Spinach With Mushrooms and Garlic

This easy and nutritious side dish is the 15-minute answer to your dinner predicaments. Great with any main protein, from meat to plant-based choices, this tasty vegetable mixture is ready in no time and is the perfect accompaniment to whatever you are serving. When it's served on top of garlic pasta, you have a vegetarian main; next to steak or rotisserie chicken, it's a complete meal; or stuffed in a wrap with ham and cheese you've got an uncomplicated, quick lunch. The earthy spinach, pungent garlic, and meaty mushrooms are cooked in olive oil, or butter, and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper. An optional addition of Parmesan cheese adds a great tangy punch, but you can omit it if want to keep your dish dairy-free.

If you can, choose organic produce if you can, as it carries less pesticides and generally has better flavor and texture. Organic spinach comes in bunches or in five to 16-ounce containers that are really convenient because they come triple washed and ready to use. If you are buying the bunches but not using all of them at once, wash them thoroughly and wrap what you're not using in paper towels to place back in the fridge. This ensures it keeps fresh and won't get mushy because the paper towel will absorb the humidity. As for the mushrooms, use anything you can find, from white to Cremini, or sliced big portobello caps. If you're a fan of garlic but found that buying a whole head of it sometimes leads to waste, simply peel all the cloves and place them in a mason jar, cover with boiling white distilled vinegar, let it come to room temperature, close, and place in the fridge. This will ensure fresh and delicious garlic for many weeks. Once you have all your ingredients ready, it's time for a quick sautee and voilá, you're ready to eat this tasty spinach before you know it.

To serve a plant-based meal, use olive oil and vegan Parmesan instead of butter and regular cheese, but don't miss out on this flavorful combination. Great with fish, turkey, or beef, the spinach is also great as a lasagna layer, mixed with cooked gnocchi, or as the stuffing for a chicken breast. If needed, use frozen thawed spinach (juices drained), which also has a great flavor and despite what people think, brings to your table all the nutrients and flavor, as most frozen produce is processed at the peak of its freshness.