And then I was like, NEW YEAR NEW ME I don’t care what people think about me and my sautéed spinach. There’s a little restaurant where I live that serves one of my most favorite things to eat in this entire world, and it also happens to be very New Year’s Resolution friendly. And whether or not I’m watching my carbs, if I eat there, I always order this as the side dish. That’s right. would rather eat this than all the other side dishes that they offer, including all manner of potatoes and other glorious carbohydrates.
There are a lot of reasons to love this recipe. Like:
It’s a FAST side dish–about 5 minutes. With minimal prep. You can use all that spinach that made you feel really good to buy last week and now you feel really guilty because you’re about to throw it away. It’s a nice way to mix things up if you’re tired of salads. It cooks down so much that a v. intimidating bowl of spinach is now a tiny portion of cooked, garlicky spinach. You can easily make it ahead for meal prep bowls, omelets, etc.
If the texture of cooked spinach ooks you out, I have a few tips. First, use baby spinach instead of mature spinach–it won’t be as stringy. Also, you can always try not cooking it not quite as long–remove it from heat before it gets slimy. If that’s still not doing it for you, you can always try kale. No matter how cool it would make me (or would have made me 4 years ago), I still think eating raw kale is kind of like eating yard trimmings, but cooked kale holds up beautifully. You’re going to need 2 tablespoons of your favorite fat (that sounds kind of like a TV show title. But seriously. Flavored olive oils work great here, especially if you’re not eating this right away because it won’t congeal. But butter and rendered bacon grease are also delicious.) You’ll also need 10 ounces of baby spinach and 10 (yes, ten. Some things never change.) cloves of minced garlic,
kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and 1-2 teaspoons of Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add the spinach and most of the garlic (save about 1 tablespoon of garlic to add near the end. Also, you might need to add about half the spinach and allow it to wilt a little before adding the rest.) When the spinach has cooked to where it’s about at the top of the pan, add the remaining garlic and cook, stirring very frequently, until the spinach is almost completely cooked down and most of the liquid has evaporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper and vinegar or lemon juice. Serve immediately or save for meal prep bowls, omelets, etc.
