Who knew sautéed spinach could taste so good? This quick and easy spinach recipe is a delicious low calorie side to any main dish. It has an extra kick of flavor from olive oil, garlic, onion, a dash of crushed red pepper and lemon. Plus it can be ready in 15 minutes or less!
Spinach has had a bad rep for a while now regardless of Popeye’s love for it. It can be slimy and weird when done wrong and I’m sure we all have had bad sautéed spinach at one time or another. Well, fear not spinach haters – better spinach is on the way!
I’m a big fan of spinach and love that you can use it in so many types of recipes! It’s quick cooking, easy to incorporate into pretty much anything and so good for you.
This recipe showcases fresh greens with minced garlic and crushed red pepper flakes as a versatile vegetable side dish, but you can use it so many different ways. From healthy side dishes, breakfasts, main dishes, smoothies, you name it – I cook with spinach A LOT. It’s one of the most used veggie add-ins on this website.
For more vegetarian recipe suggestions, check out my spinach pancakes, my easy veggie quiche which is always a cozy favorite at any gathering, or this portobello stuffed vegetarian dinner with spinach for a flavorful, nutrient dense main dish.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Quick and simple since it will be ready in 15 minutes.
- Perfect side dish to fish, chicken, other veggie entrees… whatever you’d like!
- Easy to heat up and use as leftovers.
- This garlicky sautéed spinach and garlic recipe is entirely vegan, gluten free, Whole 30 compliant, paleo, Keto, low carb – did I leave anything out? It works for any diet!
- It’s a great warm dish of leafy greens for winter when you don’t want a salad or smoothie!
Featured Comment:
“To quote the old Chicago ballad, “I’ve been searching so long, to find the answer…” to truly delicious cooked spinach, and lo and behold, I’ve finally found it! Praise be!!! The lemon juice makes all the difference!!! I still love spinach raw, but when it gets a little past its “spinach salad fresh” prime, I’ve got a viable, quick, easy, and delicious alternative!”
– ALYCIA NICHOLS
Ingredients
This spinach recipe calls for simple ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Olive oil – this adds the perfect base for any vegetable sauté and since the pan won’t heat over 400° F, it is completely fine for this recipe.
- Onion – onion adds great flavor in this recipe but you can leave it out if you don’t like it.
- Garlic – fresh is best and it will take about 3 medium sized garlic cloves but store bought minced garlic is fine too.
- Spinach – you’ll need a whole pound of spinach, but it cooks down significantly. It’s a great way to use up fresh spinach leaves. Fresh baby spinach works great and so does mature spinach with the tough stems cut off with any large pieces chopped.
- Salt & Pepper – I used Himalayan pink salt and fresh cracked pepper which you can adjust to preference.
- Lemon Juice – use fresh lemon juice to give the dish acidity and freshness to round out the full flavor profile.
- Red Pepper Flakes – this add a little bit of heat but it’s optional. I leave them out whenever I’m either not craving spice or if it just won’t go well with whatever else I’m serving. You can swap for whatever spice or other seasoning you prefer.
Step by step process
To highlight how easy this recipe is, I’ve broken it into a three step picture process!
- Heat oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add and sauté onion for a few minutes until it starts to turn translucent.
- Add spinach, salt, and pepper and cook down until brighter in color, wilted, and tender, stirring as the spinach cooks.
- Add a squeeze of lemon and red pepper flakes (if desired) to the cooked spinach, and you’re done!
- Use a slotted spoon to move the sautéed greens to a serving plate and serve right away while warm.
Yup, it’s that easy!
Tips and tricks
Tips and Tricks
- To keep your final dish from getting watery, use a slotted spoon to move the spinach onto a serving plate or bowl.
- I like to use baby spinach since it is easier to work with and sautéed fresh baby spinach has a more delicate flavor and texture. Mature spinach works too though if you chop up any extra large pieces and remove the stems. You can use up some of the older spinach you haven’t gotten around to yet too. Just make sure to check for and discard any older slimy pieces and rinse well. If using mature spinach, chop any big spinach leaves that are larger than hand sized once or twice to make it easier to eat and remove stems.
- Always wash your spinach! Ideally use a salad spinner and cold water. This way you can rinse using the bowl part, then the colander portion and then spin it all dry. You can also rinse in a colander and pat dry with kitchen towels. Even pre-washed baby spinach should be rinsed but you won’t need to be as thorough with it.
- You can use this cooked spinach in any recipe that calls for frozen, just leave out the lemon and crushed red pepper.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and microwave before eating.
- Worried your sauteed spinach will be bitter? Cooking in olive oil and using fresh garlic and onions truly transforms spinach and removes the bitter taste!
What to pair sautéed spinach with
It’s such a versatile healthy side dish that it will go well with pretty much anything, but here are some of my favorite pairings:
- With salmon (this Traeger Smoked Salmon or this oven baked salmon) or fish of any kind
- Alongside bison meatballs or another saucy pasta
- Served with scrambled eggs or poached eggs for breakfast
Easy 15-Minute Fresh Sautéed Spinach with Garlic
Ingredients
- 1 lb. fresh baby spinach
- 1 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
- 2 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oil in large pot over medium heat.
