Simple Sautéed Spinach Recipe: How to Make Sautéed Spinach

Sautéing is a technique that involves cooking food on the stovetop in a small amount of fat. It's best for quick-cooking ingredients, which is why fresh spinach leaves are ideal for the sauté pan. The process of preparing sautéed spinach, though, differs from a typical sauté in which a brown, crispy crust is the goal. Sautéing spinach is all about quickly cooking the greens to a tender mass and involves a bit of steaming.

Follow these three easy steps to perfectly sauté spinach:

1. 1. Prep the spinach leaves. Sautéed spinach is best made with fresh spinach leaves. Frozen spinach tends to break apart, which is great for artichoke dip or saag paneer, but not for sautéed spinach. Rinse fresh spinach leaves under cold running water and drain slightly, leaving a little water clinging to the leaves. Baby spinach does not need to be chopped, but for larger spinach leaves, cut off the woody, dry tip of the stem and roughly chop the leaves. The leaves will shrink during cooking.
2. 2. Warm the pan. Heat the oil in a sauté pan, large skillet, Dutch oven, or other vessel large enough to hold all of the spinach. A sauté pan is a large, flat-bottomed pan with straight sides that allows for maximum surface area and minimum spillage, and it is ideal for sautéing spinach.
3. 3. Add the spinach. When the oil just starts to shimmer, add the spinach, salt, pepper, or other seasonings. Cook spinach over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the leaves have wilted.

Elevate a sautéed spinach side dish with a few simple add-ons. Some popular additions to the greens include:

1. 1. Oil: Sautéed spinach can be simply served with oil and salt. Use olive oil for European cuisine and sesame oil to complement Asian dishes.
2. 2. Acid: Squeeze lemon juice on your sautéed spinach after removing it from the heat. You can also add balsamic vinegar for sweetness, or red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or rice wine vinegar to suit your main dish.
3. 3. Greens: Try mixing spinach with other tender greens like Swiss chard, baby kale, or tatsoi for a more nuanced flavor.
4. 4. Alliums: Garlic is a popular add-on for sautéed spinach. Add whole peeled or thinly sliced garlic cloves to the pan at the same time as the spinach. You can also sauté thinly sliced shallots or onions, then add the spinach when the onions are translucent.
5. 5. Nuts: Garnish sautéed spinach with toasted nuts. Try pine nuts or walnuts, and toast the nuts separately to avoid burning.
6. 6. Dairy: For extra richness, add a sprinkle of parmesan or a pat of butter after you’ve taken the spinach off the heat.
7. 7. Spice: If you like your spinach a little spicy, try adding red pepper flakes or even thinly sliced fresh chiles.