Sautéed spinach is a tasty, fast and nutritious dish. It’s made in under 10 minutes and so simple! For extra flavor, we cook the spinach with sliced garlic and lemon zest. As the spinach quickly cooks in the pan, it wilts, turns bright green, and becomes tender. Jump to the Lemony Sautéed Spinach Recipe
Our Favorite Way to Cook Spinach
This is a simple, delicious, and healthy recipe for cooking spinach. It’s also my go-to method. If you have never sautéed spinach before, you need to start. As the spinach leaves cook in the pan, they wilt, turn tender and become sweet. Spinach may sound like a boring side, but this is one of our favorite sides to make. It’s fast and so simple.
Spinach is a nutrient powerhouse. It’s good for you with high levels of vitamin K, C, iron and potassium. Not to mention, when cooked properly, it tastes fantastic.
We cook most dark, leafy greens this way. Check out our lemon garlic sautéed kale and if you love quick cooked vegetables on the stove, our sautéed cabbage and easy sautéed Brussels sprouts are fan favorites.
Unlike other heartier greens (like kale), you do not need to remove spinach leaves from the stems. We cook both the stems and the leaves in this recipe!
Making this spinach recipe could not be simpler. Heat some fat in a skillet and then add garlic and lemon zest. When they are warmed and starting to smell aromatic, add spinach leaves and cook, tossing the leaves around the pan until bright green, wilted, and tender. It takes less than 10 minutes!
More Easy Spinach Recipes
- Healthier Spinach Lasagna with Mushrooms
- Sausage and Spinach Fettuccine Alfredo
- Spinach Feta Breakfast Burritos
- Fresh and Easy Veggie Spaghetti
- Unbelievably Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Lemony Sauteed Spinach
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Sautéed spinach is a tasty, fast and nutritious dish. It’s made in under 10 minutes and so simple! For extra flavor, we cook the spinach with sliced garlic and lemon zest. As the spinach quickly cooks in the pan, it wilts, turns bright green, and becomes tender.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 to 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Zest of half a lemon
10 ounces spinach leaves (8 to 10 cups)
Pinch sea salt
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes, optional
Directions
1Add olive oil, garlic and the lemon zest to a wide skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the oil is bubbling around the garlic, about 30 seconds. Pile the spinach leaves into the pan and add a generous pinch of salt. Wait about 30 seconds or until the bottom layer of leaves have started to wilt, and then toss the leaves around the pan. As the spinach cooks, keep tossing so that all the leaves have a chance to hit the bottom of the skillet.
2When 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).
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- A microplane works nicely to remove lemon zest or you can use a sharp vegetable peeler to peel away the outer yellow skin of the lemon, and then thinly slice the peel (we do this in our video).
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
This sauteed spinach recipe is absolutely delicious. I also add some juice from the zested lemon, about 1 T, but we love lemons. This one is a keeper!
Love your recipes yum easy and tasty thank you especially l o v e the pan cooked spinach. Thanks guys. Nick
Delectable! Went to the store tonight just for these ingredients because it sounded so good. Good one! Try it, everyone! The ref pepper flakes is a great idea.