Spinach is a healthy, leafy green full of nutrients and vitamins. It's delicious raw in your favorite smoothies and salads. And while cooked spinach might make you think of shriveled mush, it doesn't have to be that way. In fact, when done correctly, it's a delicious side to any meal. Generally, the best way to cook spinach is on the stovetop. Sautéing spinach is an especially quick and easy way to cook spinach, which also evaporates excess moisture in the leaves. However, you can also boil or steam spinach in just a few minutes. Whatever you do, learning how to cook spinach in a fast, flavorful way will make things easier, especially for picky eaters.
How to Cook Fresh Spinach
Before you start cooking spinach, you'll want to work with about 1 pound of spinach at a time (it should equal about 12 cups torn). It may seem like a lot, but it cooks down to a much smaller volume. Thoroughly wash and drain spinach properly. Remove stems and tear leaves into pieces, as desired. If you're using baby spinach, the stems generally do not need to be removed, as they're more tender. You also likely won't need to tear the leaves into pieces, because they're already smaller. If you're using prewashed baby spinach, sold in bags in the produce aisle, you can skip washing. Each of the following three methods for cooking spinach makes 4 side-dish servings.
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How to Sauté Spinach
Here's how to cook spinach on the stovetop, starting with our easy sautéed spinach recipe.
Heat about 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 8 to 12 cups of packed spinach, large stems removed.
Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until just wilted.
Stir in salt, pepper, and (if desired) balsamic vinegar or other seasonings to taste. If you want to dress up the side dish, garnish with crisp, cooked bacon pieces.
How to Boil Spinach
To cook fresh spinach in boiling water, place 1 pound of washed spinach, covered, in a small amount of boiling salted water. If you're wondering how long to boil spinach, it should only take a few minutes. Once the steam starts to foam, begin your timer. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender.
How to Steam Spinach
To steam fresh spinach on the stovetop, add water to a pot fitted with a steamer basket ($23, Target). Place 1 pound of spinach on the steamer. When water boils, cook spinach for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender.
6 Fast and Fresh Spinach Side Dish Recipes for a Healthy Meal
How to Cook Canned Spinach
Store-bought canned spinach is fully cooked. To cook, simply place the spinach, along with the liquid from the can, into a saucepan and cook until heated through. Drain and serve. You can optionally add a little butter and season with salt and pepper (though taste the spinach first, as many canned products already contain plenty of sodium).
How to Cream Spinach
For a delicious side dish or party dip, you can easily add richness to baby spinach by adding some butter and cream. Simply start by boiling or steaming the spinach (to your liking, as some people like to have a crunchy texture). Sauté butter, onions, and garlic to kick up the flavor. Add a cup of cream cheese per an 8oz bag of baby spinach, and just stir until it’s all mixed together. Add the spinach and mix. You can also substitute the cream cheese for béchamel (preferably using heavy cream so it’s thick and creamy) or Fettucini Alfredo sauce and grated cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Creamy Orecchiette with Spinach, Artichokes, and Bacon
For an extra boost of nutrients, try adding spinach to your favorite recipes. Throw in a few handfuls to a classic pasta dish during the last few minutes of cooking time until it just starts to wilt. Scramble up some egg whites with spinach for a healthy breakfast. You can also enjoy a wilted spinach salad for lunch or use it as a base for a pan-fried chicken dinner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is spinach truly healthy?
Yes! It is one of the lowest-calorie, nutrient-rich leafy vegetables, with about five calories per cup and just one gram of carbs, making it the perfect addition to any low-carb diet as well. It is not only filling, but it has countless benefits including lowering blood glucose and improving the overall eye, skin, and bone health.
What’s the difference between baby spinach and regular spinach?
Just like new potatoes, baby spinach is simply harvested between two or four weeks after being planted, hence why it’s smaller in size but with a sweeter flavor and tender bite as opposed to mature spinach. Health-benefit and calorie-wise, there’s no difference between both.
Can I swap fresh spinach for frozen?
