Martina McBride's Sautéed Spinach Recipe Is So Easy, Flavorful, and Healthy

Sure, there will be mashed potatoes and biscuits galore. Charred ambrosia and creamy Parmesan grits. But slipping in a healthy side dish or two this holiday season is something we can definitely get behind—so long as flavor isn't compromised. That's why we're loving country star Martina McBride's sautéed spinach, which is just as tasty as it is good for you.

This fall, she's sharing her savory sautéed spinach recipe, originally from her cookbook Martina's Kitchen Mix: My Recipe Playlist for Real Life, through her partnership with the American Red Cross to encourage blood donations nationwide through her "Comfort & Joy" campaign. With only a few ingredients—spinach, fresh garlic, fresh lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar), olive oil, and salt and pepper, if you'd like—the whole is more than the sum of the parts in this dish that only takes 10 minutes to make.

"This recipe for sautéed spinach is so easy, there's only three [main] ingredients and it's really good to eat before you donate blood," McBride notes of the side dish, adding that the American Red Cross recommends eating foods that are high in iron and Vitamin C before giving blood, both of which spinach contains. Right now, amidst the coronavirus pandemic, there's an increasing need for blood donations to keep the nation's supply steady, as well as convalescent plasma donation, which is plasma collected from those who have recovered from the virus.

Whether you're treating yourself to this wholesome dish before heading to your local blood donation center or simply looking for another healthy side dish to add to your cooking repertoire, read on for the full recipe.