Learning how to saute spinach is one of the easiest things that a new cook can learn how to do.
However, it will also be fairly shocking to see what happens the first time that you do it.
When cooked spinach shrinks down at a surprising rate.
You can expect spinach to shrink by at least 50% when it is sauteed.
A lot of spinach yields a little spinach – When you fill your pan with raw spinach it is easy to think that you have too much spinach. This is not at all try. A full pan of raw spinach will likely only yield about half a cup of spinach at best.
Always wash and dry your fresh spinach – Spinach has a habit of trapping dirt. You want to completely wash and dry it so that you don’t end up with gritty particles in your dish. Properly washing spinach can be a bit time consuming but it is well worth it.
Saute spinach with the proper pan – It is best to saute spinach in a pan that has high rounded sides. The rounded sides will help you when you are stirring the spinach in the pan. The high sides will help you keep the spinach contained.
Work in batches – Since spinach shrinks dramatically when cooked it is best to work in batches. Fill your frying pan about ¾ full of spinach and allow that to cook down. Keep adding more spinach as more room is available.
How To Wash Fresh Spinach
- Working in small batches, place a colander in your sink. Add small bits of spinach and then run cold water over the spinach.
- Using your hands swish around the spinach and make sure that each leaf has been rinsed.
- Using your hands remove the leaves from the colander and place on a clean towel or folded up paper towels.
- Repeat this process until all of your spinach has been washed.
- Pat the spinach leaves dry or allow them to air dry.
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When I was growing up, I wouldn’t eat anything green.
Now it is super rare if spinach isn’t in my refrigerator.
I love to saute it with garlic and mushrooms.
Get creative when you are sauteing your spinach.
Consider adding in wine, garlic, bell pepper, onion or anything that you can come up with.
Spinach is such a healthy and versatile ingredient.
How To Saute Spinach
How to saute spinach with just 3 ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 pound of spinach
- 1 T olive oil
- ¼ t salt
Instructions
- Wash and dry your spinach.
- Add olive oil to the pan and turn to medium heat.
- Add spinach to the heated pan until pan is ¾ the way full.
- Cook spinach for about 2 minutes or until spinach is starting to wilt.
- Add more spinach to the pan and continue until all spinach is done.
- Stir in salt