cooked spinach in bowl

Super easy garlic sautéed spinach (saag) recipe

sauteed spinach in pan

Garlic sautéed spinach a super easy and delicious recipe! This dish has definitely been a dish that I have pretty much eaten growing up, which was made quite often. The bright green color, smooth and silky texture definitely very appealing. Not to forget how awesome it tasted with hot white rice and how it mixed in beautifully with the rice, super yummy. This dish is great as a main dish or even side dish. It really does go well with lots of main dishes such as chicken, fish, beef or lamb. It’s a great way to get all those extra nutrients in your body with the most minimal work and of course great taste. This was my go-to super food during my second pregnancy which I really benefited from. Spinach is filled with folate and vital before and during pregnancy.

Cook this recipe up and your kiddos will enjoy it too, the sautéed spinach with garlic is deliciously scrumptious and very tempting not to try out. This recipe is so super easy you can make this in less than 10 minutes. It’s just the perfect dish really for a great tasting healthy side to your lunch or dinner.

This recipe requires very little ingredients, which include fresh spinach, fresh garlic, salt for seasoning and oil for cooking. I like to use baby spinach, baby spinach are young spinach that are more tender and have a sweeter flavor. One more ingredient I like to add are a few green chilies, this is of course optional. I eat my spinach with rice and sometimes with my chicken curry so that’s the way I like it and just how I have eaten it at my parents home. We call it ‘saag’ Indian/Bangladesh name for sautéed spinach. Try it out like this, it’s super yummy.

Preparation

Spinach I use the washed packs you can find almost in any grocery store. No need to cut or chop them. Just leave them whole.

Garlic For a two pack spinach (6 oz pack) I would use a 5-6 cloves of garlic. Peeled and finely sliced.

Cooking oil Any kind of cooking oil would work. Just use two tablespoons.

Salt Salt goes in towards the end of the cooking process. Otherwise salt will release water when the spinach are cooking. So wait till the spinach release water and dry up then add in the salt. It’s important to remember not to add too much salt as you need just a sprinkling of salt. A little salt goes a long way in spinach.

Green chilies Optional of course but if you want that Indian taste then add some in for that extra heat. You could also use chili flakes.

Cooking process

Heat up 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok or something big and wide. Add in the garlic pieces and let that cook on a medium flame until it starts to change color, a light golden brown.

garlic pieces frying in oil
uncooked spinach in wok

The spinach needs to be added as soon as the garlic change color. So in go the two bags of fresh spinach. It may look like it is a lot of spinach but it will all wilt down. You probably won’t be able to do any stirring at this point as the wok will be so full with no space to move the spinach around. Best thing to do here is cover the wok with a lid and let that cook for 2 minutes on medium flame. After this time uncover the wok and stir around. The spinach will have wilted a little here and there will be more moving space for the spinach. Keep the wok uncovered and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes on medium high. Stirring occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking to the base of the wok. At this point you can add in the salt, half a teaspoon will do. If you want to add any green chili’s then you can add them in now too. Stir everything up and you will see how all the spinach will have wilted down now and perfectly sautéed.

Spinach cooking in pan

Take the wok off the heat and transfer to a serving bowl. Enjoy hot with rice or your choice of mains maybe even a chicken curry.

The perfect garlic sautéed spinach (saag) recipe

Recipe by Shema Course: SidesDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

8

minutes

Easy and Delicious Garlic Sauteed Spinach

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons of cooking oil

  • 2 bags of fresh baby spinach (6oz per bag)

  • 5-6 cloves of fresh finely chopped garlic

  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt

  • 2-3 green chilies cut along the length

Directions

  • Heat up 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok. Add in the garlic pieces and let that cook on a medium flame until it starts to change color, a light golden brown
  • Add in the spinach, cover the wok with a lid and cook on medium flame for 2 minutes
  • Uncover and stir. The spinach will have wilted a little here and there will be more moving space for the spinach
  • Keep the wok uncovered and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes on medium high. Stirring occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking to the base of the wok
  • Add in the salt. If you want to add any green chili’s then you can add them in now too
  • Stir everything up and you will see how all the spinach will have wilted down now and perfectly sautéed
  • Take the wok off the heat and transfer to a serving bowl. Enjoy hot with your choice of mains.

Notes

  • Any leftovers can be stored in a airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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