Equipment
Ingredients
Main Components
- 30 g pine nuts, raw
- 15 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic, thinly sliced
- 350 g fresh baby spinach, washed and thoroughly dried
- ½ lemon, juiced
Seasoning
- kosher salt
- black pepper, freshly ground
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 109 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- 5 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 264 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Potassium
- 550 mg
- Calcium
- 94 mg
- Iron
- 2.9 mg
- Magnesium
- 89 mg
- Phosphorus
- 91 mg
- Zinc
- 1.0 mg
- Vitamin A
- 411 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 27 mg
- Vitamin E
- 3.0 mg
- Vitamin K
- 429 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.2 mg
- Thiamin
- 0.11 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.19 mg
- Niacin
- 1.0 mg
- Folate
- 173 mcg
- Water
- 85 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place a dry large skillet over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and toast, shaking the pan frequently, until golden brown and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer immediately to a small plate to stop the cooking process.
Return the skillet to medium heat and add the extra virgin olive oil. Add the thinly sliced garlic and cook until fragrant and just beginning to turn pale golden, about 1 minute.
Add the baby spinach to the skillet in large handfuls, using kitchen tongs to turn and coat the leaves in the garlic oil. Cook until the spinach is just wilted and bright green, about 2 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat immediately to prevent overcooking. Squeeze the fresh lemon juice over the spinach, season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste, and gently fold in the toasted pine nuts. Serve warm.
Chef's Notes
- Always remove toasted pine nuts from the hot skillet immediately, as the residual heat of the pan will continue to cook and inevitably burn them.
- For the best texture, ensure your baby spinach is bone-dry before it hits the pan to prevent steaming and pooling liquid.
- Add the lemon juice off the heat; cooking lemon juice degrades its bright, fresh flavor and can cause the green color of the spinach to dull.
- Because spinach reduces drastically in volume, do not be alarmed if your pan is initially overflowing. It will shrink by over 80 percent within two minutes.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 days — Best consumed immediately. Will release water as it sits.
Reheating: Warm gently in a skillet over medium heat until just heated through. Drain any excess liquid before serving.
Troubleshooting
Spinach is sitting in a pool of watery liquid
Cause: The spinach was not thoroughly dried after washing, or the pan temperature dropped too low causing it to steam rather than saute.
Fix: Use tongs to lift the spinach out of the skillet, leaving the excess water behind, or quickly drain through a fine-mesh strainer before adding the pine nuts.
Prevention: Use a salad spinner to remove all moisture from the raw spinach leaves before cooking, and ensure your skillet is preheated.
Pine nuts are dark brown and taste bitter
Cause: Nuts were left in the hot pan too long or left in the pan off the heat, where residual heat continued to cook them.
Fix: Cannot be fixed. Discard the burnt nuts and toast a fresh batch.
Prevention: Keep the nuts moving constantly while toasting and immediately transfer them to a cool plate the moment they turn golden.
Cultural Context
Sauteed leafy greens with nuts and olive oil is a foundational Mediterranean preparation, particularly popular in Italian, Greek, and Levantine cuisines. The addition of toasted pine nuts adds a luxurious texture and rich, buttery counterpoint to the subtle metallic earthiness of the spinach.
