Fast Spinach and Rice Greek Style

Ingredients

• 3 ounces olive oil
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, diced and crushed
• 3 ounces tomato paste
• 18 ounces fresh spinach
• 1 cup rice
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh dried leaf basil, bruised

Directions

1. 1

   Add olive oil to the bottom of a mid-sized stock pot and let it heat slowly.

2. 2

   Add diced onion to pot and cook until soft and transparent.

3. 3

   Watch your heat, the onions should not be browned.

4. 4

   When onion is almost done stir in garlic and cook just a bit longer.

5. 5

   Dilute tomato paste in about 8 ozs of warm water and add to pot.

6. 6

   Increase heat and allow mixture to come to just under a boil.

7. 7

   Add fresh spinach (you may have to clean the spinach if it's sandy and remove hard stems) to the pot along with the fresh basil and add about 6 cups water.

8. 8

   Allow to come to a boil and add 1-1/4 cup of rice.

9. 9

   White or brown work equally well.

10. 10

    **DONOT use minute rice or other fast cooking types.

11. 11

    Reduce heat and simmer about 45- 50 minutes.

12. 12

    Remove from heat and it's ready.