How to Cook Baby Spinach Leaves
Spinach contains significant amounts of nutrients. A single cup of raw spinach -- which will reduce after you cook it -- offers 13 percent of your recommended daily manganese, 14 percent of your daily vitamin C, 15 percent of your daily folate, 56 percent of your daily vitamin A and a full 181 percent of your daily vitamin K, according to SELFNutritionData.com. Baby spinach is easier to prepare than its more mature version because it is more tender and lacks the soil-grittiness found in larger bundles of spinach. In fact, baby spinach is so tender that you can eat it raw if you prefer. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- 1/2 lb. (approximately 7.5 cups) baby spinach
- Paper towels
- 1 tbsp. butter or extra virgin olive oil
- Large pan
- Wooden spoon
Instructions
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1
Rinse the baby spinach leaves thoroughly in cool water. Sort through and remove any particularly thick or woody stems. This should not be a concern with most baby spinach, but it is worth checking. Dry the baby spinach gently with paper towels.
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2
Place the butter or extra virgin olive oil into a large pan over medium heat. Heat until the butter melts completely or the olive oil is hot.
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3
Add the baby spinach to the pan. Stir gently with a wooden spoon to help evenly coat the spinach with the oil or melted butter, then cover the pan, and cook the spinach for about one minute. Remove the lid, and stir the spinach again. Repeat this process until the spinach is wilted to your satisfaction, then remove the pan from the heat.
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4
Tilt the pan sideways over your sink, holding the spinach in place with the wooden spoon. This will allow any extra moisture in the pan to drain off. Remove the spinach from the pan, and place it onto a plate or into a bowl. Add any seasonings you wish, such as salt, pepper or more butter, then serve or eat.
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Tips & Warnings
Each 1 lb. of raw spinach yields about 1 cup of cooked spinach, or two servings.
You can add extra flavor to the spinach by sauteing several finely sliced garlic cloves in the heated oil or melted butter before you add the spinach. Saute the garlic until it is lightly browned, then add the spinach and cook as normal.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit spinach image by ivan kmit from Fotolia.com
