This sauteed spinach with garlic is the simplest way to get picky eaters to eat their greens. Not to mention, it’s also the best way to cook spinach. Here, the spinach is flavored with thinly-sliced garlic cloves and a flavorful sauce made with chicken broth, soy sauce, and sugar.
As one of the easiest healthy spinach recipes, all you need to do is sauté everything together for a couple of minutes to make this dish. Oh, and don’t forget to clean the spinach leaves to remove the dirt. Spinach can be sandy and gritty, so they need to be cleaned first under running water before cooking. And just like that, you get to serve a fantastic spinach side dish for roasted chicken or this succulent sirloin steak!
Tips for Making Sauteed Spinach with Garlic![sauteed spinach with garlic]()
Sauteed in a hot skillet with garlic and a tasty sauce, a bunch of spinach can quickly become a delightful meal accompaniment. It’s downright the best spinach recipe! You’ll never have uninteresting vegetable sides ever again once you master how to sauté spinach with various seasonings.
Here are some helpful tips when preparing this sauteed spinach recipe:
- Season the spinach to make the dish even tastier. Toss some spices and herbs to make this sauteed spinach and garlic even more delicious. You can spice up your cooked spinach with red pepper flakes. Basil, thyme, and coriander seeds can also enhance the flavor of this garlic spinach recipe.
- Use butter and lemon juice to amp up the flavor! Sauté the spinach with garlic and butter, and add a squeeze of lemon juice at the end of the cooking. The taste of spinach, lemon juice, and butter harmonizes perfectly, creating a symphony of flavors you’ll love.
- Add more vegetables for added flavors and textures. Mushrooms and onions go well with spinach. You can also add diced bell peppers and tomatoes to this sauteed spinach recipe. Meanwhile, water chestnuts, meanwhile, can deliver fantastic crispness and delicate sweetness to this sauteed spinach with garlic.
- Don’t overcook the spinach and the garlic. Both spinach and garlic cook very fast. Cook fresh spinach leaves just until they’re wilted enough and have turned bright green. Cooking spinach longer than necessary will make them limp, lifeless, and bitter. Meanwhile, sauteing the garlic for 30 seconds should already do the trick. You wouldn’t want bitter-tasting overcooked garlic in your dish.
To make one of the best spinach recipe ideas, sprinkle some cooked bacon bits or pancetta on top of this sauteed spinach with garlic. Or, add slivers of different types of cheese like feta and Parmesan cheese for a fancier appearance. Toasted pine nuts and black sesame seeds, in the same vein, will add even more flavor and texture to the wilted spinach.
Want more delicious and easy spinach recipes? Give your canned spinach a tasty makeover with the help of pantry staples like chicken stock, hot sauce, and white vinegar.
How To Make Sauteed Spinach with Garlic
This sauteed spinach with garlic is a quick and simple way to incorporate some greens into your filling meals. Drizzle a savory sauce on top of it, and serve with steamed rice!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup chicken broth, (or vegetable broth)
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar, add more to taste
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 lb regular spinach, trimmed, (or baby spinach)
To serve:
- rice, steamed
- black sesame seeds
Instructions
- Combine the broth, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Whisk until sugar has dissolved. Then, set it aside.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add the garlic and saute until translucent but not caramelized.
- Next, add the spinach.
- Add in the soy mixture and make sure the cornstarch is dissolved.
- Simmer for roughly 5 minutes until the mixture thickens.
- Separate spinach from the sauce. Then, return the sauce to the heat. Reduce the sauce to half.
- Then, pour thickened sauce on top of spinach.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and serve with a cup of steamed rice. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- For this spinach recipe, use baby spinach leaves because they are slightly sweeter than the regular kind. The more mature spinach leaves, once cooked, tend to have a bitter taste.
- You can also cut off spinach stems. Spinach stems, albeit edible, can be tough and bitter-tasting.
Nutrition
- Sugar: 14g
- :
- Calcium: 231mg
- Calories: 193kcal
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Cholesterol: 1mg
- Fat: 8g
- Fiber: 5g
- Iron: 7mg
- Monounsaturated Fat: 3g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g
- Potassium: 1328mg
- Protein: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Sodium: 1797mg
- Vitamin A: 21267IU
- Vitamin C: 64mg
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is sauteed spinach healthy?
Yes, sauteed spinach is healthy. Sure, fresh spinach carries many essential nutrients, including fiber, vitamin C, and potassium. However, since sauteed or cooked spinach is more highly concentrated than fresh ones, it provides more nutrients in every bite. Sauteed spinach is also rich in calcium and has high amounts of Vitamin K and Vitamin A.
How do you get the bitterness out of sauteed spinach?
To cover up the bitterness of sauteed spinach often caused by its oxalic acid content, try to add citrusy ingredients. You can use lemon, lime, or orange juice. Other recipes with spinach might even ask you to grate some lemon or orange zest from the peel and toss them with the leaves when you cook. Seasoning the spinach with oil, grated ginger root, and onions can also help minimize its bitterness.
Can you eat too much spinach?
You shouldn’t eat too much spinach for a few reasons. Consuming an excessive amount of the healthy green can cause several digestive issues such as bloating and extreme gas build-up. Because spinach is rich in oxalic acid, overeating this leafy vegetable might also lead to the formation of kidney stones. So if you’re thinking about incorporating spinach into your diet, note that one to one-and-a-half cups a day can already suffice.
Conclusion
Add healthy greens to your dinner rotation with this effortless spinach recipe. Slathered with a flavorful sauce, this sauteed spinach with garlic is one of the best spinach side dish recipes worth trying. Swap out the chicken broth for vegetable broth and you’ll have a perfect addition to a vegetarian meal!Have your own special recipe to share? Submit Your Recipe Today!
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