This Spinach with Butter + Parmesan is a simple, yet delicious side dish recipe that takes only 5 minutes to make and uses just 4 ingredients!
This post originally appeared on Coley Cooks in 2015, but I’ve since updated it with fresh photography, writing and a revised recipe.
Back when I first started blogging, I didn’t pay a ton of attention to who actually read my blog.
I did it for myself, really, as a sort of public food diary; a way to document my recipes and eating habits over the years. I never really fathomed the idea that one day people other than my dad and husband would actually start visiting my blog and making the recipes. Well, here we are. 🙂
I have so many old posts about really awesome recipes, but they’re so old and have such painfully bad photography that no one ever sees them. So, I thought it would be a good idea to revisit some of my old favorites and give them a little facelift. This is the first one up to bat.
I love, love, love this recipe for buttery parmesan spinach. We have it as a side dish AT LEAST once a week. If you know anyone who hems and haws about having to eat leafy green veggies, I can almost guarantee that this dish will get them to slurp them down like ice cream. It’s so buttery and flavorful, it’s easy to forget how much spinach you’re actually eating.
This spinach with butter and parmesan comes together so fast, making it a killer side dish recipe for quick and easy weeknight meals. Roasted chicken? Parmesan spinach. Grilled steaks? Parmesan spinach. Sauteed fish? Parmesan spinach. It goes with EVERYTHING. Simply sauté fresh spinach in garlicky butter with salt and pepper, then shower it with lots of good quality parmesan cheese. It’s so simple, but so sooo good. The best kind of food always is.
This tasty spinach side dish is so good, I bet even Popeye himself would approve! It has only 4 ingredients, comes together in 5 minutes and is both healthy AND delicious. What more could you want in a recipe?
The video below is super outdated but shows how easy the recipe is! I hope this becomes a new family favorite for you.
Spinach with Butter + Parmesan
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: side
- Method: sauteed
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
This Spinach with Butter + Parmesan is a simple, yet delicious side dish recipe that takes only 5 minutes to make and uses just 4 ingredients!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter (salted is best)
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed with the flat side of a knife
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lb baby spinach OR fresh spinach that’s been washed and large stems trimmed
- 1–2 ounces good quality parmesan cheese, such as Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat, the add in the garlic. Season with a pinch of salt and a few cracks of pepper, then sauté for about a minute or two until it just starts to turn golden brown.
- Throw in the spinach and toss around until it starts to wilt – this will happen very quickly. Sprinkle a little more than half of the parmesan over the top and toss some more.
- Remove from the heat to prevent overcooking – you want the spinach to be just wilted – and season with more salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the spinach and all of the juices into a serving bowl, then grate the remaining parmesan over the top and serve.
Notes
- If using farm fresh stalks of spinach, be sure to give them a good wash before cooking, as they tend to be very sandy. In addition, you’ll need to trim off the bulkier stems before cooking, but don’t throw them away! They’re perfect for juicing, making soups or adding to a green smoothie. If using a box of baby spinach, these steps are not necessary.
Keywords: butter, parmesan, spinach, side, healthy
Nicole Gaffney, aka Coley, is a professionally trained chef, recipe developer, tv host and food writer.
Yep. There are few things better. Although I rarely use that much garlic, this dish appears on the Casa d’Bruno table two or more times a week. I keep the Dole bagged spinach supply at the Ack-a-me moving. Sometimes with Parm, sometimes with red pepper flakes and a dash of apple cider vinegar sometimes just wilted in extra virgin olive oil and some white pepper. We’re the Popeye family on the island. Last night it was blanched, chopped and creamed with a black truffle oil drizzle at the finish. Love that stuff.
Thanks Popeye… I mean Bruno! Nice to hear from you, as always! Creamed spinach is a favorite of mine too, I’ll have to share my recipe for that soon!
Please do. I still make mine with a brown butter roux and I’m looking for a lower fat version. Perhaps you have one. I’m still trying to lose the weight I gained when I stopped smoking. (After 51 years!) But I love food even more now. You rock, kid! Keep on keeping on.
Put enough butter and cheese on it and I will eat an ice skate. You are a gross slurper which is funny and you need to put the link to the post in the video in case people see it just from youtube.
Rating: Good Place!
Hi, Coley!! I love fresh spinach and lately have been making a spinach cheddar cheese quiche (ask Vida..lol) using a pre-made granola pie shell that really gives it a great taste. I make it for dinner with a salad but eat the left-overs for breakfast (Ramon adds bacon on the side) or lunch. Really tasty!
yum that sounds awesome! I’d take mine with bacon too 🙂