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    Sautéed Spinach, Mushrooms, and Caramelized Onions

    Published: Apr 28, 2014 / 71 Comments

    398.0K shares
    • Facebook1.7K
    Recipe Print

    Sautéed Spinach, Mushrooms, and Caramelized Onions - a delicious side dish recipe that will go great with lots of main dishes. Serve it with pasta, grilled meats, or seafood. You can also make it instead of gravy for the holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas).

    mushroom sauce with caramelized onions and spinach in a stainless steel pan.

    The flavors of mushrooms, spinach, caramelized onions, garlic, and Parmesan cheese mingle really well in this meatless recipe. It's quite versatile: you can eat it as-is, especially if you're craving some good-tasting, creamy vegetables.  You can serve it alongside some pasta, ravioli, or tortellini. It is also great with grilled steak, pork, or chicken.

    For me, personally, this delicious Sautéed Spinach with Mushrooms and Caramelized Onions is a favorite side dish for grilled meats. The recipe is flexible: you can exclude the creamy sauce and Parmesan cheese if you're trying to eat a little bit healthier (even though the recipe doesn't use much of either). You can also omit onions if you don't like them, or, if you don't have time to caramelize them, saute them.

    creamy caramelized onion sauce with spinach and mushrooms in a stainless steel pan.
    4.93 from 27 votes

    Sautéed Spinach, Mushrooms, and Caramelized Onions

    Delicious Sautéed Spinach with Mushrooms and Caramelized Onions is a favorite side dish for grilled meats.  This meatless recipe is quite versatile: you can eat it as-is, or you can serve it alongside some pasta, ravioli, or tortellini. It is also great with grilled steak, pork, or chicken.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 40 mins
    Course sauce, Side Dish
    Cuisine American, Italian
    Servings 4 people
    Calories per serving 301 kcal
    Author: Julia

    Ingredients

    Caramelized onions

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 3 yellow onions , large, sliced
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

    Other ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 10 oz mushrooms , sliced (I used button mushrooms)
    • 6 oz spinach
    • 1 cup half-and-half
    • 1 cup Parmesan cheese , shredded
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions 

    How to caramelize onions:

    • Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add sliced onions and cook on high heat for about 10 minutes, constantly stirring with the spatula.
    • The onions should start to brown, but without burning.
    • Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking onions for 10 more minutes, continuing to stir, as onions brown even more without burning. At this point add a pinch of salt over onions.
    • Continue cooking for 10 more minutes on medium or low heat, stirring occasionally to make sure onions don’t stick to the bottom of the pan or burn.
    • In total, you should have cooked onions for 30 minutes.
    • Remove the skillet from heat and sprinkle the onions with a small amount of balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan.
    • Using a spatula, stir the onions, scraping the bottom of the pan and coating onions with a pinch of balsamic vinegar you just added. Remove caramelized onions to a plate.

    How to cook mushrooms and spinach:

    • Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the same skillet on medium heat. Add sliced mushrooms. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
    • Cook mushrooms for about 5 minutes, occasionally stirring, until mushrooms are soft.
    • Add fresh spinach to the skillet and stir on low heat just until spinach starts to wilt.

    How to make a creamy sauce

    • Add half-and-half to the mushroom and spinach mixture and bring to a quick boil. Immediately reduce to simmer.
    • Add ⅔ cup of shredded Parmesan cheese and ¼ teaspoon salt. Keep stirring while the sauce simmers until the cheese melts.
    • Add caramelized onions back to the skillet with the pasta sauce.
    • If the sauce is too thick, add a small amount of half-and-half to thin it out. If it is too thin, add a small amount of shredded Parmesan cheese, and stir it in, while the sauce simmers.

    Notes

    Substitute for half-and-half:  Use ½ cup of heavy cream + ½ cup of milk instead of 1 cup of half-and-half.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Information
    Sautéed Spinach, Mushrooms, and Caramelized Onions
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    301
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    21
    g
    32
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    9
    g
    56
    %
    Polyunsaturated Fat
     
    1
    g
    Monounsaturated Fat
     
    9
    g
    Cholesterol
     
    38
    mg
    13
    %
    Sodium
     
    770
    mg
    33
    %
    Potassium
     
    691
    mg
    20
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    16
    g
    5
    %
    Fiber
     
    3
    g
    13
    %
    Sugar
     
    8
    g
    9
    %
    Protein
     
    15
    g
    30
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    4399
    IU
    88
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    20
    mg
    24
    %
    Calcium
     
    425
    mg
    43
    %
    Iron
     
    2
    mg
    11
    %
    * 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 onion sauce, spinach mushrooms onions
    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!

    Sauteed spinach, mushrooms, and onions, side dish, vegetarian recipe, how to cook vegetables

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Karen

      January 16, 2023 at 9:23 pm

      This was super good and my husband loved it . It’s a great recipe. Thanks for sharing it . It will be on the repeat list !

      Reply
      • Julia

        January 22, 2023 at 3:39 pm

        Karen, I am so happy you've added this recipe to your rotation. Thank you for the glowing review and 5 stars! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Debbie

      December 05, 2022 at 10:33 pm

      Hi Julia,
      I recently discovered your album and I am loving the recipes! I just made this sauce tonight over Rotini and my husband and I love it! It was so easy to make and was super delicious and healthier than my normal fast food. Thank you

      Reply
      • Julia

        December 06, 2022 at 2:03 am

        Debbie, I am so glad you found my food blog! Thank you for taking the time to share such a positive comment! 🙂 I hope you'll find other recipes you like.

        Reply
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