Today I will show you three different ways to cook spinach: sauteing, steaming, and blanching. Any method you choose will produce delicious, leafy greens that are nutrient-dense and make for a quick dish or added ingredient.
Spinach is a staple veggie that’s super-easy to cook frozen or fresh. These excellent greens are great ingredients for side dishes and salads. They have a mild flavor that blends in well with other ingredients while contributing numerous health benefits, like vitamins a, to any dish. Spinach is fantastic in meals such as lasagnas, scrambles, omelets, and quiches. You can add them to foods like casseroles, stir-fry, and hamburgers!
You can find a few different kinds of spinach at your local grocer. The most common form is baby spinach leaves, which are usually eaten raw but come out very well if cooked gently. The more extensive and durable flat or curly-leaf variety tastes better when cooked. And there are three primary ways you can prepare fresh spinach, each delivering a unique texture, flavor, and use.
Three Ways to Cook Spinach
Steamed: Steaming will quickly tenderize and wilt your spinach down, and you won’t need much seasoning after it’s finished cooking.
Blanched: Blanching immediately makes your cooked spinach wilt within seconds and is usually used as a mid-step in preparing a larger meal.
Sauteed: Sauteing spinach relies on dry heat to create flavor on your spinach’s surface while using other ingredients to add flavor.
Steaming Spinach
Steaming spinach creates a high-temperature moist-heated environment that allows you to cook large batches in less than 2 minutes. This method requires less water to produce steam than blanching. The process also helps your steamed spinach retain its vibrant green color as the heat tenderizes your veggies.
You can season cooked spinach with simple seasonings such as salt and pepper. You can also use balsamic vinegar or a bit of lemon juice to help reduce the bitter taste caused by oxalic acid. Depending on the type of cookware you are using, you may want to avoid adding vinegar or fresh lemon juice directly into the pan.
You can also steam spinach in an instant pot by setting the appliance to 0, and your raw spinach leaf will cook as the instapot comes to pressure.
Blanching Spinach
You’ll want to use a big pot with salted hot water when blanching fresh spinach leaves. The spinach will quickly wilt under a minute. This rapid cooking method is helpful if you cook several batches of spinach. Be sure to quickly remove the greens from the hot pot to cold running water to stop the cooking process.
Finally, squeeze out any leftover water to prevent your spinach from becoming too soggy. I like to use the blanching method for making creamed spinach.
Sautéing Spinach
To sauté spinach, add olive oil into a big skillet and heat it on medium high heat. The fat from the oil will assist in searing the leaves while adding a bit of light growing to kick off the seasoning. Around this time, you can add other spices and aromatics such as onion, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, butter, soy sauce, or bell pepper to the oil.
Now, add about a handful of spinach at a time, stir the leaves until they wilt, and add more leaves. The entire process takes only a couple of minutes. And if you’re adding sauteed spinach to another cooked dish, such as a dip or stuffed pasta shells, you want to cook the sautéed spinach to reduce the water content as much as possible, making sauteing the most efficient method.
How to Remove the Stem
When it comes to common spinach varieties, like curled or flat-leaf, they can have a more prevalent stem that’s a bit tougher to remove, mainly when sold in bunches. However, you can easily remove the stem using two methods. The first one is using a knife to slice the stems off. Or, you can hold the leaf in one hand and pull the stems down and off using the other.
How to Wash
Washing your spinach is extremely important, especially if the flat leaf was freshly picked and still has lots of debris and dirt. To wash, first, submerge the leaves into a big bowl of cold water. Next, swish the leaves around and change the water as needed. It may take a few changes if you find lots of dirt or sand at the bottom of the bowl.
With pre-washed spinach, you should rinse your spinach in a colander for a couple of minutes to reduce the presence of harmful bacteria in the crevices of the leaves. Dry your leaves using a salad spinner. This is a crucial step when sauteing.
Picking the Best Spinach and Uses
It would be best if you kept a few things in mind when selecting the best spinach. To ensure you’re getting the best quality, here are a few tips to help you shop for the freshest, tastiest spinach.