Yes, depending on what you’re planning to make. Keep in mind that frozen spinach may have a higher content of water, making it a bit mushier if you’re sautéing, for example. However, frozen spinach is excellent flavor and texture-wise for healthy green smoothies, Italian spinach soup, and as an add-in for recipes such as Florentine lasagna or low-calorie casseroles.
To cook fresh spinach in boiling water, place 1 pound of washed spinach, covered, in a small amount of boiling salted water. If you're wondering how long to boil spinach, it should only take a few minutes. Once the steam starts to foam, begin your timer. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender.
Cook it quickly over very high heat, stirring very frequently so the liquid that cooks off evaporates more or less immediately, the pan stays dry, and the spinach leaves are cooking in dry heat, not wet heat.
According to Food Revolution Network, “Steaming spinach has been shown to cut the oxalic acid by 5-53%. Steaming also allows the spinach to retain its folate content, a B-vitamin that helps your body produce DNA.” There are a few more reasons to eat your spinach cooked.
The best cooking method to retain the nutrients in spinach is by steaming or blanching. These methods require minimal contact with water and reduce the exposure to heat, preserving the nutrient content to a significant extent.
Spinach leaves are ready to harvest as soon as they are big enough to eat. Harvest by removing only the outer leaves and allowing the center leaves to grow larger; this will allow the plant to keep producing. Picking the outer leaves also gives the advantage of briefly delaying bolting.
I like to get a pan preheated over medium, drizzle in some olive oil, and toss in about two handfuls of fresh spinach. Stir it around quickly. It will only take a minute or two for all the spinach to become wilted. Once this is achieved, sprinkle on a little salt, dish it out, and you're done!
Are spinach stems good for you? Healthcare professionals generally recommend consuming spinach leaves rather than the stems, as the leaves are richer in nutrients and have a more pleasant texture. While spinach stems are edible and offer some fiber, they may not provide the same nutritional benefits as the leaves.
There are two types of spinach sold at the market. Baby leaves, which are more delicate and perfect raw in salads, and thicker more mature leaves, which are still great for salads but also great for cooking. For more mature, curly leaves, remove any thick, tough stems. Baby spinach stems do not need to be removed.
Spinach releases a lot of water as it cooks. So my father's trick is to drain and dry the spinach leaves as well as you can, using a salad spinner if need be, before cooking them. Then, sauté some garlic in olive oil in a large wide pan, and add the cleaned, drained, and dried spinach leaves to the pan.
Stir-frying or sautéing retains more nutrients than boiling, but if you want to retain the nutrients, steaming and microwaving vegetables may be the optimal cooking methods.
Spinach. The leafy green is packed with nutrients, but you'll absorb more calcium and iron if you eat it cooked. The reason: Spinach is loaded with oxalic acid, which blocks the absorption of iron and calcium but breaks down under high temperatures. What Do You Really Get When You Buy Organic?
If you are stir-frying spinach, you can either start from raw and washed or blanch the spinach first, but you probably should not boil it all the way. You will get spinach that is hot and cooked through, but still has a resilience to it.
Steam it: Steaming spinach is a gentle cooking method that helps retain most of its nutrients, including vitamin C. Simply place the spinach in a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water and cook until it wilts, which should take only a few minutes.
Overcooked spinach can take on a bitter burnt flavor and have an unpleasant mushy texture – not a good way to get people to eat their greens. Direct heat methods like sautéing are most likely to end up with overcooked spinach and call for extra diligence.
Try this: Blanch a bunch of fresh spinach leaves in boiling water for 1 minute, then plunge in ice water for a few more. Drain well and keep wrapped in the fridge. This makes it easy to add a serving of vegetables to omelets, soup, and other dishes. Cooked spinach should keep a few days.
It is advised to lightly prepare kale and spinach before eating it, since even a brief steaming or blanching can help break down oxalic acid and enhance nutritional absorption. In moderation, eating these vegetables uncooked is generally safe, although people with high levels of acidity should exercise caution.
Introduction: My name is Errol Quitzon, I am a fair, cute, fancy, clean, attractive, sparkling, kind person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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