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    How to Cook Fresh Spinach

    Published: Apr 22, 2015 / 53 Comments

    49.3K shares
    • Facebook349
    Recipe Print

    Spinach cooked with garlic and olive oil in a skillet on stove top, then sprinkled with freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest. Easy instructions on how to cook spinach the easy way, the natural way.

    sauteed spinach, cooked spinach, cooked spinach recipes, spinach recipes

    This is the recipe for the best cooked spinach. It's cooked with a minimum of ingredients, with the addition of just olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Tasty, quick, healthy, and beautiful side dish! Scroll down to see how to cook spinach.   Spinach goes great with pasta, grilled meats, steak, and chicken. It's very easy to make, inexpensive, paleo, vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free!

    Cooking tips

    If you have too much spinach, or want a steakhouse quality side dish for your grilled meats, this is the right recipe for you! The secret to how to cook fresh spinach properly is to not overcook it.

    • Spinach really requires only a couple of minutes of cooking, and then you just let it wilt, off heat, in a covered pan. That's pretty much all there is to it, plus you also sauté some garlic for flavor.
    • When cooking the garlic, make sure it doesn't burn so keep stirring at all times.
    • Add just a touch of fresh lemon juice to your cooked spinach.   Do not add a lot, only about a quarter of a small lemon. Do not use bottled lemon juice as it is too acidic!
    • Finally, top the spinach with lemon zest!  Again, not a lot of lemon zest, just a touch to add a subtle citrus flavor.

    That's how easy it is to cook spinach!

    fresh spinach recipes, easy spinach recipes, recipe for spinach

    How to cook spinach on stove top

    Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add 3 cloves of minced fresh garlic and saute the garlic for about 1 minute, constantly stirring.

    Add spinach, a handful at a time, and adding another handful as spinach wilts, and cook, uncovered, on medium-high heat for only a minute or two

    add fresh spinach to a large skillet with garlic

    This is what the spinach looks like after being cooked only for 1 minute and having been sitting for 2-3 more minutes, off heat, in a covered pan (the photo right below). See how pretty it is, and it has that steakhouse beautiful texture to it?

    Spinach doesn't need more than 1 minute of cooking in a preheated skillet.  If you cook it longer, the texture will suffer (it will be crumbly), and spinach can acquire some sort of bitterness to it.

    wilted spinach in a large all-clad skillet

    Top the spinach with finely grated lemon zest which adds just the right amount of kick!

    add orange zest over cooked spinach

    Easy main dishes to go with cooked spinach

    • Pan-Fried Pork Chops with Honey Lime Glaze
    • Cilantro Lime Honey Garlic Salmon
    • Trout with Garlic Lemon Butter Herb Sauce
    • Honey Lime Chicken Thighs

    Similar side dishes

    If you liked this freshly cooked spinach, you might also like these freshly cooked green veggies:

    • Asiago Bacon Garlic Roasted Asparagus - baked in the oven.
    • Oven Roasted Asiago Cheese Broccoli - crunchy and crispy broccoli baked in the oven.
    • Garlic and Bacon Green Beans - sautéed on stove top in olive oil and butter.
    4.98 from 40 votes

    How to Cook Fresh Spinach

    Spinach is cooked with olive oil and garlic, made even better with freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest.  Cook spinach the easy way!  Easy to make - only about 10 minutes total cooking time!  Healthy and beautiful side dish to grilled meats, steak, and chicken.  Inexpensive, paleo, vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 5 mins
    Total Time 10 mins
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine Mediterranean
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories per serving 94 kcal
    Author: Julia

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 16 oz spinach fresh
    • 3 garlic cloves
    • ¼ whole lemon (freshly squeezed lemon juice)
    • 2 tablespoons lemon zest or peel
    • salt and cracked pepper