First, you want to look for spinach with a dark green color and a firmer texture. Stay away from spinach that has leaves that are yellow, slimy, or wilted. Also, you want to check for discoloration and blemishes. These could be signs of disease or bug activity. You always want to buy spinach that looks as fresh and vibrant as you would grow in your back garden.
The next thing to look at is the leaf size. If you’re planning to use the spinach in a salad, then you want to grab some baby spinach since they have smaller leaves that are more tender. However, if you’re using spinach in a cooked dish, the bigger curled or flat-leafed mature spinach is ideal since the spinach wilts less quickly.
Finally, smell the spinach. Fresh spinach should have a pleasant, earthy aroma and not a strong smell of dirt or chemicals. If the spinach smells off or sour, it’s probably past its prime, and you shouldn’t buy it.
When shopping for spinach, you can choose between conventional and organic varieties. Organic spinach is grown without synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, so it’s an ideal choice for those looking for a healthier option. Although this variety usually costs a few dollars more.
However, your best bet for the freshest spinach at the lowest cost is finding a local farmers market or considering growing some in your home garden.
Choosing the best spinach doesn’t have to be a chore. If you keep these tips in mind, you’ll find the perfect spinach for your favorite healthy recipes. Enjoy!
Storage
Storing spinach the right way can help you make the most of the leafy green to enjoy it for longer. Here are some tips for keeping your spinach fresh and delicious.
First, when you buy spinach, check that the leaves are dark green and crisp. Avoid any that are wet, slimy, or discolored. Once you get it home, it’s best to use it as soon as possible.
If you need to store your spinach, the best method is to wrap it in a damp paper towel or cloth and put it in a plastic bag. This will help keep it moist and prevent it from wilting. If you plan to use it within a few days, store it in the fridge.
For more extended storage, blanch the spinach first. This means you boil spinach in water for 1-2 minutes, then quickly submerge it in ice water. This process stops the enzyme activity that causes the spinach to spoil. Once blanched, wrap the spinach in a paper towel or cloth, and store it in the freezer. When ready to use in a spinach recipe, defrost in the fridge for 24 hours before cooking.
Storing spinach the right way is essential for making the most of this nutritious leafy green. With these tips, you can keep your spinach fresh and delicious for weeks.
Using Frozen Instead of Fresh
Frozen spinach is a quick and easy way to add nutritious, leafy greens to your meals. A 9-ounce bag of frozen spinach leaves produces round 3/4-1 cup of spinach after the leaves are reheated on a stovetop, air fryer, or microwave. You can also defrost the leaves in a colander with cool running water.
You can substitute frozen spinach for 8 ounces or about 6 cups of fresh leaves. Just be sure to drain any additional water before cooking. The leaves are usually well-chopped, so frozen chopped spinach works better in egg dishes, dips, soups, stews, and pasta recipes.
Recipes Using Spinach
Creamy Spinach Dip with cream cheese
Creamed Spinach
Breakfast Scramble
Breakfast Burritos
Breakfast Tacos
Spinach cookies
Spinach, Mozzarella, Parmesan Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast
Cheddar Mashed Potatoes Casserole
Meatloaf
Spinach salad
Hamburgers
Your favorite soups
Stews
And just about any pasta recipe
How Much Spinach Can Yield
Spinach leaves are around 90 percent water, so when they are cooked, they shrink considerably. Depending on the variety, leaf size, chopped or unchopped, and how they are packed into a measuring cup, the exact yield will vary.
About 1 pound or 16 ounces, or 12 cups of fresh spinach produces 1½-2 cups of cooked spinach. About 1 ounce or 28 grams of packed baby spinach equals ¾ cup before cooking.
How to Cook Spinach (Our Best Options)
Here's how to cook spinach using these three methods: sautéing, steaming, and blanching. Any method you pick will produce quickly cooked, deliciously healthy leafy greens.
Cassie brings decades of experience to the Kitchen Community. She is a noted chef and avid gardener. Her new book "Healthy Eating Through the Garden" will be released shortly. When not writing or speaking about food and gardens Cassie can be found puttering around farmer's markets and greenhouses looking for the next great idea.
