Recipes Ingredients Vegetables Spinach Recipes Steamed Spinach 4.1 (21) For a nutritious side, there's nothing quicker. Prep Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 5 mins Total Time: 10 mins Servings: 6 Jump to recipe This quick steamed spinach recipe is as easy as it gets. It’s cooked simply in a large skillet—no steamer basket required—and can be made with baby or full-size leaves with equally good results. The one non-negotiable? Don’t walk away while it’s cooking; the leaves will go from raw to cooked and collapsed in a couple of minutes, and overcooking will lead to a soggy, limp result. Finish the steamed greens with a sprinkling of salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil for a touch of richness, then serve hot. This spinach pairs as well with risotto or a pasta dish, but also with a decadent steak or pork chop entree. Nutritious, simple, and doable any night of the week, this steamed spinach is a winner side dish. Credit: Carson Downing Easy Vegetable Side Dishes You Can Make in 30 Minutes or Less Why Steam Greens? When there are so many ways to cook fresh greens like spinach, why steam them? First, it's the healthiest way to prepare them as there's no need to add any fat (though we love a drizzle of good extra-virgin olive oil at the end). It's also impossibly quick, making it perfect for those nights when you need to get something nutritious on the table but don't have the time or energy for roasting or sautéing. Buying and Rinsing Spinach You can use baby or mature spinach for this recipe. Baby spinach will cook more quickly and become tender almost immediately while larger leaves will take a minute or so longer and have a bit more toothsomeness to them. Cleaning Spinach Rather than adding a measured amount of liquid to the pan, this recipe relies only on the water still cleaning to leaves after rinsing. If you greens are relatively clean, you can place them in a colander and give them a quick rinse. Otherwise, add spinach to a bowl of water and swish it around to release any dirt or grit; lift the spinach out of the bowl, leaving the dirt behind. The Right Pan for the Job This recipe calls for quite a lot of spinach, so be sure to reach for a roomy enough vessel to fit it all. We prefer a large, high-sided skillet with a tight-fitting lid or a 6- to 8-quart Dutch oven. If you don't have a large enough pan, simply cook it in two batches. Directions Credit: Carson Downing Cook spinach: Place a high-sided skillet or Dutch oven over high heat. Add spinach and cover. Cook until leaves are collapsed and tender but still toothsome, 3 to 4 minutes. If using pre-washed spinach, run it briefly under cold water to wet the leaves; the excess moisture is key to this recipe. Credit: Carson Downing Season and serve: Season with salt and pepper and, if desired, a drizzle of oil. Serve warm. Credit: Carson Downing How to Dress Up Steamed Greens Steamed spinach needs just a touch of salt and pepper before it's ready to serve, there's no reason you have to stop there. Think of these greens as a blank canvas and dress them with your favorite vinaigrette or seasoning, such as: A soy-based dressing like our sesame-soy vinaigrette or this soy-lemon dipping sauce The zest and juice of a lemon A drizzle of this tangy, garlicky tahini sauce A dab of softened butter and a shower of grated Parmesan cheese What to Pair With Steamed Spinach Pastas and grains: This quick, classic side would be delicious with a rich and creamy risotto—try this saffron-scented recipe with shrimp and peas or our butternut squash risotto—or pasta, like this meat-free take on carbonara or our easy spaghetti and meatballs. Simple proteins: For something a bit heartier, pair it with our vinegared pork chop Milanese, a platter of punchy chicken scarpariello, or our simple-but-spectacular roasted salmon with butter. Meatless mains: Keeping it vegetarian? The steamed greens would make an excellent accompaniment to some sesame-marinated tofu or our whole-roasted cauliflower with green herb sauce (and yes, you should definitely drizzle some of that sauce on the spinach as well). 5 More Recipes Starring Spinach Easy Creamed Spinach Lemony Quinoa-and-Spinach Soup Ham-and-Spinach Dip Warm Spinach Salad With Shiitake Mushrooms and Red Onion Spinach-Feta Pizza Slab Pie Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.