Sautéed Frozen Spinach

Want to enjoy homemade healthy and delicious Italian-style side dishes? Sautéed frozen spinach with garlic is a yummy addition to your meal anytime. This recipe will show you how to get the best dish out of simple ingredients. The garlic melts slowly and gets soft, sweet, and mellow, with the spinach on top absorbing all the delicacy of the garlicky flavors as it cooks.  

Spinach is an amazingly versatile and flavorful vegetable we all love to enjoy every meal. Frozen spinach is widely available in any season and can be easily reheated to perfection on the stovetop or in the microwave. 

Additionally, you can add frozen spinach to any savory dish to improve its nutritional qualities. You can easily learn to prepare sautéed frozen spinach today in this recipe!   

Also See, Sauteed Swiss Chard, Sauteed Broccoli Rabe, Sauteed Radishes and Sauteed Chayote

Fun Facts About Spinach

• Spinach is best grown in the winter, but it does not grow well in summer or hot weather. You can easily grow this crop in your garden. 
• During World War One, spinach juice was added to wine to give to the injured soldiers. The main point of doing this is that spinach is good for building blood. 
• Spinach was first widely grown in Persia (now called Iran). Then it spread to Europe during the Middle Ages, and now it is cultivated worldwide.  
• The average American eats about 1.5 lbs. of spinach per year. California is the top cultivator of spinach in the U.S. 
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Spinach Health Benefits

Spinach is a vegetable that is leafy and green. Spinach is from the amaranth family and is related to quinoa and beets. Today, spinach is prepared and eaten in many ways. They can be bought canned or fresh and eaten raw or cooked. 

Eating spinach is very beneficial for our body as it has essential nutrients. It has very low carbs but high insoluble fiber, magnesium, potassium, vitamin B6, B9, and E. Here are some spinach health benefits that you should know:

Improves Oxidative Stress

Free radicals are not good for our metabolism as they can cause oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can trigger accelerated aging and increase the risk of getting diabetes and cancer. But spinach has antioxidants that fight oxidative stress and decrease its damage. 

Prevents Cancer

MGDG and SQDG of spinach are known to slow down cancer growth. In a study, those compounds have assisted in slowing down the tumor growth in a person’s cervix.

Improves Eye Health

Spinach has a high amount of lutein and zeaxanthin, known as carotenoids. Human eyes also have these pigments to protect their eyes from any damage caused by sunlight. Also, those pigments can prevent macular degeneration and cataracts, which are known to cause blindness.

Regulates Blood Pressure

Again the MGDG and SQDG from spinach can slow down cancer growth. Many studies suggest that the experimented human beings had slower tumor growth in the cervix because of those compounds.

Prevents Asthma 

Beta-carotene of spinach can lower the risks of asthma. Many studies, including children with asthma, suggest that asthma development risks are low when they eat spinach daily. 

Reasons I love Olive Oil in My Recipes? 

Almost every American loves to use olive oil for cooking. For the past few years, many healthy nutritional enthusiasts have recommended olive oil in recipes. The fact comes with no surprise as it is loaded with healthy antioxidants; monounsaturated fat, which is the most stable of the healthy fats, makes it better than other oils. 

Olive oil has been proven to help our body to promote a healthier and stronger lifestyle. Researchers have found that having only 2 tablespoons of olive oil per day will positively affect your mental and physical health in just 3 weeks!  

Having olive oil in your diet can prevent many health issues like heart disease, arthritis, type-2 diabetes, cancer, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and strokes. The main point of olive oil is it has a healthy dosage of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, which is amazing for our brain function.  See More Olive Oil Benefits.

Types of Olive Oil

Almost everyone loves olive oil, and when you cook with olive oil, it does not add an extra pound to your waistline! It is proven that it will help reduce weight which is also an excellent substitution for butter. Olive oil does not lose its nutritional qualities when you cook it, so don’t be afraid as you will get all the antioxidants from it!  

If you want to have the best olive oil experience in the kitchen, you should know the difference between olive and better for sauteed frozen spinach. 

• Extra virgin olive oil: It is the healthiest and most popular olive oil you can get. It is the most natural way to extract oil when the olives are pressed, and the oil is obtained without seeing any types of chemicals. One tablespoon of olive oil has 13% of vitamin E and 7% of vitamin K for daily needs. It is best to use the salad or dipping oil, but you can also do baking, roasting, sauteing, and light frying.  
• Virgin olive oil: It is pretty rare, so you may not find it in the store often. It is prepared with a similar process to extra virgin olive oil but with less precise production, making the flavor of lesser quality.    
• Pure olive oil: It is better to use in cooking as it is made from a combination of refined olive oil and virgin olive oil. 
• Light olive oil: It is another type that is best when you use it for cooking dishes. It is refined olive, meaning that heat is used to get oil from the olive.

Difference Between Frozen Spinach and Fresh Spinach

Spinach is almost everyone’s favorite, and you can enjoy it on every meal. Instead of lettuce, you can add them to a sandwich or prepare instant soup for breakfast. Frozen spinach is four times better than fresh spinach because the amount of fiber, folate, iron, and calcium is four times more than fresh spinach. So if you want to power up and get more nutritional benefits, eat frozen spinach.   

Depending on your taste, when frozen spinach has been thawed, it has a softer texture, and fresh spinach has a crispy texture. No matter how many health benefits and vitamins it has, if you don’t enjoy eating frozen spinach salad enough, you will not get more nutrients than you get from a fresh spinach salad you eat completely.         

