Yep, I know what you’re thinking…Eeeewwww! Cooked spinach–yuk! Well, I agree that it’s pretty nasty when it’s been boiled to death, as cooks used to do. The standard routine was to bring a large pot of water to a boil, dump in the veggies, whether they be fresh, frozen or canned, and boil them to a mush. Then drain them and add a mound of butter or margarine and serve. Yum.

Times have changed and we’ve learned that less is best. Less water, that is. Also less cooking time too, as this helps to preserve nutrients, flavor and texture. Years ago, I came up with a REALLY easy and fast way to steam spinach. No special gadgets required.

Simply wash your spinach. Yes, wash it, even if it came in a cello bag that says it’s been prewashed. Why do this? Because the water that clings to the leaves will be the water that does the steaming–that’s why. So…wash your spinach and place it in a colander. Allow any excess water to drain off, but to not place it in a salad spinner nor pat the leaves dry with a paper towel.

Place the wet spinach in a clean dry large pot that has a tight-fitting lid. (DO NOT add any oil or water to the pan.) Sprinkle the wet spinach with whatever seasoning you want (again, no oils at this time). Toss the spinach to distribute the seasonings if needed.

Place the lid on the pot and put it on a large stove burner. Turn the burner on high heat. Yep–high. As SOON as you notice steam rising out of the pot turn off the burner. Leave the pot on the burner for a couple minutes, then it’s ready to serve. It will be lightly steamed and seasoned. Now is the time to add any fats (oil or butter), if you want.

This trick is very easy to do when you’re preparing a meal, as the spinach takes care of itself. You can wash the spinach first and place it in the pot with the lid on. Turn the burner on high about 5 minutes before everything else should be done. That’s more than enough time for your spinach to steam and it will be nice and hot when you eat it! It’s THAT simple!

To see this in action, check out the video below. Enjoy! Judi