Staying healthy in college is difficult, especially when it comes to a cheap dinner option. Ditch the mashed potatoes and try out this spinach recipe, a healthy alternative side dish with plenty of flavor to complement your dinner entrée.

Most of the time spinach is plain and boring unless it comes in the form of the delicious and unhealthy mixed spinach dip. When you add different spices to spinach, it can create a more flavorful side dish than the usual water downed leaves that so often sit before you.

This recipe is perfect for the college students slowly trying to become healthier because it still has flavor while keeping costs down.

This recipe is a healthy alternative to traditional side dishes paired with an entrée, but is much more flavorful than just regular plain vegetables.

Ingredients

10 ounces frozen chopped spinach

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons cream cheese

3 tablespoons minced garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Take the frozen spinach out of the freezer at least 10 minutes prior to cooking.
2. In a large pan, add two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and set the stovetop to high.
3. Once the oil is warm, add frozen chopped spinach to the pan.
4. Cover the pan with either a lid or aluminum foil, and let the spinach sit for 3-4 minutes. Before lifting the lid/cover, set the stovetop setting to low-medium to avoid getting burned by oil.
5. Once the spinach is no longer frozen, begin to sauté.
6. Add two tablespoons of cream cheese. For a creamier spinach recipe, add three more tablespoons of cream cheese until the spinach turns from a dark green to a light green.
7. Slowly mixing, add three tablespoons of minced garlic.
8. Lastly, add salt and pepper to taste. In my opinion, add about six shakes of salt and three shakes of pepper.
9. Turn the stovetop to low until the entrée is ready so that the spinach stays warm and fresh.