Want to save this?
I'll email this to you, so you can come back to it later. Booyah!
TL;DR (Quick-Answer Box)
- What it is: An eye-opening, umami-rich side dish that boasts fresh spinach flash-cooked in a savory sauce of red miso, ginger, tamari, and a splash of rice wine.
- Why you’ll love it: It’s wicked fast, taking only 5 minutes of cook time to transform good-but-ho-hum greens into a bold, restaurant-quality dish that’s healthy and massively flavorful.
- How to make it: Whisk the ginger-miso sauce. Saute garlic in a screaming hot wok or skillet, toss in the spinach, and stir-fry with the sauce until wilted. Garnish and serve.
Jump To
Ridiculously easy and slightly addictive, this stir-fried spinach with miso and ginger embellishes garlicky wilted spinach with a tangy and tasty sauce. If you’re like us and have a lonely tub of half-empty miso paste calling to you from the back of the fridge, this recipe is your answer.
What is red miso?
A key ingredient in Japanese cooking, miso is basically a cultured mixture of four things—soybeans, grains (like rice or barley), salt and koji (a mold). That’s the short explanation. What you need to know is that this paste is fermented and packs a major salty, funky, umami punch. Red miso is a darker paste and has a more assertive, pungent flavor. It can be pretty intense if you’re not used to it, so start with a little at a time and work your way up.
More great international spinach recipes
Write a review
If you make this sauteed spinach stir fry, or any vegetable dish on LC, consider leaving a review, a star rating, and your best photo in the comments below. I love hearing from you.–David
Featured Review
PHENOMENAL! I prepared exactly as per the directions, and it came out just perfect. I could only find white miso (mild), but it still came out great. Easy, healthy, and delicious. I have already included this one in my permanent recipe collection.
Jennifer Monga
Stir-Fried Spinach with Miso and Ginger
Ingredients
For the ginger miso sauce
- 1 inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 tablespoon red miso paste
- 1 tablespoon tamari, or low-sodium light soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons hot water
- 1 tablespoon Shaohsing rice wine, or dry sherry
- Pinch superfine sugar
For the stir-fried spinach
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 1 pinch sea salt, optional
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 14 ounces baby spinach leaves, or regular spinach, chard, or kale, leaves stripped from the stalk and torn into pieces
For serving
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
- 1 to 2 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
Make the ginger miso sauce
- In a small bowl, whisk together the 1 inch piece ginger, 1 tablespoon red miso paste, 1 tablespoon tamari, 3 tablespoons hot water, 1 tablespoon Shaohsing rice wine, and Pinch superfine sugar until well combined.
Make the stir-fried spinach
- Place a wok or very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the 1 tablespoon peanut oil and carefully give the wok or skillet a swirl to coat the surface with oil.
- Add the 1 pinch sea salt, if using, and quickly stir to dissolve. Add the 2 garlic cloves, stir for a few seconds, and then add the spinach. Using tongs or a large spoon, toss the 14 ounces baby spinach leaves for a few seconds and then stir in the ginger-miso sauce from step 1. Continue to cook the spinach, tossing and stirring, until it wilts and is coated with sauce, 1 to 2 minutes.
For serving
- Divide the sauteed spinach among plates or heap it onto a platter. Sprinkle with the 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds and 1 to 2 scallions, if using, and serve immediately.
Explore More with AI
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Did you know only 68% of the recipes we test make it onto the site? This recipe survived our rigorous blind testing process by multiple home cooks. It earned the Leite’s Culinaria stamp of approval—and the testers’ reviews below prove it.
Wok cooking does for stir-fried spinach with miso and ginger what wok cooking should do—marry the ingredients in minutes while preserving, even heightening, the individual flavors. I don’t have a wok so I borrowed my friend’s, did most of the prep work while the pan was heating, and in no time at all I had flash-cooked tender baby spinach draped in a fragrant gingery sauce.
Although I would happily eat it by itself, I served it with steamed rice and another super speedy dish—Chinese stir-fried eggs and tomatoes (I kept the wok on the heat and proceeded to make the egg dish).
Need a really fast and very tasty side dish? This sauteed spinach with miso and ginger is a great choice, especially if you’re looking for recipes to leverage a big tub of leftover miso paste! That was the case for me.
The recipe comes together in less than 15 minutes. The sauce is very tasty and, when combined with the spinach, toasted sesame seeds, and scallions, makes a very nice balanced side dish. It’s tangy and there are nice hints of ginger and garlic. I served it alongside five spice pork chops for dinner tonight.
I didn’t add the pinch of salt called for with the spinach as the miso sauce was well seasoned.
Love the flavors here! This sauteed spinach stir frywith miso and ginger comes together easily, quickly, and is delicious.
I actually think regular spinach or Swiss chard or kale might be even better here as you lose the taste of the baby spinach a bit with all the flavors in the sauce. Also, I didn’t love the scallions on this. I think that could be an optional thing. Overall, though, I was very happy with this dish.
I completely forgot to add the pinch of sugar (oops!). It was still delicious.
PHENOMENAL! I prepared exactly as per the directions, and it came out just perfect. I could only find white miso (mild), but it still came out great. Easy, healthy, and delicious. I have already included this one in my permanent recipe collection.
Jennifer, what a way to start the weekend! Thanks for writing in, and I’m delighted you enjoyed this winner of a recipe.