Wilted Spinach with Garlic

Quick, easy, and versatile - this sauteed spinach recipe is a must-have in your recipe repertoire. Just stir the spinach in the oil and spices and you have the tasty side of wilted spinach with garlic - this is a wonderful side for fish, chicken, and rice. Gets ready in about 10 minutes. See I told ya! Weeknight dinners made easy.

This is a stovetop recipe and comes together very easily.

Jump to:

• ingredients
• Equipment Needed
• Step by step instructions
• Should You Trim The Stem?
• What Kind Of Red Chillies Can you Use?
• Serving suggestions
• What to do with leftovers?
• More Spinach Recipes
• Additonal Notes
• Wilted Spinach with Garlic

ingredients

baby spinach - read more about the health benefits of spinach at WebMD.

garlic

cumin seeds

while red chillies

salt to taste

oil

Equipment Needed

• Large Skillet/saute pan/frying pan (I used an 11-inch frying pan) - a non-stick pan or any well-seasoned one.
• Cooking spoon
• Measuring spoons/cups
• Serving dish

Step by step instructions

This is like a beginner recipe - a quick saute/stir fry with spinach with some simple spices. Gets ready quickly and no complicated steps. If you can stir, you can get this right :).

Heat oil in a skillet on medium-high heat.

Add cumin seeds, garlic and broked red chillies

Add spinach in batches (I add about ⅓ of the quantity in my 11-inch skillet). Stir for a minute or two until the spinach is wilted. Add the next batch, repeat the same.

Transfer to a serving dish. Serve hot.

Should You Trim The Stem?

Well, that is a personal preference. I use baby spinach which is already washed. So there is no cleaning involved. My family does not mind the stems, so I do not trim them. But if you prefer, you can trim the stems. If you do, the prep time required will increase slightly.

If you are looking for more information on cleaning and storing spinach, I wrote an entire blog post on how to store spinach to keep it fresh for longer.

What Kind Of Red Chillies Can you Use?

I usually have whole red chillies (dried) in my spice cabinet. They work pretty well in the recipe. I break them into smaller pieces.

Want to see what else I usually have in my spice cabinet? Take a look at my most essential spices.

If you prefer the milder taste and less heat, reduce the number of red chillies used, remove the seeds or skip them altogether.

If you cannot get hold of whole red chillies, you can use red chilli flakes. Adjust to taste.

Serving suggestions

non vegetarian

• Though this pita wrap with green chutney chicken is a meal in itself, you can add the wilted spinach with garlic as a side.

• This garlicky sauteed/wilted spinach will work as a good side for the pan-seared tilapia. You can use the same skillet for both which means fewer dishes to clean up.

• You can serve this wilted spinach as a side to green chutney chicken or oats-crusted chicken as well.

vegetarian

The sauteed spinach with garlic is like Kerala's own mezhukkupuratti - spinach mezhukkupuratti. This can be served as a side to many Indian meals. I prefer to serve this with steamed rice.

• Bell pepper (or capsicum) yogurt curry is an aromatic dish where shallow fried bell pepper is cooked in a flavorful gravy with yogurt and can be eaten for lunch or dinner. 

• Super simple beetroot aviyal recipe - in the footsteps of the gravy base - for the quintessential Kerala style aviyal. Amazing flavors!

• Pulissery is a traditional recipe from Kerala Cuisine. It is extremely delicious with rich flavors that will leave you craving for more. It is a very basic and simple recipe and comes together quickly. 

What to do with leftovers?

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Use in 2-3 days. You can reheat wither on stovetop or microwave.

More Spinach Recipes

Additonal Notes

• 1 CUP = 250 ML. (US cups are typically 240 ml. You can use US cups with no significant change to the dish). 
• 1 TEASPOON = 5ML; 1 TABLESPOON= 15 ML
• Grams to cups measurements – we strive to provide these conversions as accurately as possible. There might be some slight variations depending on the brand, weighing scale, etc.
• serving size - this serves 2 people. adjust the serving size to suit your dietary needs.
• If you prefer the milder taste and less heat, reduce the number of red chillies used, remove the seeds or skip them altogether.
• Do not overcrowd the skillet by adding the entire quantity of spinach in one go. Work in batches.