Sauteed Spinach

One good reason to make sauteed spinach at home? Freshly cooked spinach tastes best. When you bake the leaves into one of these spinach recipes, the convenience of frozen or canned spinach might win out. But fresh is the way to go when serving the cooked greens on their own, featuring them on pizza, or tossing them with pasta.

If you hesitate to cook spinach because it always plops soggily onto the plate, this quick and easy side dish will change your mind. There’s a solid argument for steering clear of baby spinach—it costs more, for one—but whichever leaves you choose, there’s a trick to making spinach with a pleasing texture. By not overcooking the greens, you can even get away with adding a garlic and white wine reduction for an extra sparkle of flavor.

Ingredients for Sauteed Spinach

• Garlic cloves: The sharp flavor of fresh garlic mellows as it cooks in wine. In a pinch, replace the garlic with garlic granules, or use garlic salt while omitting the recipe’s salt.
• Olive oil: Use regular olive oil or extra virgin olive oil to sizzle the garlic and lightly coat the spinach for a silky texture.
• White wine: Cooked-down wine, also known as a reduction, makes simple dishes like sauteed spinach with garlic taste richer. Even though wine gets sweeter as it thickens and becomes slightly syrupy, it retains enough acidity to help mask any bitterness in the vegetables. Alternatively, use chicken broth to add a similar rich density, though it lacks acidity.
• Fresh spinach: For a more forgiving base, choose bundles of mature spinach leaves for sauteeing. Avoid frozen and canned spinach, which quickly turn mushy and might develop off-putting flavors. Baby spinach leaves work, but you should watch them closely since they cook fast.
• Salt: Finely ground table salt clumps in the steam from a hot pan. For better distribution, consider one of these types of kosher salt, or use coarse sea salt.

Directions

Step 1: Make the reduction

In a large skillet, saute the garlic in oil for one minute. Add the wine, bring it to a boil, and cook until the liquid reduces by half.

Editor’s Tip: Raw spinach takes up exponentially more space when raw, so choose a wide skillet with high sides. If the pan still feels crowded, use tongs to lift and turn the leaves so that they soften evenly.

Step 2: Cook the spinach

Add the spinach and salt. Cook and stir for two minutes or just until the spinach wilts. Serve the spinach with a slotted spoon.

Josh Rink for Taste Recipes

How to Use Sauteed Spinach

• Mix it with pasta or grains: Add precooked fresh spinach straight to hot pasta or to a grain bowl for an instant nutrient boost. Give cooked rice and leftover spinach a second life by mixing them into one of our best fried rice recipes.
• Fold it into eggs: Raw spinach releases so much water that egg dishes often become soggy. Instead, add sauteed spinach to omelets, baked frittatas or quick egg scrambles.
• Bolster a filling or soup: Slide a layer of cooked spinach into a grilled cheese sandwich or burrito. Stir it into roasted tomato soup or creamy mushroom soup.
• Make it a topping: Serve sauteed spinach in a baked potato, over creamy polenta or cannellini beans, or on pizza.
• Make it the base: Instead of serving them on a bed of starchy or whole grains, serve grilled chicken, fish or scallops over wilted spinach.

Sauteed Spinach Variations

• Use vegetable broth: If you want to skip the wine or chicken broth, cook down vegetable broth instead. Add just 1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar for a hint of acidity. Alternatively, leave out the liquid altogether and let the spinach wilt in the liquid it releases naturally. A squeeze of lemon over the finished dish will brighten the flavor.
• Spice it up: A pinch of red pepper flakes added to the garlic adds just a little spiciness to this sauteed spinach recipe. For even more heat, saute a fresh minced chile with the garlic. When serving, a twist or two of freshly ground black pepper lends a warm spice.
• Give it a topping: Grate Parmesan cheese right on top of the spinach for a nutty note, or use actual nuts or seeds, like toasted almonds, walnuts or pumpkin seeds. Make a similarly crunchy topping by frying some shallots until they’re crispy. For an Asian twist, sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds and a few drops of sesame oil on each serving, especially if you’re using broth instead of wine.

How to Store Sauteed Spinach

Sauteed spinach tastes best if eaten just after it’s cooked, otherwise the leftovers can be incorporated into another dish. Cool cooked spinach to room temperature before you pack it into an airtight container or storage bag for refrigerator or freezer storage. To keep it from becoming watery as it sits, let it cool in a colander so that excess liquid drains away.

How long does sauteed spinach last?

A bundle of unwashed fresh spinach wrapped in a dry towel might last for up to a week in the refrigerator, and a container or bag of pre-washed spinach often keeps there for up to five days. You should eat leftover cooked spinach within three to four days.

Can you freeze sauteed spinach?

A freezer best preserves sauteed spinach for up to three months. The texture will change as it thaws, so blend frozen home-cooked spinach into other recipes rather than serving it as a side dish. If you freeze it in an airtight container, thaw the whole block in the refrigerator. For smaller portions, pack the sauteed leaves in an ice tray. Once they’ve frozen solid, seal the cubes in a freezer-safe bag. Add a still-frozen cube or two to soups or smoothies, or thaw enough to spread over pizza or toss with pasta.

How do you reheat sauteed spinach?

You can reheat refrigerated and frozen, thawed sauteed spinach the same way. Pop it in the microwave for one to two minutes, draining off any excess moisture that accumulates. Some of that liquid will evaporate if you reheat cooked spinach in a skillet.

Sauteed Spinach Tips

Josh Rink for Taste Recipes

How do you choose fresh spinach for cooking?

If you choose the best bundle or package of fresh spinach that you can find, it will retain more of its flavor and have a better texture when cooked. The fresh leaves should be dark and crisp. Homegrown or store-bought spinach that has started to turn yellow, show white spots, or wilt has already lost flavor and will soften even further in the pan. Soggy leaves (which can result from produce misters) spoil more quickly than those correctly handled at the store.

Do you need to wash fresh spinach before cooking?

Always wash spinach before cooking it. Pre-washed lettuce and other greens were most likely rinsed in harsh chemicals, and the larger leaves in bundles of fresh spinach often contain dirt and grit. To clean fresh spinach, trim the tough lower stems and roots as needed, then dunk the leaves in a sink or bowl of cold water until they’re clean. Take the time to dry just-washed spinach before you cook it. If you don’t have a salad spinner, wrap wet leaves in clean kitchen towels and gently squeeze them dry.

How do you keep sauteed spinach from getting too watery?

Spinach is more than 90% water, so it’s unavoidable. Overcooking it almost always leads to watery spinach; the longer the leaves cook, the more natural water they release. To avoid this, get the leaves as dry as possible before putting them in the pan. Only cook them for a minute or two, stirring the whole time. If they still become watery, immediately drain the leaves through a colander and use a slotted spoon to serve.

What can you serve with sauteed spinach?

A side of sauteed spinach pairs well with all types of proteins, pasta dishes and hearty soups. Serve it alongside chicken, shrimp, steak or crispy baked tofu and a second side like mashed potatoes or roasted cauliflower with tahini yogurt sauce. Prepare it with a quick creamy pasta like shrimp Alfredo for a surprisingly decadent weeknight meal. Make it a green accompaniment to chili cornbread casserole or one of our ultimate chili recipes (with cornbread on the side).