How to Store Frozen Spinach?

Purchase frozen spinach from the grocery store, or you can freeze some fresh spinach from your garden or farmer’s market. Store frozen spinach in the freezer for at least 10 to 12 months. If you store spinach for more than 12 months, it will result in freezer burn, dry leaves, and turn bitter. 

Tip: Label the bag of frozen spinach when you are storing it in the freezer to keep track of time. Keep your frozen spinach sealed and frozen before using it in the dish to prevent it from drying out or spoilage. 

How to Thaw Frozen Spinach? 

Spinach is a superfood that is a flexible and yummy vegetable you can cook or put in your salad. However, you can only store it for a short time inside the refrigerator. That is why frozen spinach is the best way to keep the nutrients together. Here are some tips and tricks you can use for thawing spinach, 

• Keep the frozen spinach in the refrigerator for a day or two. 
• Put it in the sink overnight. It is suggested to put it on a strainer or colander so that you don’t need to drain it. 
• Microwave the frozen spinach using the defrost button or warm water to break the ice. 
• Add the frozen spinach bars directly to the meal you are cooking. 
• If you are in a bit of a hurry, you can prepare spinach instantly by adding it to warm water.

How Long Can Frozen Spinach Stays Fresh Once Thawed?

Defrosted spinach can stay fresh for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. If you keep the spinach for more than 2 days, you may need to discard the leaves as they become soggy or gooey. If you did not blanch the spinach before freezing or anything longer, you might risk a bacterial contamination. So, it is important to thaw the right amount of spinach you need for a specific recipe. 

It is suggested that you should freeze the spinach in a separate air-tight container with about a cup or two of spinach leaves. The amount of spinach will depend on how much you need to use in that specific recipe.

Sautéed Frozen Spinach Ingredients 

• Frozen spinach – you can Freeze Spinach or purchase storebought. They are usually sold in the frozen section of the supermarket as whole leaves or chop
• Olive oil – gives a great flavor to the cooked spinach, you can substitute it with avocado oil. 
• Garlic – cut into slices and sauteed to release their flavor. You can use minced garlic as well. 
• Vegetable Broth – the extra liquid helps to cook the frozen spinach and adds flavor.
• Sea Salt – makes the flavors pop.

How To Cook Sauteed Frozen  Spinach?

• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high, add garlic, and cook for 30 seconds.
• Add vegetable broth, and frozen spinach.
• Cover and cook for 3 minutes. 
• Remove cover and stir spinach, cook for 3-5 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated
• Season with salt to taste.

Steaming Spinach in The Microwave

• First, put the spinach in the microwave-safe bowl. Don’t use paper bowls, plastic Tupperware, or any other bowls that have metallic paint or trim; instead, you can use ceramic or glass bowls. Additionally, the bowl needs to be large enough to carry all the frozen spinach easily. 
• Some packages may instruct you to keep the spinach in the bag while you reheat it. You can put the bag on a ceramic or glass plate before placing it in the microwave. 
• You can follow the microwaving instruction from the frozen spinach package. If you can’t find any specific instructions or you have prepared the frozen spinach, you can start microwaving it for one minute at a high temperature. If the spinach is not heated completely, put it back and start heating it for 30 seconds. 
• Stir the spinach between heating times to distribute the heat evenly. Check the spinach carefully by touching it. If the spinach is reheated, you can easily stir it with the spoon and feel warm to the touch. 
• Put a cleaning dish towel in a large bowl. Pour the spinach into the dish towel and hold the edge of the towel together. Squeeze out all the moisture and liquid from the spinach. Before you do it, you need to let the spinach cool slightly, or else you will burn your hands.

Reheated Spinach Serving Ideas

• Season the spinach perfectly with salt, pepper, or any favorite seasoning you prefer. 
• To make a creamy side dish, you may add some butter on the top with salt, pepper, lemon juice, garlic, and curry powder.
• You can add the reheated spinach to any dish you prefer, which will add a nutritional boost to the recipe. Mix it with soup, vegetable mix, curries, pasta, noodles, and many more. Add the reheated spinach just before you are done cooking with the dish to avoid overcooking it. 
• You can prepare an easy homemade baked spinach dip recipe. Mostly this recipe requires frozen spinach as if you use fresh spinach, and the dip will become flavorless and watery. However, you can control the water and moisture by draining it from frozen spinach.  

Tip: If you are adding spinach to any dishes, make sure they are perfectly reheated and drained. Or else, you may make the dish watery.  

Additional Tips and Tricks

• Remove the water from the spinach by pressing them against the sides of the colander using a soup spoon. Avoid touching the vegetables with your hands. You can also squeeze the water with a small or flat dish on top of the spinach and apply pressure to it.
• You can also prepare the sauteed spinach spicy by adding some red pepper flakes or black pepper.
• Spinach is best when you slowly heat it at a low temperature. No matter which way you reheat the spinach, make sure it is warmed thoroughly, not like bashing into direct high temperatures. 

How to Store Sauteed Frozen Spinach?

• Let the leftover spinach cool in the room atmosphere, then put it in the zip-top bag or airtight container. 
• Cooked spinach will stay fresh for at least 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator, but it’s best to finish the vegetable. 

Other Spinach Recipes

1. Vegan Spinach Salad
2. Spinach Artichoke Dip Potato Salad
3. Vegan Spinach Soup
4. Spinach Rice
5. Potato Spinach Curry

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