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I talk a lot about produce on this blog, but when I’m planning out my meals at home, I almost always start from the protein. But a protein alone does not make a meal. Usually. So having a bunch of go to vegetable sides makes meal planning easy. Sautéed spinach with green garlic is one of my easy, Whole30 sides that works for any meal.
Sauté Spinach On Low Heat to Maximize Sweetness
Cooked spinach has a totally different flavor than raw spinach. This is likely due to a high oxalate content in raw spinach which is gently cooked out when wilting the spinach. Those oxalates contribute to the bitterness of mature spinach, but when they’re gone, you’ll be able to taste the background sweetness in the leaves.
The key here is to cook the spinach slowly, on low heat. But, this is spinach we are talking about here, so it’s not like I’m saying this will take hours. More like ten minutes as opposed to two. In the grand scheme of things, it’s still pretty fast.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Spinach
Spinach is a leafy green vegetable in the amaranth family (quinoa is a relative). It’s extremely nutritious, and has a high Vitamin K content.
Contrary to popular opinion, though, it isn’t an iron powerhouse. The iron that is present here isn’t terribly bioavailable. The good news? Sauteed spinach is a classic steakhouse side, so serve this up with your favorite grilled steak, which will be much better for getting your iron in.
Try the same technique with kale, or another dark, leafy green; cooking times will need to be adjusted in these cases, and I recommend separating the leaves from the stems for these rougher greens. Save the stems and make some bread with them so they don’t go to waste!
Green Garlic
Green garlic, also known as baby garlic, is an immature garlic plant that is harvested before the bulb has a chance to develop. It is milder than the garlic bulbs that we are all familiar with, and it caramelizes beautifully when sautéed at a low temperature. Almost like making an easy, quick version of garlic confit.
Green garlic is usually easy to find at the farmers market throughout June. However, if you can’t find it, feel free to substitute with garlic scapes, ramps, or even just a few garlic cloves or some thinly sliced shallots. This recipe is all about technique; it is easy to switch up the flavors based on your tastes and what is available.
Tips and Tricks
While it might be tempting to go with a box of pre-washed baby spinach, I highly recommend using mature spinach. Save the baby spinach for raw applications; it is more delicate in both form and flavor. Really, it is best to think of these two as completely different vegetables, since they excel in different ways.
There’s an added bonus here as well: mature spinach is cheaper than baby spinach.
Serving Suggestions
I can’t think of a protein where this sautéed spinach wouldn’t work. I served this with a seared trout, but it would pair beautifully with steak, chicken, salmon, dinosaur.* It all works.
Unfortunately, most sautéed greens don’t freeze very well. You know those blocks of spinach you can get in the freezer section of the grocery store? Basically, the same thing happens here, so I don’t recommend making more than what you plan to eat that evening.
*Probably. I didn’t test this theory with real dinosaurs.
Sautéed Spinach with Green Garlic
Sautéed spinach with green garlic is one of my easy, Whole30 sides that works for any meal.
Ingredients
- 3 stalks green garlic
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 bunch spinach, approximately 10oz
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Finely slice the white and light green portions of the green garlic on a bias.
- Heat the avocado oil in a small saucepan on medium low heat. Add the sliced green garlic, and sauté until garlic becomes golden, approximately 5 minutes.
- Add the spinach to the saucepan and cover. Turn the heat down to low, and wilt the spinach for about 10 minutes.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Save the deep green portion of the green garlic stalks and use it on a dish in place of scallions, that way nothing goes to waste.
