Sautéed Spinach with Bacon is a popular side dish combining crispy bacon and spinach. This is an easy and quick way to cook spinach and a delicious combination of sweet and salty.
Get ready to fall in love with this Sautéed Spinach with Bacon recipe! It's a real game-changer. Imagine crispy bacon mixed with fresh spinach, all jazzed up with a little brown sugar and some cranberries or raisins for that sweet kick.
Super easy and quick to make, it's the perfect side to complement your mashed potatoes or any roast. Trust me, it's a crowd-pleaser that adds a fun and tasty twist to your meal. It is perfect for Thanksgiving or entertaining during the holidays, but it is also good all year round.
This recipe is part of my collection of simple spinach recipes. Check out this Crustless Smoked Salmon Spinach Quiche, or this Spinach And Feta Cheese Pie.
The Easy Creamed Spinach is also a good holiday dish, and this Crustless Spinach Quiche with Ham and Gouda Cheese is a great one to serve for brunch.
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💝Why you will love this Sautéed Spinach With Bacon
Flavor Combo: Think crispy bacon meets fresh spinach, with a sweet twist from brown sugar and cranberries. It's a cool mix of savory and sweet that'll spice up your taste buds.
Goes with Anything: It's super flexible and works with almost any main dish you've got planned.
Quick and Easy: Only got 15 minutes? No problem. This recipe is a breeze to make and perfect for those days when you're short on time but still want something tasty and homemade.
📝 What ingredients do you need?
- Fresh baby spinach leaves: To feed four people, you will need about 2 pounds of fresh spinach leaves. Also, you can use frozen spinach. You will need about a pound.
- Bacon: There are various types of bacon you can use. Some of my favorites are American-style bacon (made from pork belly, cured in salt and spices, and then smoked), uncured bacon, and lardons (which are cuts of pork belly or loin that are cured in salt and seasonings, then cut into cubes). You can also replace the bacon with ham, Canadian bacon, or even sausages.
- Brown sugar: I would go with dark brown sugar to add another layer of flavor to the spinach.
- Cranberries: These dried little fruits add sweetness and texture to the dish. You can replace them with your favorite raisins. I like golden raisins.
- Salt and ground black pepper
- Apple cider vinegar: we use this vinegar to balance the flavors in this sauteed spinach.
Check out these cranberry recipes: Apple Cranberry Chutney, Thanksgiving Sausage And Cranberry Stuffing, or this Cranberry Upside-Down Cake.
You can replace the spinach with either:
- Kale
- Swiss chard
- Collard greens
- Beet greens
- Bok choy
- Turnip greens
- Mustard greens
- Rapini
👩🍳 How to make this recipe
Step 1. Cook the bacon: Chop the bacon slices and add them to a large skillet. Cook on medium-high heat the chopped bacon until brown. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon bits and set them aside to drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
Step 2. Cook the spinach: Use the same pan, and cook the spinach in the bacon grease on medium heat. If you use fresh baby spinach, you will notice that the leaves will shrink and lose volume. This is normal. If the leaves take up too much space, work them in batches.
Step 3. Add spices: Add salt, black pepper, and sugar, turning the spinach frequently to wilt the leaves and melt the sugar.
Step 4. Add cranberries and bacon: Add the cranberries and return the bacon pieces to the pan.
Add the apple cider vinegar and mix everything to combine.
Step 5. Serve right away next to your favorite meat and side dish.
❄️ How to store leftovers
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days. Heat them on the stove or in the microwave. The total time to prepare this easy wilted spinach with bacon dish should not exceed 15 minutes.
This lets you quickly put dinner on the table without missing out on flavors and textures. I am sure this side dish will soon become a favorite recipe to put on repeat.
🙋♀️ Recipe faqs
Yes, you can prepare this dish ahead of time and reheat it. However, the spinach is best when served fresh as it tends to wilt upon reheating.
After cooking, consider tossing in some toasted nuts or seeds like pine nuts, almonds, or sunflower seeds.
Sprinkle in some red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce while cooking.
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📖 Recipe
Sautéed Spinach with Bacon Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds baby spinach leaves or 1 pound frozen spinach
- 4 slices bacon chopped
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup cranberries or raisins
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- In a large pan over medium-high heat, cook bacon until brown, about 5 minutes. Remove bacon from the pan and set aside to drain.
- Reduce heat to medium and add freshly washed spinach to the pan.
- Sprinkle with salt, black pepper, and sugar. Turn often to wilt the leaves and melt the sugar. This step will take about 3-4 minutes.
- Return bacon to the pan, add raisins and apple cider vinegar and combine.
- Serve right away.
Notes
- Kale
- Swiss chard
- Collard greens
- Beet greens
- Bok choy
- Turnip greens
- Mustard greens
- Rapini
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