When you are in the need for a quick, easy, and tasty side dish this sautéed spinach is just what you need. Made with garlic and shallots and finished with lemon zest. It makes this the perfect side dish that’s healthy and easy to make.
You can never go wrong with spinach. It is one of my favorite sides to make especially when I am pressed for time. It only takes about 10 minutes, and it tastes amazing. I almost always have spinach on hand since I do love a great spinach salad. It goes well with almost any protein and is a nice healthy option. The little acidic kick from the balsamic vinegar will have you coming back for more.
In this recipe
There isn’t much in this recipe. This makes it a great recipe to just throw together whenever you need it.
Spinach: fresh spinach is what you want for this recipe as frozen will be too soft and shredded into very small bits.
Lemon zest: will add some brightness to the dish.
Pepper: this recipe uses ground black pepper but for an extra kick swap it out for red pepper flakes.
Balsamic vinegar: the vinegar will give the spinach a little acidic bite. This is completely optional however I love to add just a little bit. However, do this right before serving as the vinegar will cause the spinach to brown.
Preparing the spinach
If you are using baby spinach, then you will not have to do much work as the stems and leaves are still tender. However, if you are not using baby spinach you will want to cut the stems off of the spinach close to the base of the leaf. These stems can become tough and chewy which is unpleasant since the leaves will be tender. You will also want to remove any leaves that have started to become darker and have wilted as these will disintegrate when you start to cook them. This is also a sign of them starting to spoil.
Making sautéed spinach
Once you are all prepped and ready to cook things will move pretty quickly. You want to make sure that the oil is nice and hot before you add the shallots. Once they have become translucent add the garlic and lemon zest. The oil will help draw out the flavors of the zest but you don’t want it to cook too long, so it doesn’t burn. After about 30 seconds to a minute, you will add the spinach. If your pan cannot hold all of the spinach, then add half and let it start to cook down before adding the rest.
Just keep stirring.
One of the most important steps is that you will need to keep stirring the spinach. This will help prevent any of the leaves from burning but also heating all of the spinach evenly. This will let the spinach wilt. Once the spinach has wilted then you are done. This should only take 3-5 minutes. You don’t want to continue cooking as this can cause the spinach to start becoming bitter and mushy.
Looking for other easy side dishes?
Sautéed Spinach with Lemon
Equipment
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds spinach fresh, stems trimmed
- 2 tablespoons shallots chopped finely
- 1½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar optional
Instructions
- Over medium-high heat, heat the skillet with olive oil. Add the shallots and cook until they are translucent, add the garlic and lemon zest and cook for another minute.
- Add the spinach and stir until all of the spinach has wilted, add the salt and pepper. If the pan isn’t big enough for all of the spinach at once then add half and when it cooks down add the remainder.
- Drizzle the balsamic vinegar on top at the end if desired.
Nutrition
