Sautéed Spinach Crostini – Recipe Redux

[highlight]Delicious and light, this Sautéed Spinach Crostini recipe is the perfect appetizer. Based off a recipe from The Barefoot Contessa’s Make it Ahead Cookbook. [/highlight]

This sounds so dorky but one of my favorite places to hang out is the “cookbook” section of my local library. I have always loved looking through cookbooks. Not just for recipes but I love when cookbooks share stories or personal tidbits along with pictures of beautiful food.

My mom is responsible for getting me hooked on checking out cookbooks at the library. This practice has come in very handy because a) cookbooks can be quite expensive and b) there is nothing worse than buying a cookbook only to take it home and find that you don’t really love any of the recipes. Checking out cookbooks at the library lets you take it for a test drive. I usually end up buying copies of the ones I love after “borrowing” them first.

The theme for this month’s The Recipe Redux challenge was to “Grab a Book & Cook”. W were challenged to play a little party game at the end of 2016: Grab your nearest cookbook and ReDux the recipe on page 201, 16, 216 – or any combination of the number ‘2016.’

I love this theme because many of us have cookbooks laying around that we haven’t used in awhile. Thanks to the internet and pinterest it’s easier than ever to just pull up a recipe on the computer but there is nothing that compares to opening a hardcover cookbook and following a recipe. Such a fun idea and great way to get people to try something new.

I chose The Barefoot Contessa’s “Make It Ahead” cookbook. I’m in love with this book because it’s basically a collection of great tasting dishes that can be made ahead of time. Perfect for parties and get togethers, so you don’t have to be stuck in the kitchen when the guests arrive. I love Ina Garten and really enjoy her recipes. Plus I think her and her husband are adorable together. #RelationshipGoals

The selected Barefoot Contessa’s recipe is called Bruschettas with Sauteed Chard. I changed the recipe up a bit from the original because I don’t like swiss chard. I also felt like it needed a little bit of heat.  So I created this Sautéed Spinach Crostini recipe based off of Ina Garten’s recipe but with some changes.

This recipe is a great example of a delicious appetizer that is also healthy. It’s also a great way to incorporate more leafy greens into your meals, which is one of my goals for the new year.

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5 from 1 vote

Sautéed Spinach Crostini

Delicious and healthy appetizer that will please any crowd. Based off The Barefoot Contessa's Bruschettas with Sautéed Chard recipe.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Mediterranean

Keyword crostini, healthy appetizer, sauteed spinach

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author Brynn at The Domestic Dietitian

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh spinach leaves
• Olive Oil
• 1 baguette sliced diagonally into 1/4 inch thick slices
• Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 3 garlic cloves - 1 peeled and cut in half / 2 cloves minced
• 1/2 lemon - zested and juiced
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Place baguette slices on baking sheet and lightly drizzle with olive oil
• Place in oven for 10-15 minutes, until lightly toasted
• After taking out of the oven, rub halved garlic clove over tops of each slice
• In a large saute pan over medium heat, warm olive oil
• Add minced garlic (2 cloves worth) and sauté until fragrant, about 45 seconds
• Add spinach, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper and red pepper flakes (omit if you don't want heat)
• Saute until spinach is wilted but not soggy, about 2 minutes
• Squeeze juice from 1/2 lemon (make sure you save the zest for later) over spinach and remove pan from heat
• Using tongs, place spinach on top of each crostini slice
• Sprinkle top with zest of lemon, freshly grated parmesan cheese and sprinkle of sea salt

You can see what my fellow Recipe Redux Community members came up with by clicking below…

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