5-Minute Sautéed Frozen Spinach (With Garlic And Lemon)
on Feb 01, 2024
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This sautéed frozen spinach is literally GOLD when you need something super quick and easy (and preferably green!) to go with dinner. Toss straight from the freezer into the pan with sliced garlic, then serve with lemon juice and olive oil. That’s it! Literally 5 minutes later, your tasty side dish is on the table.
Frozen vegetables are my life-savers when it comes to easy side dishes to go with dinner! I make either this sautéed frozen spinach, sautéed frozen green beans, or this sautéed frozen broccoli at least once per week, and sometimes more.
I love them all, but today we’re here to talk about the spinach!
Why you’ll love it
✔ A super quick and easy side dish. Like it’s ready in literally 5 minutes! This dish is so simple it’s barely a recipe, and yet you’ll be wowed by how tasty it is.
✔ No need to defrost the spinach first. Simply grab it out of the freezer and throw it into some hot olive oil and garlic in a pan!
✔ Mediterranean style. This dish reminds me of a similar Greek dish called ‘χόρτα’ (pronounced hor-ta) which is simply boiled wild greens with lemon and olive oil. Except no boiling necessary here!
✔ A great way to eat lots of green leafy vegetables. Even eating a small portion, you are eating a LOT of spinach all in one go!
✔ Goes with many dishes. Whether it’s chicken, meatballs, pasta or omelette for dinner, this simple sautéed frozen spinach recipe will save the day every time you need some extra green on the plate. Scroll down for plenty more serving ideas!
What you need to make it
You’ll find a labelled photo and useful notes about the ingredients below. Please scroll down to the recipe card for full ingredients amounts and cooking steps.
You won’t believe how tasty this dish is with just 4 very simple ingredients (plus salt and pepper!).
Garlic. I recommend slicing the garlic for this recipe, rather than crushing it – for a little texture and milder flavor. It’s also less easy to burn garlic when it’s sliced.
Olive oil. You’ll use this for sautéing the garlic and spinach, of course. But you’ll also use it to drizzle over the finished dish. For this reason, choose a good quality extra virgin olive oil.
Spinach. My favorite kind of frozen spinach is a fresh bag that I’ve frozen myself! I simply grab a large bag from the fresh salad aisle (I prefer baby spinach, but any kind works). Then I simply throw it in the freezer when I get home.
It’s also fine to grab spinach that’s already frozen in the supermarket freezer aisle. What you don’t want however is the kind of spinach that’s frozen in portions. Where I live it’s all like that. So I prefer to freeze my own spinach from fresh so it’s always available at a moment’s notice.
Lemon. There are two reasons to add plenty of lemon juice to the yummy sautéed garlic spinach. It’s a perfect contrast to the slight bitterness of the spinach. It also adds vitamin C which will help your body to absorb the iron in the greens.
Salt and pepper. Grind this over the finished dish to taste. The perfect amount of seasoning always makes all the difference!
How to sauté frozen spinach
Step 1. Slice the garlic (remember slice, don’t crush). Then grab a large frying pan or skillet and sauté it in a little olive oil on a medium-high heat for a short while – around 20 to 30 seconds.
Step 2. Now pile the spinach into the pan! Yep, all of it. Just pile it on in there – push down with your hands if you have to.
Step 3. Grab two wooden spoons or some kitchen tongs and toss until all the spinach has wilted down. Essentially that’s it. Except you might like to cook it for a minute or two longer to let some of the liquid evaporate (perhaps if you’re planning to serve it directly from the pan).
Step 4. As mentioned above, you can serve your spinach directly from the pan, or transfer it with tongs to a serving dish or plate. This way you can leave most of the liquid behind.
All that’s left to do is to season your ‘miracle’ frozen spinach side dish with plenty of lemon juice and salt and pepper.
Also Drizzle over some extra virgin olive oil before serving. This is the finishing touch you don’t want to skip!
Recipe variations
- Jazz up the dish by sprinkling a little feta cheese over the top along with chopped green onions (scallions/spring onions), fresh dill, and a few chopped sundried tomatoes.
- No lemon? Add a dash of vinegar such as balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar instead.
- Spice it up by adding a thinly sliced red chili or a pinch of red pepper flakes while cooking.
