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Spinach Feta Casserole with Brown Rice got two thumbs up from my sister Pam when I tried out the recipe on her. And this tasty casserole with brown rice, spinach, and Feta cheese is great for a side dish or a meatless main dish.

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Yesterday my sister Pam and brother-in-law Kelly came over, and Kelly replaced my broken garbage disposal (thanks Kelly!) While he worked on that, Pam and I raided the fridge where there were some leftovers of this Spinach Feta Casserole with Brown Rice.

A few hours later Pam called me. saying she wanted to save the spinach and feta casserole, but couldn’t find it on the blog. I had to tell her I was sorry that I hadn’t posted the recipe yet, but I was very happy that she liked it so much!

This is one of those wonderfully versatile recipes that could be a vegetable-laden side dish or a perfect vegetarian main dish. And if you like spinach and Feta Cheese and don’t mind a splurge on carbs for the brown rice, you’re going to love this recipe!

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

Can you use fresh spinach for the Spinach Feta Casserole?

I haven’t tried making this recipe with fresh spinach, but I think it could work. I’d use one pound of fresh spinach, and wilt it very well in a frying pan with a little olive oil before you use it in the recipe.

Can you make the Spinach Feta Casserole with Cauliflower Rice?

I haven’t tried making this brown rice casserole with cauliflower rice, but I’ve had good luck adapting rice casseroles to make them with frozen cauliflower rice and I think this one could work too. I would thaw cauliflower rice, then heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and cook the cauliflower rice 4-5 minutes over medium high heat to evaporate some of the water. Then use in the recipe the same as cooked brown rice.

More Casseroles with Spinach:

Spinach and Feta Casserole with Brown Rice process shots collage

How to make Spinach Feta Casserole with Brown Rice:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

  1. I cooked the brown rice in my Zojirushi Rice Cooker (affiliate link), but you can use any method you’d like to get 3 cups of cooked brown rice.
  2. Thaw frozen spinach in the fridge overnight, or thaw in microwave.
  3. Then drain the spinach and squeeze out all the water.
  4. Mix together the eggs, buttermilk (or milk), green onion, dried thyme, salt, and Worcestershire sauce.
  5. Stir in the drained spinach.
  6. Measure out 1 cup of Feta cheese and make sure it’s well-crumbled for this recipe. Mix crumbled Feta and 1/2 cup coarsely grated Parmesan into the spinach and egg mixture.
  7. Then mix in the brown rice, combining it thoroughly so all the ingredients are well-distributed in the rice.
  8. Press the mixture into a 2 1/2 or 3 quart casserole dish that you’ve sprayed with oil or non-stick spray.
  9. Bake covered for about 30 minutes, or until the casserole is heated through.
  10. Then remove the lid and sprinkle on 1/4 cup more of coarsely grated Parmesan cheese.
  11. Put back in the oven and bake about 10 minutes longer. 
  12. Here’s how it looked when it was done baking and hot out of the oven. 
  13. Serve hot or warm.

Spinach Feta Casserole with Brown Rice with one serving on plate and baking dish in back.

More Tasty Meatless Dinners:

Weekend Food Prep:

This Spinach Feta Casserole recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Spinach Feta Casserole with Brown Rice
Yield: 6 servings

Spinach Feta Casserole with Brown Rice

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Additional Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Spinach Feta Casserole with Brown Rice is a tasty side dish or vegetarian main dish, perfect for a week day meal!

Ingredients

  • 3 cups cooked brown rice
  • 16 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk or milk (see notes)
  • 1/2 cup finely sliced green onions
  • 1 tsp. dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (see notes)
  • 1 cup crumbled Feta cheese (see notes)
  • 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup coarsely grated Parmesan (see notes)

Instructions

  1. Cook enough brown rice to make 3 cups cooked brown rice. (Follow package directions or use a rice cooker).
  2. Let rice cool slightly while you prepare other ingredients.
  3. Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
  4. Put thawed spinach into a colander, then use your hands to squeeze out as much of the water as you can.
  5. In a small bowl, beat the eggs and then mix in the buttermilk (or milk), sliced green onions, dried thyme, salt, and Worcestershire sauce.
  6. When ingredients are combined, mix in the drained spinach.
  7. Then mix in the crumbled Feta and 1/2 cup coarsely grated Parmesan, followed by the brown rice.
  8. Use a fork to mix until the ingredients are well-distributed into the rice.
  9. Put the mixture into a 2.5 or 3 quart casserole dish that you’ve sprayed with oil or non-stick spray.
  10. Cover the dish and bake about 30 minutes, or until the rice mixture is heated through and Feta is starting to melt.
  11. Uncover and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, then bake about 10 minutes more.  Serve hot.
  12. This freezes well, but you may not have any left to freeze!

Notes

I never buy milk so I used buttermilk and it was great in this.

One cup of crumbled Feta is about 6 oz. If you only have finely grated parmesan, I’d use a little less.

Use gluten-free Worcestershire Sauce if you need the recipe to be gluten-free.

Recipe inspired by one found in The Big Book of Casseroles, with quite a few healthy changes by Kalyn.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 266Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 92mgSodium 640mgCarbohydrates 31gFiber 4gSugar 5gProtein 14g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

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© Kalyn Denny
Category: Casseroles
Spinach and Feta Casserole with Brown Rice finished casserole and one serving on plate

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
I made a lot of changes in the original recipe to make this Spinach Feta Casserole suitable for the original South Beach, including using brown rice, leaving out the butter, using less cheese, and increasing the proportion of spinach to other ingredients. With my changes, this would be okay for phase 2 or 3 of South Beach. With brown rice this recipe has about 27 net carbs per servings, so it’s probably a splurge on carbs for a stricter low-carb eating plan.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Casserole Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
Spinach Feta Casserole with Brown Rice was first posted in 2011! It was last updated with more information in 2024.

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