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Sauteed Garlic Spinach is a simple and delicious side dish that everyone will love. Fresh spinach, garlic, and red pepper sauteed to perfection. Make it with your next meal!
Fresh spinach is one produce item that can always be found in my refrigerator. It is so versatile and can be used so many different ways. The neutral flavor of spinach makes it perfect to add to smoothies, salads, and soups. It is also delicious on its own with a few additional ingredients to enhance the flavor.
Especially garlic and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for a bit of spice.
This recipe for Sauteed Garlic Spinach is perfect because it uses both of the above ingredients in addition to fresh spinach. If you love garlic then you will enjoy this recipe because it certainly amps up the flavor and transforms this dish.
What ingredients again for Sauteed Garlic Spinach?
- Fresh baby spinach
- Olive oil
- Cloves of garlic
- Red pepper flakes
- Salt
How to Saute Spinach:
Grab a large skillet and heat some olive oil on medium heat. Add in the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for a few minutes until it is heated and fragrant. Carefully monitor this part as you do not want the garlic to burn and it can burn easily. After a few minutes, the garlic will become fragrant and light brown in color.
At this point add in half of the fresh spinach. Gently toss in the garlic oil until is begin to slightly wilt and reduce in size. Add in the other half of the spinach and repeat the same process.
Continue to gently stir the spinach for a few minutes until only a few leaves of fresh spinach remain. Remove the spinach from the skillet and drain the oil. The sauteed spinach with garlic is ready to serve.
Serve warm and store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container up to 3 days.
Is sauteed spinach healthy?
Yes, it is very healthy as long as it is not overcooked. Sauteeing spinach allows it to retain the bulk of nutrients which are vitamin a, vitamin e, iron, and fiber just to name a few.
Can you overcook spinach?
Yes. You can overcook spinach very easily. That is why I prefer to saute spinach in a large skillet with a bit of oil because you can keep a closer eye on it and remove it quickly. Since the highest amount of nutrients are in raw spinach, you want to cook it to the point it begins to wilt and then stop the cooking process. Spinach is tender and will cook rather quickly so low or medium heat is best.
Equipment needed to make this recipe:
- A large skillet. One of my favorites is the 12-inch Lodge Cast Iron.
- Saute paddle or something to stir the spinach with while it cooks.
- Tongs to remove the spinach once it is done cooking.
Sauteed Garlic Spinach
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¾ pounds baby spinach
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.
- Add in the sliced garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until heated and the garlic is fragrant and light brown. Monitor closely as careful not to burn.
- Add in half of the spinach and salt and gently stir until the spinach begins to wilt.
- Add in the remaining spinach and continue tossing until only a few slightly raw spinach leaves remain.
- Transfer the garlic spinach to a plate to serve and carefully drain the remaining oil in the pan.
- Serve warm and store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container up to 3 days.
Notes
- Heat the oil in the skillet on the lowest possible setting. Either medium or medium-high.
- Have all of the ingredients and utensils ready before starting the recipe.
- Once you add the spinach to the saute pan, the cooking process with be very quick, in a matter of seconds. Pay close attention as the spinach will cook quickly.
- As soon as the spinach leaves begin to wilt, it is time to remove it from the pan and transfer to a serving platter to stop the cooking process.
- If there are still some raw spinach leaves remaining, it is perfectly fine. Do not overcook.
- Store any leftover spinach in the refrigerator to use in other recipes like an egg scramble, omelet, soup, or smoothie.
- Spinach or baby spinach will both work well in this recipe. Baby spinach just as a milder flavor than mature spinach.
Nutrition
What to eat with this recipe for sauteed garlic spinach?
Got any comments, questions, or other ideas for this Sauteed Garlic Spinach? Share them in the comments below!
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