healthy sides

An incredibly fast and easy side dish, these Balsamic Spinach and Mushrooms are a new favorite in our house that&#x27;s packed full of flavor and nutrition!

Balsamic Spinach and Mushrooms

oz fresh baby spinach (approx 8 cups packed)

oz fresh mushrooms, sliced

olive oil

fresh garlic, minced

onion powder

salt

pepper (to taste)

balsamic vinegar (more

Heat olive oil in a large, wide saute pan or skillet on medium high heat.

Add mushrooms and saute for about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until mushrooms begin to soften, brown, and are cooked through.  Add salt and onion powder and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring to ensure it doesn&#x27;t burn.

Turn down heat to medium and add spinach and turn with tongs until wilted (add in bunches if it all doesn&#x27;t fit in the pan at once)  Just before it&#x27;s done, drizzle on balsamic vinegar and give a final toss.

Plate and serve immediately.

No prep whatsoever, just throw your butternut squash into the Instant Pot and just see how much easier it is to cut and peel!

How to Cook a Whole Butternut Squash in the Instant Pot

butternut squash (look

Pour 1 cup of water into the pressure cooker pot.  Place a low rise trivet inside, place butternut squash on top.

Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position.  Cook at high pressure for 25 minutes.

When cooking is complete, use a natural release for 10 minutes and then release any remaining pressure (could also use a full natural release if you don&#8217;t mind it getting really tender).

Let squash cool slightly, peel with a knife or vegetable peeler.

Cut squash in half at the neck.  Cut rounded bottom in half and scoop out seeds.

Use immediately, refrigerate, or freeze (see notes).

I may never bake a butternut squash again, this was super easy &amp; I had no trouble peeling the cooked squash.  Thank you!  oh, and I made the instant pot nacho cheese sauce...score!  my children don't know they are eating butternut squash in their mac n cheese!  About to try it on chicken nuggets &amp; fish sticks and there is lots of sauce leftover.  I didn't have the jalapeno ingredients so, I left it out, one of my children (expert in our kitchen) said it was 'a step below mild salsa'.

Thank you for this! I have a recipe I love (think it might be from Chez Panisse) that is cubed butternut sauteed briefly with walnuts, ginger, and thyme and tossed with vanilla and lemon juice. It's a lovely, delicate blend of flavors, but I was always sure I would chop off a finger one day trying to deal with cutting down the squash. Now I can make it more often, without the fear!

If it wasn't tasty enough with the butternut squash, you added caramelized onions! I'm thinking some parmesan cheese on top next time would be yummy.

Thank you for this great post. Your ketchup recipe is a staple in my kitchen! I just made another batch yesterday 🙂

I have made this over and over again! So simple and easy! Thank you!

So, can I use an acorn squash the same way in my instant pot?

Japanese Spinach

spinach (about 8 ounces)

mirin

½ Tablespoons soy sauce

water

dashi powder

sesame oil

Put the mirin, soy sauce, dashi powder, and water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over high heat. As soon as it starts to simmer, turn off the heat and stir. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the spinach and stir the pot. As soon as the spinach is wilted, approximately 30 seconds, drain the spinach in a colander and cool under running water.

Squeeze as much water as possible from the spinach and place on a cutting board and form into a thick log. Cut the spinach log into 3-4 pieces. Set the spinach into a serving bowl.

Pour the sauce gently around the spinach, garnish the top with katsuobushi flakes, and serve.

Super simple, delicious way to get more vegetables on the table. Took me less than 10 minutes to make. The sauce is delicious and soaks into the spinach nicely!!

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The most viewed healthy sides recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Balsamic Spinach and Mushrooms

How to Cook a Whole Butternut Squas...

Japanese Spinach

The most viewed healthy sides recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine