Ingredients (~8 servings)
- 2 lbs baby spinach leaves
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ~10-12 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp Kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Rinsing and Drying Spinach
Even though spinach is often marked “spun” on the bag, I still like to give spinach a gentle rinse before using it.
If you are lucky enough to have a salad spinner, this is the best option because it will give you the greatest success in removing any dirt without bruising any of the spinach leaves.
In the absence of a salad spinner, simply blot the excess moisture off of the spinach leaves with a paper towel.
The spinach leaves do not need to be 100% dry, however, excess moisture causes the spinach leaves to steam rather than sauté.
Sauté Garlic
Select a large (5-6 quart) pot or Dutch oven so that there is enough vertical space for the spinach to wilt down.
When at room temperature, the two pounds of spinach takes up a lot of space, so having this vertical space allows us to place all 2 pounds of spinach in at once without having to divide.
Once you have the pot selected, put it on the stove over a medium heat.
Add the olive oil and allow it to warm.
When the oil is warm enough to shimmer, add the minced garlic.
Over the next minute, the garlic will clarify and become fragrant.
The garlic will not develop any brown coloration; once it has, the garlic has burned and is now bitter, so make sure to keep your garlic moving around the pot.
Wilt the Spinach
In the same pot used for the garlic, add the rinsed and dried spinach leaves.
If not all of the leaves of spinach fit into the pot at one time, split the leaves into two batches.
The first half should be added to the pot and wilted down for about 30 seconds, then the remainder of the spinach can be added to the pot.
Add salt and pepper.
Cover the pot with a lid (this traps the steam and helps speed up the wilting process).
You should allow the spinach to wilt for about 1-2 minutes with the lid on.
Once the spinach has wilted, remove the lid and turn the heat to high.
Continue stirring for about 2 minutes.
After this time, you will notice a drastic decrease in the spinach volume (about 90%) and a significant amount of liquid released from the leaves.
Complete with Butter and Acid
When the spinach has completely wilted to dark green, turn off the stove.
Immediately after turning off the stove, add the butter and lemon juice; they will melt in the hot pot and emulsify with the pot liquor and the juices released from the spinach to form a simple and glossy sauce that coats the spinach leaves.
Garlic Lemon Sautéed Spinach
Ingredients
~8 servings
- 2 lbs baby spinach leaves
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ~10-12 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Rinse spinach and dry with a salad spinner or paper towels.
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat until shimmering.
- Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant but not brown.
- Add spinach in batches if needed, letting it wilt slightly before adding more.
- Add salt and pepper, then cover pot with lid.
- Cook covered for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove lid, increase heat to high, and stir continuously for 2 minutes until spinach is fully wilted and liquid releases.
- Remove from heat and immediately stir in butter and lemon juice.
