Garlic Sautéed Spinach & Mushrooms
Well-browned mushrooms and a mountain of baby spinach wilted with golden garlic and a squeeze of lemon — a 15-minute side that goes with nearly everything.
Nutrition per serving
½ cup- Net carbs
- 3.4g
- Calories
- 89kcal
- Protein
- 4g
- Fat
- 6.7g
- Total carbs
- 5.7 g
- Fiber
- 2.2 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Creamy garlic parmesan: A splash of cream and a handful of parmesan simmered in at the end make a quick, lighter cousin of creamed spinach.
- Once the spinach has wilted, spoon off any liquid, pour in the cream and simmer 2–3 minutes, until it thickens and coats the vegetables.
- Stir in the parmesan off the heat. Add the lemon juice only if you like a brighter finish.
Dairy-free sesame-garlic: Toasted sesame oil, tamari and sesame seeds instead of butter and lemon — a dairy-free side for stir-fries and grilled fish.
- Cook the garlic in 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil instead of the butter. Season the spinach with tamari instead of salt and lemon, then finish with the remaining sesame oil and the seeds.
Bacon & garlic: Crispy bacon cooked first, with the mushrooms browned in its fat — smoky, salty and great with eggs.
- Cook the bacon in the skillet until crisp, lift it out and brown the mushrooms in the fat instead of the olive oil. Scatter the bacon over the finished dish and taste before adding all the salt.
- Nice to have (optional)
- Also add
- Nice to have (optional)
-
½ tsp saltleave out - Also add
- Nice to have (optional)
- Nice to have (optional)
Estimated cost $5.88 for 4 servings ($1.47 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
-
Heat the oil in your largest skillet (12-inch / 30 cm) over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms in a single layer and leave them for 3 minutes, until browned underneath, then stir and cook 3–4 minutes more, until golden and their liquid has evaporated.
-
Lower the heat to medium, add the butter, garlic and pepper flakes and cook 1 minute, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant and just turning gold.
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Add the spinach a few big handfuls at a time, turning it with tongs so the wilted leaves on the bottom make room for the next batch. Cook 2–3 minutes in total, just until all of it has collapsed and turned bright green.
-
Season with the salt and pepper and add the lemon juice. If a pool of liquid has collected, tilt the pan and spoon it off. Serve right away, with parmesan if you like.
Tips for success
-
Brown the mushrooms first and on their own — spinach releases water, and mushrooms added with it simply steam. - Ten ounces of spinach looks like far too much, but it cooks down to about 2 cups. Pre-washed baby spinach saves the drying step; if you wash your own, spin it dry.
- Serve with ribeye, salmon or eggs, or fold leftovers into a frittata.
Nice to have, not needed
- Tongs make turning a big pile of spinach much easier — a wide spatula works too.
Storage & meal prepMeal-prep friendly
- Keeps 3 days in the fridge
- Doesn’t freeze well
Reheat: Reheat briefly in a skillet over medium heat for 1–2 minutes and pour off any liquid.
Prep tip: Leftovers make a quick omelet filling or a bed for fried eggs.
Best fresh. Refrigerate up to 3 days and reheat briefly in a skillet, pouring off any liquid. Not suitable for freezing.
Variations
3 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosCreamy garlic parmesan
FlavorA splash of cream and a handful of parmesan simmered in at the end make a quick, lighter cousin of creamed spinach.
- + ½ cup heavy cream
- + ¼ cup grated parmesan
4.4 g net · 210 kcal · 6.7 g protein · 19 g fat · ≈$1.93 per serving (+1 g net carbs vs the original)
Dairy-free sesame-garlic
DietToasted sesame oil, tamari and sesame seeds instead of butter and lemon — a dairy-free side for stir-fries and grilled fish.
- butter → toasted sesame oil
- lemon juice → tamari or soy sauce
- + 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- no salt
3.8 g net · 99 kcal · 4.9 g protein · 7.2 g fat · ≈$1.63 per serving (+0.4 g net carbs vs the original)
Bacon & garlic
FlavorCrispy bacon cooked first, with the mushrooms browned in its fat — smoky, salty and great with eggs.
- olive oil → bacon
3.6 g net · 106 kcal · 7.4 g protein · 6.8 g fat · ≈$1.55 per serving (+0.2 g net carbs vs the original)
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