i wish i had some fun story for you to go along with this sautéed spinach with tomatoes. however, this is just one of those “dinner needs to be now and it should probably have vegetables” type of situations. sometimes (ok, a lot of the time on weeknights), i don’t want to cook something fancy and hard and time-consuming. i want to be already eating (NOW!) and i want to be not still cleaning dishes in an hour.
that situation is totally this dish’s sweet spot. 1 pan, 1 spatula, 1 small knife, 1 small cutting board – that’s an eminently manageable set of dirty dishes to tackle. prewashed spinach (there’s controversy, i know. but my beloved russo’s packages the spinach, and, who knows, maybe they are the ones who wash it too. mostly i grant myself the indulgence of not thinking about it too much.), a handful of cherry tomatoes, a quick pour of olive oil, a dash of crushed red pepper. so very manageable.
and surprisingly tasty too! when i don’t have cherry tomatoes around, i just sauté the spinach and add a dash of lemon juice at the end but when i do have cherry tomatoes, they definitely add yumminess (aaaaand make it seem like i did something more elaborate than dump a container into a pan and call it good).
this sautéed spinach with tomatoes is also super versatile: we’ve eaten it on the side of just about everything at this point. chicken, pasta, sandwiches, soup, fish, tacos, pizza… anything really! the ratio of feeling virtuous about eating vegetables to the amount of effort required basically ensures that this quick little side dish is on the weekly rotation. and honestly, sometimes you just need a quick way to get vegetables on the table without a lot of planning, concentrating on recipe steps, or dish washing. and for those nights, this.
sautéed spinach with tomatoes
Save to BigOven Ingredients
- 7 oz. (205 g. / 10 cups) baby spinach
- 15 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper, optional/to taste
Instructions
- heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- add the cherry tomatoes and give them a 2 – 3 minute head start until they are just beginning to get slumpy and soft.
- add the spinach (yes, it’s way too much for the pan but that will resolve in about 30 seconds) and use a spatula to fold it over a few times until it’s evenly and barely wilted, about 2 minutes.
- serve immediately. feel virtuous about eating fresh vegetables on a weeknight.
Hi Kate,
This looks sooo good — will definitely try. Sam just bought a load of Roma’s so just need the spinach. The feta and white bean sandwich also looks great. I love feta and am always looking for ways to use it.
The photos in this receipe are really good. The colors and textures really come through.
Love,
Aunt Kathy
thanks aunt kathy! i love this recipe because it is super simple and fast yet yummy. i hope you like it and the feta/bean/pesto sandwich – another quick and tasty one.
This is fast and easy enough to bring actual vegetables to the dissertation-writing portion of grad school. I proved that this weekend. Win! Thank you!
yay! i’m so glad to hear it! i hope the vegetables bring joy to a process that sounds… not that fun.