Wilted Spinach – How to wilt spinach?

You’ve come to the right place if you need advice on wilting spinach greens. Wilting fresh spinach is a simple way to cook spinach that takes only 5 minutes and is one of the fastest ways to prepare it.

Spinach is a dark, leafy green vegetable that is thought to be one of the most beneficial in the world. I’m fond of including spinach in my dishes. You can find an illustration of the health advantages of consuming spinach and a library featuring vegetarian spinach recipes on my blog. I’ve also compiled some more spinach recipes from other blogs below.

Spinach is very flexible and can be included in nearly any meal, ranging from rice, soup, entrees, sides, smoothies and much more. Fresh spinach can also be eaten but is usually added to salads. I don’t enjoy eating baby spinach raw so the best option for me is sauteed or wilted spinach. Sauteed baby spinach complements practically any salad or dish as an accompaniment or main meal.

What is Wilted spinach?

Wilted spinach is cooked spinach just long enough to cause it to shrink. It neither rots nor becomes mushy. This is the most incredible way to devour this green vegetable like spinach, as in this manner, we can get the most out of the plant’s nutrients. Overcooking reduces its attractive look and results in lost essential nutrients.

A leafy vegetable with high water content, spinach releases moisture when heated and starts to wilt. This means that any added water will take longer to evaporate. Consequently, the leaves become overcooked if care is not taken. Overcooked spinach has a dull look, and vital nutrients are lost. Therefore, it should be cooked until just shrinking.

How To Wilt Spinach Leaves?

Withering spinach is one of the simplest and fastest things to do. It only takes 5 minutes if you use prepackaged baby spinach leaves, which are usually pre-washed and fit to be directly put into a pan.

Other than that, leaves must be cleaned and washed to eliminate any small pieces of dirt. However, this could quickly introduce extra boiling water during the cooking procedure. Thus, before you add fresh spinach to the pan, it is paramount to dry it out. A salad spinner is ideal for this purpose. If necessary, a brief time of air drying can also be applied to guarantee that not an ounce of water will accompany the spinach leaves when added to the pan.

How To Cook Spinach – 2 ways

In reality, there are two ways to wilt spinach. The first one is blanching, while the second is sautéing.

Blanching/ Steaming-

Place the spinach leaves in hot water and blanch for 2 to 3 minutes until they diminish and are lightly wilted. You can put them in a steamer basket and steam them in the pot for three minutes. Then toss it with a small amount of salt and a pinch of another seasoning if desired, giving the wilted spinach salad some flavour.

Sautéing Fresh Spinach-

Here is a simple way to wilt the spinach. This recipe calls for just three components and your cooked spinach are ready in five minutes. In this recipe, garlic is included in large quantities due to its capacity to provide exquisite flavour. These two work beautifully in tandem. The other two ingredients are oil seed rape (or olive oil) and salt; that’s all you need!

Instructions to make wilted spinach

Heat your olive oil in a Frying Pan. Add roughly diced garlic and saute on low flame for about a minute. Now add spinach greens and season with salt. If you have a larger quantity of spinach to add, do that in batches.

I’ll tell you how. Add a bunch of leaves to the pan. It will start to shrink once it comes in contact with heat. It just takes 15 – 20 seconds. Then add the next batch of leaves and toss them so that they can come in contact with the pan.

After adding all leaves, season it with a pinch of salt. Spinach will start to shrink, releasing some water. Keep the flame medium to high and sauté for 2 – 3 minutes until all water evaporates. And a delicious, healthy side is ready in just 5 minutes.

How to serve wilted spinach?

As I mentioned, this dish is adaptable and can be used in multiple ways. It makes a great side dish cuisine, main course addition to soups, lentils, cheese, chicken and rice recipes.

How to store the wilted spinach?

I grow a couple of types of spinach and baby spinach in the garden, so I always have quite a lot left over from the usual gluts. What I’ve found is that as long as packed well, baby spinach may be stored for a lengthy period. Spinach can also be frozen and stay good for 9 – 12 months. Place the wilting spinach in freezer bags or pouches. Extinguish as much air from the bag as imaginable. Now roll up the bag, ensuring it’s sealed airtight.

If I’ve used all of my small freezer bags, I chop up the spinach, add a little spray of lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper, and put it into large ice cube trays. This way, I can quickly stir and mix in a small serving of pasta, for example.

Even if kept in the refrigerator, wilted spinach can stay fresh for up to a week. So if you plan on using it for soups, curries, gravies, and purees, you can prepare it beforehand. Store it in an air-tight container and put it in your fridge for 5 – 7 days.

Ingredients

• 1 lb spinach pre-cleaned
• 5 large garlic pods
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt to taste
• freshly crushed pepper Optional Seasoning and Sides
• Pine Nuts
• Pecans
• Walnuts
• Lemon
• Onions
• Cheese
• Chicken
• Irish Black butter

Instructions

• Heat oil in a skillet.
• Add roughly diced garlic and saute on low flame for about a minute.
• Now add spinach greens and season with salt.
• If you have a larger quantity of spinach, do that in batches.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Spinach will start to shrink, releasing some water.
• Keep the flame medium to high and sauté for 2 – 3 minutes until all water evaporates.
• Once all liquid evaporates, turn off the heat.
• Wilted spinach is ready to serve as a side dish.
• Optional- Add a dash of fresh lemon juice

Notes

• For quicker results, look for pre-cleaned spinach packages. Otherwise, cleaning fresh spinach can take an extra 15 minutes.
• When using large regular leaves, wash and dry them before adding them to the pan. The salad spinner is an effective way to get them dry quickly.
• Spinach decreases significantly in size when cooked, so consider that when determining how much you need.
• Additionally, use less salt as the food cooks because too much can make the dish too salty.

Nutrition Calories

Portion Size: 30g

Calories: 6.9kcal

Total Fat: 0.1g

Carbohydrates: 1.1 g

Protein: 0.9g

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