Sautéed Spinach

This quick and easy spinach recipe is a delicious and nutritious addition to any meal. Made with fresh spinach, garlic, and a touch of olive oil, it’s the perfect side dish for a balanced and healthy diet.

Perfect Sauteed Spinach

Want to learn the secret to perfectly sauteed spinach every time? Look no further! This article will provide step-by-step instructions and tips for achieving the perfect sauteed spinach dishThis is one of our favorite side dishes and one we make frequently. I love to serve it with New York strip steak with herb butter, grilled chicken, or roasted chicken.

Sauteed Spinach Ingredients

For this sauteed spinach recipe, you need olive oil, garlic, baby spinach, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Optional ingredients are fresh lemon juice and Parmesan cheese.

How to saute Spinach

First, heat a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Do not brown it. Add the spinach and cover, cooking for about 1 minute. Then remove the lid and stir, bringing the cooked spinach up and uncooked spinach closer to the bottom of the pan. Cover and cook for another minute. Then remove the lid and increase the heat just a touch. cook until wilted, tossing to combine. Now season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.

Helpful Tips

• Any raw spinach can be sautéed. I prefer to use baby spinach. It will be delicious and not slimy as long as it is cooked over medium to medium-high heat and cooked just until it is wilted.
• Do not brown the garlic. When browned, garlic becomes bitter. For the best flavor, cook just until fragrant, stirring almost constantly.
• Besides salt and freshly ground black pepper, other spices to add include ginger, thyme, red pepper flakes, nutmeg, and dill.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave at reduced power.
• Freeze fully cooled spinach in freezer zipper bags for up to 2 months. Frozen spinach does not reheat well. It may be too broken down and a little slimy to stand on its own. But it works well in dips, soups, pasta, quiche, and creamed spinach.

How to keep Sauteed Spinach from being slimy

• Dry the spinach before you start, or use prewashed spinach. You don’t want extra moisture in the skillet. Remove any thick, tough stems.
• Sauté the spinach over medium to medium-high heat, so it cooks quickly, with most of the moisture evaporating.
• Cook just until wilted, and be prepared to serve quickly. Use a slotted spoon to move the spinach to a serving dish and for serving.

Recipe Variations

• Splash of citrus – add a squeeze of lemon juice, lime juice, or orange juice to the fully sautéed spinach.
• Meat – add crisp bacon or crisp pancetta for a heartier side dish.
• Vegetables – add onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, or shallots.

More spinach recipes to try

Sautéed Spinach Recipe

Quick and easy Sautéed Spinach with fresh garlic is made with 5 ingredients in less than 10 minutes, making it an ideal healthy side dish for many beef, chicken, pork, and seafood entrees. 

5 from 32 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 66kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic sliced
• 20 ounces baby spinach leaves
• Kosher salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Do not brown it. 
• Add the spinach and cover, cooking for about 1 minute. Remove the lid and stir, bringing the cooked spinach up and the uncooked spinach closer to the bottom of the pan. 
• Cover and cook for 1 minute. Remove the lid and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook until wilted, tossing to combine. 
• Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. 

Notes

• Any raw spinach can be sautéed. I prefer to use baby spinach. It will be delicious and not slimy as long as it is cooked over medium to medium-high heat and cooked just until it is wilted.
• Do not brown the garlic. When browned, garlic becomes bitter. Cook just until fragrant, stirring almost constantly.
• Besides salt and freshly ground black pepper, other spices to add include ginger, thyme, red pepper flakes, nutmeg, and dill.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave at reduced power.
• Freeze fully cooled spinach in freezer zipper bags for up to 2 months. Frozen spinach does not reheat well. It may be too broken down and a little slimy to stand on its own. But it works well in dips, soups, pasta, quiche, and creamed spinach.

Nutrition

Calories: 66kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 75mg | Potassium: 536mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 8862IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 3mg

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