This sautéed spinach with garlic is one of my favorite spinach recipes on the blog. It’s quick and easy and goes with almost any main dish. If you have never sautéed spinach before, you need to start. As fresh spinach leaves cook in the pan, they wilt, turn tender and become sweet.
Key Ingredients
Spinach: I use fresh spinach leaves. Baby spinach is fine, or use larger bunches of spinach leaves often sold at farmer’s markets or grown at home. I keep frozen spinach for other recipes, like spinach and sausage stuffed shells. Olive oil: I love sauteing the spinach in olive oil. It has the best flavor! Garlic: Before tossing in my fresh spinach, I cook fresh sliced garlic in the olive oil, which gives the olive oil a lovely garlicky flavor. Lemon: It is optional but adds fresh flavor!
How to Make Sautéed Spinach
Spinach is a nutrient powerhouse and rich in vitamins K, C, iron, and potassium. It also tastes fantastic, especially when sautéed with garlic and olive oil. We cook most dark, leafy greens and veggies this way (see our recipes for sautéed kale, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage). Unlike other heartier greens (like kale), spinach leaves do not need to be removed from the stems. In this recipe, we cook both the stems and the leaves! Making this spinach recipe could not be simpler. Heat some fat in a skillet and add garlic and lemon zest. When warm and starting to smell aromatic, add your spinach leaves and cook, tossing the leaves around the pan until bright green, wilted, and tender. It takes less than 10 minutes! Season the spinach with some salt, and if you like a little heat, a pinch of red pepper flakes.
Storing Sautéed Spinach
Cooked spinach lasts in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it for up to 6 months. Thaw the frozen spinach in the fridge overnight before reheating. When reheating leftover spinach, you might notice a bit of extra moisture; no worries, either squeeze it out before reheating or add it all to a skillet and simmer it to reduce slightly.
What to Serve with Sautéed Spinach
Sauteed spinach with garlic is a quick side for many main dishes. I especially love it with turkey meatballs, baked salmon, baked tofu (so good!), shrimp scampi, and a perfectly cooked steak. It also goes well with other sides. Try it with something creamy, like macaroni and cheese or mashed sweet potatoes. I love adding it to rice or quinoa bowls, and it’s excellent piled onto a slice of this roasted garlic bread. We also add it to this cheese manicotti!
More Easy Spinach Recipes
Spinach Lasagna with Mushrooms Sausage and Spinach Fettuccine Alfredo Spinach Feta Breakfast Burritos Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Dip
2 tablespoons olive oil 2 to 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced Zest of half a lemon, optional Pinch sea salt Pinch crushed red pepper flakes, optional 2Pile the spinach leaves into the pan and add a generous pinch of salt. Wait about 30 seconds or until the bottom layer of leaves has started to wilt, and then toss the leaves around the pan. As the spinach cooks, keep tossing so all the leaves hit the bottom of the skillet. 3When the spinach looks bright green and is mostly wilted, remove the pan from the heat and serve with a pinch of extra salt on top. For a little heat, add a light sprinkle of red pepper flakes (optional).