- Add onion and sauté 2-3 minutes until onion starts to turn translucent.
- Add garlic and stir a minute longer until garlic is aromatic but not brown.
- Add spinach, salt, and pepper and stir to coat spinach in oil. Continue stirring every 30 seconds until spinach is wilted (about 4-5 mins). Do not continue cooking once spinach is done wilting. Immediately remove from heat.
- Add lemon juice and red pepper flakes (if desired) and stir. Adjust salt level if needed. Transfer to a serving dish with a slotted spoon to drain out the juices and serve.
Notes
- Use a slotted spoon to move the spinach onto a serving plate or bowl since it releases a lot of excess water when cooking.
- If using mature spinach, chop any big spinach leaves that are larger than hand sized once or twice to make it easier to eat and remove stems.
- Always wash your spinach! Ideally use a salad spinner and cold water. This way you can rinse using the bowl part, then the colander portion and then spin it all dry. You can also rinse in a colander and pat dry with kitchen towels. Even pre-washed baby spinach should be rinsed but you won’t need to be as thorough with it.
- You can use this cooked spinach in any recipe that calls for frozen, just leave out the lemon and crushed red pepper.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and microwave before eating.
Nutrition
did you make this recipe?
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Originally published October 13, 2015. The post content has been updated sine then but the recipe is the same.
Comments & Reviews
Made this for dinner and my boyfriend has requested a repeat performance. I will definitely be making this again
That is fantastic! Every time I make it, I’m blown away by how simple it is. Makes it easy to wow the boyfriend!
Not gonna lie … this was not the best sauteed spinach dish I’ve ever made. To be fair, I may have used too much onion, but truth be told, I think I prefer my spinach without onion at all. Nevertheless, I read Christy’s bio and saw her cute pics and that alone makes me want to give her recipes another chance. I especially liked how honest she was about her health problems and I am sure many who come to this website (myself included) are wondering if what has worked for her will work for others. In fact, I can’t wait to try another one of her recipes!
Hi Lisa – Sorry to hear you didn’t like the onion addition! This is the way I like it best but you can always leave it out or customize to your preference. 🙂
This sautéed spinach recipe sounds like a flavor-packed side dish that transforms a simple veggie into something extraordinary! I love the addition of olive oil, garlic, onion, and that dash of crushed red pepper for a little heat—plus a squeeze of lemon to brighten it all up. It’s the perfect low-calorie side that’s ready in no time and sure to elevate any main dish. So simple, yet so delicious!
Wow, that’s a glowing review – that made my week! Thank you for coming back and commenting and letting me know what you think of the recipe! 🙂
Yes. Im starting to LOVE sauteed spinach! Put a lil twist on it & added sweet red peppers to it really really delicious
That sounds simply AMAZING!
Nice and Easy… I like throwing some sliced mushrooms in with the onions and garlic.Yummy!
That sounds absolutely delicious!
Thanks. Great recipe. I cooked my spinach with scallops and added it to butternut squah noodles with pesto. A very delicious dinner.
Spinach and lemon juice is a match-made-in-heaven. Thank you so much for this wonderful post and recipe Christy. I’ve included it in a mini spinach recipe roundup.
Awesome! And thanks for sharing the love! I’ll make sure to share your post on Pinterest. 🙂
That was soo delicious! Will be a new staple in our home for sure!
Great! I love having this recipe in my back pocket since it’s the EASIEST side dish ever. 🙂
Would this work with frozen spinach?
I haven’t tried it but think it would probably work. It wouldn’t taste as fresh but would probably be okay!
To quote the old Chicago ballad, “I’ve been searching so long, to find the answer…” to truly delicious cooked spinach, and lo and behold, I’ve finally found it! Praise be!!! The lemon juice makes all the difference!!! I still love spinach raw, but when it gets a little past its “spinach salad fresh” prime, I’ve got a viable, quick, easy, and delicious alternative!
Praise be!! Its the best way to use up that old spinach that isn’t bad, but isn’t salad quality! I’ve switched up the seasonings a few times to match whatever I’m serving it with too and have had a lot of success with that, just FYI. 😉
I would love to try this recipe but there are too many ads popping up between each sentence. It’s frustrating to attempt to follow. Do you have a print button in your recipes? Maybe I’m overlooking it?
Update: I went out and back into the site and found the recipe with print button. No ads. Trying this for dinner tonight.
Thank you so much for letting me know Chandra! My ad settings have been going a bit wonky lately and I’m trying to get it worked out. I’m glad it was better the second time you visited!
This is SO good. I cannot believe the difference it makes to add lemon, garlic, onion and red pepper flakes. Yum. Now I love sautéed spinach. Thank you!
Right? So simple but it comes together so well!
OMG just made this so good I love it
Awesome! Happy to hear Roxana! 🙂
I just made this tonight and it was amazing! So flavorful! I had to make a few changes in order to meet my nutritarian lifestyle but they were minimal (I replaced the oil with veggie broth and added 4 chopped mushroom caps to the mix). Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!
Glad to hear you liked the recipe and thanks for the tips! I’m going to have to try that next time I make this. 🙂
Wuuh… i made it. Excellnt taste n good nutrition . Thanks lot.
Oh good! Its such a simple recipe, but comes together so well. 🙂