Sautéed Spinach is made easy, flavorful, and healthy with fresh garlic in just a few minutes right on the stovetop. This is one of our favorite side dishes and one we make frequently. I love to serve it with grilled steak, grilled chicken, or roasted chicken.
How to make Sautéed Spinach
First, heat a little bit of 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. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.
Helpful tips for Sauteed Spinach
- 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.
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.
- 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
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 so many beef, chicken, pork, and seafood entrees.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: side dish
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
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 bit of 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.
Keywords: how to saute spinach, garlic spinach, wilted spinach, sauted spinach, spinach side dish
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