Stir-Fried Spinach with Garlic and Parmesan

Easy Stir-Fried Spinach with Garlic and Parmesan is perfect for a low-carb side dish! And this can literally be on the table in minutes!

PIN the Stir-Fried Spinach to try it later!

I think this Stir-Fried Spinach with Garlic and Parmesan is a great idea for a super easy side dish! I love to buy those big containers of organic baby spinach from Costco and use it for spinach salad. Then when the spinach has been in the fridge for a while and needs to get used, I’ll make this easy and quick version of stir-fried spinach which tastes wonderful.

This stir-fried spinach recipe uses the same stir-frying technique of seasoning the oil that I use for my Asian stir fry dishes, but this time it’s just garlic that gets cooked for a minute in the hot oil, seasoning the oil so it will give the spinach a delightful garlic flavor.

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• baby spinach leaves
• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• whole garlic cloves
• freshly grated parmesan cheese
• fresh ground black pepper to taste

Do you have to use baby spinach for this stir-fried spinach?

I love to make this with baby spinach because it cooks so quickly when it’s stir fried. But if you want to make the recipe with larger spinach leaves, just cook them a minute or two longer.

What other kinds of cheese could you use?

I loved this recipe with the freshly-grated Parmesan, but you could use other hard cheeses like Pecorino-Romano or Asiago for the recipe. And I think this would also be delicious with Feta.

More veggie stir fry recipes you might like:

Check out Stir Fry Recipes to find lots more veggie stir fry recipes you might enjoy, as well as some main dish stir fries!

How to Make Stir-Fried Spinach with Garlic and Parmesan:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Use a large heavy frying pan or wok.
2. Wash spinach if needed and spin dry or blot with paper towels. (I buy pre-washed spinach.)
3. Heat pan or wok for about one minute over medium high heat, until it feels hot when you hold your hand above it.
4. Add olive oil and heat until oil shimmers, then add garlic cloves and stir-fry for 30 seconds to one minute, or until you smell garlic. (Don’t let garlic start to brown.)
5. Remove garlic and discard.
6. Add spinach to hot seasoned oil and immediately start to stir, lifting spinach as it wilts and letting uncooked spinach move to the bottom.
7. Cook only until spinach is hot and wilted, about 2 minutes for baby spinach.
8. Remove spinach to serving plate.
9. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and season with fresh-ground pepper.
10. Serve hot.

More Delicious Recipes with Spinach:

• Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese
• Spinach and Mozzarella Egg Bake
• Breakfast Casserole with Spinach and Goat Cheese
• Spinach Salad with Bacon and Feta
• Spinach and Basil Pesto

Continue to Content

Print

Yield: 4 servings

Stir-Fried Spinach with Garlic and Parmesan

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 3 minutes

Total Time 13 minutes

Easy Stir-Fried Spinach with Garlic and Parmesan is perfect for a low-carb side dish!

Ingredients

• 16 oz baby spinach leaves
• 2 T olive oil
• 6 whole garlic cloves
• 3 T freshly grated parmesan cheese (or more)
• fresh ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Use a large heavy frying pan or wok for this recipe.
2. Wash spinach if needed and spin dry or blot with paper towels. (I buy pre-washed spinach so I can skip this step.)
3. Heat pan or wok for about one minute over medium high heat, until it feels hot if you hold your hand over it.
4. Add olive oil and heat until oil shimmers, then add garlic cloves and stir-fry for 30 seconds to one minute, or until you can smell garlic. (Don’t cook it so long that the garlic starts to brown or it will taste bitter.)
5. Remove garlic and discard.
6. Add spinach to hot seasoned oil and immediately start to stir, lifting spinach from the bottom of the hot pan as it wilts and letting the uncooked spinach move to the bottom. Cook only until all spinach is hot and wilted, about 2 minutes.
7. Remove spinach to serving plate.
8. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and season with fresh-ground pepper.
9. Serve hot.

Notes

Recipe created by Kalyn.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 110Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 3mgSodium 148mgCarbohydrates 7gFiber 3gSugar 1gProtein 5g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Easy Stir-Fried Spinach with Garlic and Parmesan is a great dish for low-carb or Keto diet plans, and for any phase of the original South Beach Diet.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Stir Fry Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This easy recipe for stir-fried spinach was first posted in 2008! It was updated in 2022 with greatly improved photos and last updated with more information in 2023.

Share This: