Easy Sautéed Spinach and Mushrooms Recipe

Spinach is a nutrient-rich leafy green. Grocery stores sell frozen and fresh spinach year-round, making it a versatile ingredient for weeknight dinners. Most of the spinach at the grocery store or farmer's market is baby spinach, featuring small, tender leaves containing high water content.

Chefs sauté fresh baby spinach for dishes like creamed spinach, spinach and artichoke dip, quiche, and chicken Florentine. Raw spinach has a distinct flavor that mellows out during cooking. Garlic, onions, and cheese are popular flavor pairings with spinach.

A mushroom is the edible body of a fungus. Mushrooms usually grow above ground, in soil, or on trees. They have a high water content and, therefore, cook down to be much smaller. Fresh mushrooms have a unique earthy flavor but also absorb the flavors of other ingredients well. Portobello, cremini, shiitake, and button mushrooms are common varieties at grocery stores.

To clean mushrooms, wipe them down with a wet paper towel or dishcloth before you cook them. Avoid submerging them in water, as mushrooms absorb moisture like a sponge.

Sautéing is a high-heat cooking method that uses a small amount of oil and regular stirring. Even with a low smoke point, olive oil is a common oil for sautéing. You can also use butter, avocado oil, sesame oil, or safflower oil.

When sautéing spinach and mushrooms, keep in mind both contain a lot of moisture. Water will cause splattering when it comes into contact with hot oil. Additionally, mushrooms require more oil for sautéing than other vegetables because they absorb it while they cook.

If you plan to sauté a large amount of spinach and mushrooms, cook them in batches so they sauté rather than simmer in their excess water.