Sautéed Spinach with Mushrooms and Caramelized Onions

When I was in Pure Barre class today, with my leg up in the air and my head on the barre, listening to my teachers instructions of “Tuck, tuck, tuck, hold. Tuck, tuck, tuck, freeze” I was simultaneously thinking about how I have never been able to answer the question “What is your favorite vegetable?” until now…

The reason I have trouble answering this question is because there isn’t a vegetable that I actually LOVE in ALL of its forms. Some I love cooked, but do not care for raw such as mushrooms, whole florets of broccoli (boring), and you can’t eat eggplant raw. I am not a huge fan of onions raw either- they repeat on me and that is not a pleasant feeling.

But I can answer the question if I can pick a vegetable prepared in my favorite way, and for me, that would have to be the caramelized onion. I have gotten onion nay-sayers to love a caramelized onions whether it be in my French Onion Soup or my Caramelized Onion Tart or the recipe I am posting today.

My love for the caramelized onion runs deep. I will put myself through endless tears (literally) just to have an extra batch on hand in my fridge. I love adding it to dishes throughout the week as they are soft/jammy and contain a sweet, deeply complex flavor.

You do need a good pan and a bit of patience to make them just right, but they are well worth the wait.

Now, I just went on and on about how much I love the caramelized onion, but I pretty much equally loved spinach and mushrooms sautéed with garlic and extra virgin olive oil. Sautéed Spinach, Mushrooms, and Caramelized Onions - a delicious side dish recipe that will go great with lots of main dishes. I sometimes serve it over bread or even mix it with pasta and add a little heavy cream to boot.

The flavors of mushrooms, spinach, caramelized onions, garlic, and cheddar cheese mingle really well in this meatless recipe. It's quite versatile: you can eat it as-is, especially if you're craving some good-tasting, creamy vegetables.  

Sautéed Spinach, Mushrooms, and Caramelized Onions

PREP TIME 10 mins

COOK TIME 30 mins

TOTAL TIME 40 mins

Ingredients FOR THE Caramelized onions

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 3 yellow onions, large and thinly sliced

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

ALL Other ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 10 oz baby bella mushrooms , sliced

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

• 5 oz spinach

• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, cubed

• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Instructions

How to caramelize onions:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add sliced onions and cook on high heat for about 10 minutes, constantly stirring with the spatula.

2. The onions should start to brown, but without burning.

3. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking onions for 10 more minutes, continuing to stir, as onions brown even more without burning. At this point add a pinch of salt over onions.

4. Continue cooking for 10 more minutes on medium or low heat, stirring occasionally to make sure onions don’t stick to the bottom of the pan or burn.

5. In total, you should have cooked onions for 30 minutes.

6. Remove the skillet from heat and sprinkle the onions with a small amount of balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan.

7. Using a spatula, stir the onions, scraping the bottom of the pan and coating onions with a pinch of balsamic vinegar you just added. Remove caramelized onions to a plate.

How to cook mushrooms and spinach:

1. In the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the same skillet on medium heat. Add sliced mushrooms.

2. Cook mushrooms for about 5 minutes, occasionally stirring, until mushrooms are soft. Sprinkle with a pinch or two of salt.

3. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds until golden.

4. Add fresh spinach to the skillet and stir on low heat just until spinach starts to wilt.

Put it all together

1. Add caramelized onions back to the skillet with the mushrooms and spinach.

2. Toss in the cheddar cheese and mix until it melts.

3. Add salt and pepper to taste.

   *HOW TO SERVE: EAT AS IS! OR YOU CAN PLACE THE VEGGIE MIXTURE ON TOP OF TOASTED BREAD (LIKE GARLIC BREAD) OR ADD 1 CUP OF HEAVY CREAM AND 1/2 CUP OF GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE TO THE VEGGIE MIXTURE AND TOSS WITH PASTA.