An iron plate with a pile of sautéed romaine lettuce topped with toasted pine nuts

4.89 / 17 votes

Sautéed Romaine with Pine Nuts and Lemon

Sautéed romaine is a quick and healthy side dish that's gonna upend your notions of what purpose romaine was meant to serve on this planet. Bye bye, salads.

Prep Time15

Total Time15

Course: Sides

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 113

Ingredients

▢ 1 large head romaine lettuce, outer leaves discarded
▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
▢ Kosher salt
▢ 2 tablespoons homemade vegetable broth, or homemade chicken stock
▢ 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more to taste
▢ 2 tablespoons fresh pine nuts, toasted

US - Metric

Instructions

Place a large, heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat. Gather everything you need for the recipe and have it measured out because once you start, things happen quickly. While it heats, cut the romaine head in quarters lengthwise, leaving the stem end intact. (Alternatively, if you prefer, you can remove the stem end and very roughly chop the lettuce.)
Place 1 tablespoon butter in the pan and when it’s done foaming, add the lettuce and cook, turning frequently with tongs, until nicely browned, about 3 minutes. Season the lettuce with a few pinches kosher salt and then carefully add the chicken stock and lemon juice. When the stock hits the hot pan it will immediately start reducing, and when it's reduced by about half, add the remaining tablespoon butter and stir well to create an emulsion between the butter and the stock. Add the pine nuts and cook just until everything is warmed through.
Arrange the sauteed romaine on a platter, spooning the stock and the pine nuts over the top. Deliver to the table and make people happy.

Nutrition