oat Bread without Yeast, or Flaxseed Bread.
Other sides: Boiled potatoes, Rosemary Mashed Potatoes, or Buttered Rice.
Pork and Spinach Stew
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven or another large heavy-bottomed pot
Ingredients
- 1.7 lbs lean pork meat 750 g
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 onion medium to large
- 2.2 lbs spinach 1 kg, weighed after removing the stems, Note 1
- 1 cup tomato puree 250 ml, Note 2
- ยผ cup vegetable broth 60 ml
- 3 garlic cloves large
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice or more to taste
- fine sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Chop the meat into smallish cubes. Chop the onion finely. 1.7 lbs lean pork meat 750 g
- Sear: Heat the oil in the pot and cook the onion for about 1 minute. Add the meat cubes, stir well, cover, turn down the heat, and cook for about 10 minutes.2 tablespoons vegetable oil + 1 onion + pork
- Stew pork: Add half of the tomato puree, vegetable broth, and about ยผ teaspoon salt to the meat. Cover again and continue stewing on low heat for about 30-40 minutes or until the meat is very tender. Stir from time to time and add very little extra water if you think it might get too dry.ยฝ from 1 cup tomato puree/ 250 g + ยผ cup vegetable broth/ 60 ml + ยผ teaspoon salt
- Add spinach: In the meantime, wash the spinach and remove the stalks. Chop the spinach roughly. Add to the pot. Leave for a couple of minutes until wilted; add the remaining tomato puree, then stir well and cover again. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes or until the spinach is cooked but not mushy.2.2 lbs spinach/ 1 kg + remaining tomato puree
- Add garlic: Chop the garlic finely and add it to the pot during the last five minutes of the cooking time. 3 garlic cloves
- Adjust the taste with lemon juice and salt and pepper. Serve with bread or potatoes, or rice. 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice + fine sea salt and black pepper
Notes
- Spinach: Use mature spinach, not baby spinach.
- Plain pureed tomatoes or passata, not tomato sauce and not tomato paste.
Sissi says
Another unusual Romanian dish! This stew looks both original and homely.... Perfect for the last (let's hope!) cool spring days.
Amrita says
Looks good...will try with chicken
Monica says
After seeing this, I'm basically thinking I need to stew more often! Looks hearty and satisfying...great dinner!
Kate @ Framed Cooks says
I am a spinach maniac, so anything that has spinach as a key ingredient has me at hello! Looks delicious!!
Nammi says
yummm, even though I dont eat pork will definitely give this a try using beef or chicken. Love the flavors have a nice weekend
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
It looks hearty and delicious!