These 12 Spectacular (And Easy) Spinach Recipes Will Make You Forget All About Kale Slideshow

To celebrate a fresh, healthy spinach crop this spring, we reached out to our Culinary Content Network of food bloggers for their favorite spinach recipes. And don't think this is just salads (though there are a few creative, beautifully dressed ones in this roundup). Spinach can be used in everything from sandwiches to smoothies to pasta sauce. So go green and eat like Popeye with these 12 spectacular spinach recipes.

This bright, fresh salad from Mon Petit Four has just eight ingredients, but each individual element truly shines. Apples and candied pecans provide a beautiful sweetness, which is cut by salty blue cheese and a creamy dressing.

For the Apple Pecan Salad With Blue Cheese Dressing recipe, click here.

If you're trying to get more greens into your diet, My Suburban Kitchen's bacon-topped salad is a great way to start. This versatile lunch dish can use up whatever leftovers you have, and the two-ingredient dressing is filled with zesty flavor.

For the Bacon Spinach Salad recipe, click here.

Picky Eater Blog transports you to France with these open-faced sandwiches. Yes, these treats are vegetarian, but they're filled with protein, earthy flavors, and beautiful grated Parmesan cheese.

For the Mushroom and Spinach Tartines With Roasted Garlic Spread recipe, click here.

Meatless burgers don't have to be made from black beans or soy. Pack more vitamins into your meal with Oat and Sesame's spinach burger, which has a zesty flavor and earthy base for a wonderfully balanced sandwich.

For the Popeye Spinach Burgers With Homemade Thousand Island Dressing recipe, click here.

Pesto's salty, herbaceous flavor pairs perfectly with fresh spinach, and Stay Alive and Cooking puts these two together in a natural and very green pasta dish. With roasted pine nuts for crunch, you won't miss meat a bit.

For the Roasted Ricotta, Pesto, and Spinach Pasta Sauce recipe, click here.

Spanakopita, a traditional Greek filo dough pie, isn't the healthiest appetizer on the planet, so No Spoon Necessary took those familiar flavors and gave them a makeover. The result is a creamy dip with the fresh flavors of spinach, dill, lemon, and of course feta cheese.

For the Spanakopita Flavored Hummus recipe, click here.

This Italian dish from Confessions of a Confectionista is hearty and filled with comforting, familiar spices such as oregano, parsley, and basil. It's a perfect weeknight dinner for the whole family.

For the Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Shells recipe, click here.

From the way 2 Cookin' Mamas describe this gluten-free, vegetarian pie, it must be irresistible. "The spinach pie has ricotta cheese to make it moist, Pecorino Romano for a little bite, and fresh spinach that is only slightly wilted to provide plenty of vitamins and minerals to the meal," they write.

For the Spinach Pie With Quinoa Crust recipe, click here.

Spinach is filled with beneficial vitamins and minerals, but as a leafy green, it isn't the easiest food to get your children to eat. A Mind Full Mom's baked spinach "tater tots" are a flavorful, crispy way to get this healthy food into a picky eater's diet.

For the Spinach Tots recipe, click here.

This quick, easy, and savory pizza dish from Homemaker's Habitat is the ultimate springtime lunch. With fresh baby spinach leaves, broccoli, and two kids of cheeses, it's creamy, bright, and packed with energizing vitamins.

For the Super Green Broccoli, Spinach, Feta Pizza recipe, click here.

This meatless salad from Love: The Secret Ingredient is perfectly balanced. On a bed of baby spinach leaves, eggplant, parsnip, and warmed beans add earthy flavors and texture, which is counterbalanced with the acidity of tomato.

For the Vegetarian Delight recipe, click here.

If you're looking for a quick and easy appetizer, this six-ingredient recipe from Zestuous will definitely do the trick. With no added garlic, onion, or artichoke, the light flavor of spinach truly is the star of this dish.

For the Zestuous Spinach Cups recipe, click here.