    Instructions 

    • Sautee spinach uncovered - to really get best spinach results, you cook it just enough to wilt - don't overcook.
    • Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add 3 cloves of minced fresh garlic when the oil is hot, and saute the garlic for about 1 minute to release the flavor, constantly stirring to keep garlic from burning.
    • Add spinach, a handful at a time, and adding another handful as spinach wilts, and cook, uncovered, on medium-high heat for only 1 minute, constantly stirring, uncovered.
    • Remove from heat and cover. Let it sit for 2-3 minutes. Uncover, and mix. Squeeze just a touch of fresh lemon juice right out of the lemon (using about a quarter of small lemon), and stir to combine. Do not use bottled lemon juice (it's too acidic).
    • Taste the spinach, and add a pinch of salt, if needed (about ⅛ teaspoon), and fresh cracked pepper. It should be enough, add more salt and pepper if needed. Top with lemon zest.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Information
    How to Cook Fresh Spinach
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    94
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    7
    g
    11
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    1
    g
    6
    %
    Sodium
     
    90
    mg
    4
    %
    Potassium
     
    651
    mg
    19
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    5
    g
    2
    %
    Fiber
     
    3
    g
    13
    %
    Protein
     
    3
    g
    6
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    10635
    IU
    213
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    40
    mg
    48
    %
    Calcium
     
    120
    mg
    12
    %
    Iron
     
    3.1
    mg
    17
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

    Keyword cooked spinach, how to cook spinach
    Tried this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment and provide a Star Rating below - I love your feedback and try to respond to every comment!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Teal

      August 27, 2022 at 2:33 pm

      I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but plan on using it tomorrow. May I ask, how many servings of cooked spinach does 16 oz. of fresh make? Thank you.

      Reply
      • Julia

        August 29, 2022 at 6:20 pm

        Approximately, 16 oz of fresh spinach will result in about 2 cups of cooked spinach. As far as how many servings that is, I think that depends on how you use the spinach. If you use cooked spinach as a moderately sized side (not too big and not too tiny), it should be 4 servings (1/2 cup of cooked spinach per serving). I hope you try this recipe and like it! It's simple but delicious! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Colette

      November 02, 2021 at 8:39 pm

      It was amazing I'm 7 months pregnant and am struggling with low iron so this helped us out he's a kicking away

      Reply
      • Julia

        November 03, 2021 at 1:44 pm

        Colette, I am glad you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Katherine paul

      June 11, 2021 at 2:47 am

      Is it ok if I used coconut oil instead of olive oil?

      Reply
      • Julia

        July 13, 2021 at 6:51 pm

        Yes, I think coconut oil will work just fine!

        Reply
    4. Saifuddin Abdullah

      April 25, 2021 at 5:44 am

      Very good simple delicious recipe..

      Reply
    5. Carl

      July 12, 2020 at 11:28 am

      This turned out great

      Reply
    6. Sidney

      April 13, 2020 at 4:03 pm

      Delicious!

      Reply
    7. Robert Shipley

      March 18, 2020 at 10:02 pm

      thank you! Just bought fresh spinach for the first time last night. going to try it now. So far, you're the first and only recipe I read. Appreciate it

      Reply
    8. Natasha Smith

      February 06, 2020 at 5:18 pm

      I am trying this tonight 🙂 be my first time cooking fresh spinach. Gonna add minced garlic and butter and salt and pepper and tomatoes:) let ya now how I do haha ty for recioe

      Reply
      • Julia

        February 19, 2020 at 7:44 pm

        Enjoy the recipe!

        Reply
    9. CAROL ERASMUS

      September 09, 2019 at 4:57 am

      I am about to try cooking my first batch. Tonight is the night. Please hold thumbs for me. Can I add tomato, peeled and onion too? Many thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
      • Julia

        September 28, 2019 at 2:44 pm

        Of course, you can add tomatoes and onions. You can also add spinach and caramelized onions, and even some cream. Take a look at this recipe: Sauteed Spinach, Mushrooms, and Caramelized Onions.

        Reply
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