Saut Ed Spinach 3 Minute Recipe

Craving more sauteed recipes? You’ve got to try my sautéed broccolini, sautéed arugula, and sautéed asparagus. I’m convinced anyone can learn to love spinach–even if your name isn’t Popeye. When lightly sautéed for a few minutes at high heat, you get tender, wilted spinach that retains its leafy texture. Plus, a little butter never hurt anyone!

Why I love this recipe

So darn fast. From prep to plate, it’s done in about 5 minutes. Healthy. Spinach is so good for you because it’s low in calories but high in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. An easy way to sneak in more greens. I love a spinach salad as much as anyone, but you can get triple the amount of spinach in the same volume if you sauté it! Versatile. Serve this as a side or add it to other dishes for a health boost. No limp, mushy spinach! If you grew up with liquidy, mushy spinach and thought that’s what it’s supposed to taste like, I will convince you otherwise.

Ingredients needed

Fresh spinach. The star ingredient. I used baby spinach leaves, which are usually pre-washed. If you use mature spinach, you’ll want to wash, dry, and de-stem it, as there tends to be dirt in the stems. Butter. Just a dash helps add tons of flavor. Olive oil. To keep the spinach and garlic from sticking to the pan. Garlic. Spinach and garlic are a dream team. Definitely use fresh garlic for this recipe! Kosher salt and black pepper. For flavor. Lemon slices. Optional, for garnish.

How to sauté spinach

I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Step 3- Garnish. Remove the spinach from the pan and serve with lemon slices.

Arman’s recipe tips

Extra aromatics. Sauté shallots, onion, ginger, or scallions with the garlic. Bacon. Spinach and bacon go hand in hand, so cook bacon in the skillet, then use the bacon fat in place of oil to wilt the spinach. Cheese. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the spinach, or for a vegan option, use nutritional yeast. Garnish with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Storage instructions

To store: Store leftover spinach in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. The beauty of this spinach recipe is that it makes a great side or addition to all sorts of dishes. Here are some ideas:

Add it to pumpkin curry soup, stuffed pepper soup, or no bean chili Mix it into scrambled eggs, an egg white omelet, or my cottage cheese eggs Fold it into a spinach frittata Stir it into cottage cheese alfredo Add it to wraps, like my copycat Starbucks spinach feta wraps or salad wraps Stuff it into my stuffed salmon, stuffed chicken breast, or stuffed pork chops

To freeze: Transfer leftovers to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to three months. Reheating: Reheat in a large skillet or microwave in 20-second intervals until warm.