- Give it an Asian twist by adding a drizzle of soy sauce while cooking, then drizzling with a little sesame oil and scattering with toasted sesame seeds to serve. Skip the lemon juice.
- The recipe will also work with other greens such as kale, collard greens, swiss chard or arugula (rocket).
Serving ideas
You can literally make this recipe for frozen spinach to go with anything! However, here are some of my favorite ideas:
- Baked panko cod (AKA fancy fish and chips)
- A whole air fried roast chicken (or one that isn’t air fried if you don’t have an air fryer!) or these simple baked chicken thighs (add potatoes parmentier and you have a meal!)
- Spanish omelette or this amazing crustless quiche (perfect midweek!)
- Wild card option: Once the frozen spinach is cooked, make a little space in the pan, then crack a couple of eggs into the pan. This makes a delicious brunch or lunch (or simple dinner!) together with 2-minute olive oil toasts for dipping. Consider adding a little crumbled feta to the pan as well. Yum. Alternatively, add the cooked spinach to this Greek scrambled eggs recipe.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you absolutely can. Simply rinse in a colander (don’t dry). Then proceed with the recipe as described. It will be exactly the same as with the frozen spinach! The advantage of using a bag of frozen spinach is that you’ll always have it on hand.
It will be fine stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a frying pan again for 20 to 30 seconds until hot.
More recipes using spinach
- This Greek spinach and feta filo pie is my top choice to make when you have lots of spinach to use up. Need mini party pies? These spinach and feta parcels are similar but different!
- This stuffed chicken breast with feta and spinach is delicious, but so easy to make.
- Make this Greek style mac and cheese with spinach or this stuffed shells recipe (with spinach and ricotta) on your next pasta night.
- This spinach and blueberry salad is so refreshing!
5-Minute Sautéed Frozen Spinach (With Garlic And Lemon)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling over at the end
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thinly (2-3 cloves)
- 10 ounces spinach, weight when fresh (I buy fresh and ready washed, then throw into the freezer)
- 1 lemon
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat up the olive oil in a large frying pan or skillet on a medium-high heat.2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Stir-fry the sliced garlic for around 20 to 30 seconds. It's OK if it starts to brown a little.3 cloves garlic
- Pile all of the frozen spinach into the pan. Push it down with your hands if necessary.10 ounces spinach
- Using two wooden spoons or some kitchen tongs, toss the spinach and garlic around in the pan until wilted. At this point it's ready, but if serving straight from the pan continue cooking for a minute or two if you like to let any excess water evaporate.
- Transfer to a nice serving dish or plate (if you like). Grind over salt and pepper (to taste). Squeeze over half of the lemon. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil. Serve with the rest of the lemon sliced into segments for squeezing over if you like.1 lemon, salt and pepper
Loved the Horta in Greece! Will try this recipe as I also love spinach ……but have not seem this type of frozen spinach in the supermarkets here in Melbourne😞
Can I use fresh spinach?
Hello Maria! I’m so happy you’re going to try the recipe – I think it will remind you of that lovely Greek horta! Here in Perth I can’t get that type of spinach ready frozen either but what I do is grab a big bag of fresh and throw it in the freezer as soon as I get home so that it’s there waiting any time I want to make this. But yes, by all means you can use fresh! What I’d do is rinse it under the tap in a colander, then don’t dry it so that there’s a little bit of moisture when you add it to the pan. I hope you enjoy it!
Hi Maria, new here. So happy that I came across you after searching for a crust less quiche! We live in South Africa but so far all your ingredients are freely available here.
Please include in your recipes whether dishes can be frozen.
Can this spinach be frozen after cooking?
Kind regards, Shan
Hello Shaun! I’m Helen, the owner of the site. I think you might have replied to a comment from another lovely reader called Maria! I’m so happy you are enjoying the site and can find all the ingredients you need. I try to keep the recipes as simple as possible, using ingredients commonly found in most places. Thanks for the reminder to include freezing instructions – you’re right, that is always very helpful! As for the spinach, yes you can most definitely freeze after cooking. Just freeze in an airtight container or freezer safe bag, then when you want to eat it defrost before reheating gently either in a pan again or in the microwave. I hope you enjoy it!