Sautéed Spinach is such an easy side dish, that it hardly qualifies as a recipe. But since we make this a lot, I wanted to share it with you. It’s just a few ingredients, but this spinach is so tasty. And it pairs well with just about anything you could think of for dinner! It’s also a very versatile recipe as well, and you can add extra flavors like my variations below. Or you use any other type of greens you’d like. I’ve made this recipe with everything from kale to turnip greens, and radish greens too. Collards work, but I do recommend adding a touch of water to steam them into submission. And rainbow chard/regular chard is great here as well with just a few minutes more cooking for some greens than others. The other reason you need a handy recipe for greens is because there’s so much in season right now! We’re doing a CSA, (Community Supported Agriculture – where you get whatever is fresh from the farm that week) with our favorite local farmers again this year. Early in the season, you get a lot of greens to use up. So this basic sautéed version is one of our favorites. But if you’re swimming in greens too, be sure to check out my kale pesto recipe. It’s outrageous as a sauce for steak or tossed with freshly cooked pasta.
ingredients for this Garlic Sautéed Spinach
Spinach – I go for the pre-washed baby spinach to save time, but the freshest spinach you have access to is the best. Store-bought is never as tasty as local, but this recipe is flavorful enough to make up for that! Olive oil – I my favorite to use here, but you can use butter or even avocado oil too. Just be careful if you use butter because it burns much easier. Garlic – Just a touch of minced garlic goes a long way in making this spinach perfectly addictive. I always recommend fresh here for the best results, but I have sprinkled in garlic powder in a pinch and it was tasty too. Sea salt & pepper – Just to taste to bring out all the flavors here and the pepper adds a flavor punch that’s perfect with the garlic.
Now let’s make this recipe step by step
Step 1: Start by mincing the garlic and measuring out the olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. If you buy spinach from a local farmers market, be sure to wash it with plenty of cold water and spin dry with a salad spinner. Step 2: Then using the biggest skillet you have cook the garlic and olive oil together over medium heat until fragrant and barely turning a darker golden. Don’t worry if the garlic lightly browns, it’s still tasty but I prefer it not to brown myself! Step 3: Next, add your giant pile of spinach to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes as you toss it together with the garlic oil mixture until just wilted. Season to taste with a sprinkling of sea salt and serve! You can see there’s not a lot of finished spinach compared to the size of the skillet. But when you first start cooking the spinach, it will fill the skillet, and it’s easier to stir if it’s not heaped up too high. I really hope you enjoy this simple Garlic Sautéed Spinach! If you do get a chance to make it, I hope you’ll leave me a comment/rating below. I always love hearing from you here! Also for lots more side dish recipes, head over to the recipe index.
