Catalan Spinach is a fabulously different and delicious side dish that’s healthy, easy to make, and pairs well with grilled meats. In other words, it’s a perfect side dish for a weeknight meal.
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My family loves this spinach dish. I like to serve it when I make Grilled Piri-Piri Chicken and Chili Lime baked Sweet Potato Fries. Add a gorgeous Grilled Romaine Salad and Grilled Italian Amaretti Peaches for a meal that’s healthy, tasty, and satisfying for the whole family.
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What Is Catalan Spinach?
Catalan Spinach is a dish from Cataluna in northern Spain. It’s healthy, easy to make, and has the sweet and savory flavors favored by the Spanish Moors.
Catalan spinach is often served with crusty bread on the side as a tapa, which is the Spanish name for a small plate (appetizer).
Ingredients Needed
- Raisins – use any kind of raisin you have on hand. I used the standard brown raisins that we took in our lunches as kids. Golden raisins or sultanas would be outstanding in this recipe.
- Pine nuts – There really isn’t a great substitute for pine nuts in this recipe. You could get by with slivered raw almonds, but the flavor and texture would be different.
- Olive oil – I used extra virgin. Use a good quality oil because it adds a lot of flavor.
- Shallots and garlic
- Sherry vinegar – you could also use champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar.
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Baby spinach – I like using baby spinach because it’s more tender and it comes already washed in the bags. You could use almost any green in this recipe. I made it using half baby spinach and half baby kale and it was amazing!
Steps To Make This Recipe
- Plump the raisins by soaking them in hot water.
- Toast the pine nuts.
- Saute the shallots and garlic. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper.
- Add half of the spinach, cover the pan, and allow it to wilt.
- Add the remaining spinach and allow it to wilt.
- Season the spinach with the sherry vinegar, salt, and pepper.
- Serve hot.
More Tapas-Style Recipes To Try
- KC Doritos-Crusted Empanadas
- Baked Parmesan Scallops
- Mexican Picaditas
- Fried Deviled Eggs
- Goat Cheese Caprese Bruschetta
- Glazed Bacon Wrapped Onion Rings
- Extra Flavorful Jalapeno Poppers
Catalan Spinach
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
Catalan Spinach is a fabulously different and delicious side dish that’s healthy, easy to make, and pairs well with grilled meats. In other words, it’s a perfect side dish for a weeknight meal.
Ingredients
½ cup raisins
¼ cup olive oil
1 medium shallot, very finely minced
4 large garlic cloves, very finely minced
Four (10-ounce) bags baby spinach
½ cup pine nuts
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
Instructions
In a small bowl, add the raisins and cover them with hot water. Allow the raisins to ‘reconstitute’ for 10 minutes or until plump. Drain well. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, toast the pine nuts until lightly browned and very fragrant – about 5 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a bowl and set aside.
To the same skillet, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and stir in the shallots. Cook until the shallots are soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook another minute.
Season with ½ teaspoon of salt and a pinch of black pepper.
Place as much spinach as you can (about 2 full bags) and toss. Cover and cook until the spinach just until it begins to wilt.
Add another bag.
Continue with this process until all of the spinach is in the skillet. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach has wilted – about 20 minutes.
Stir in the sherry vinegar, drained raisins, and pine nuts.
Remove from the heat.
The spinach will continue to wilt, so don’t overcook it or it will feel slimy.
Add the remaining salt and a generous amount of black pepper to taste.
Serve hot.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Saute
- Cuisine: Spanish
Keywords: Catalan Spinach, sauteed spinach, side dish recipes, Spanish recipes, Spanish food, healthy recipes, vegetarian recipes
