Wilted Spinach with Cherry Tomatoes

Wilted spinach and tomatoes with lemon and basil

Tonight's main course was not very exciting and a bit embarrassing, to be honest. Frozen chicken pot pies (please don't judge us).  Luckily, we had a tasty side dish that helped make up for the pre-fab pies.  We love spinach, and since we had conveniently just purchased a large bag of raw spinach and fresh tomatoes from the farmer's market, it seemed only natural to whip something up.

Steve had an idea on what he wanted, but couldn't find any recipes that matched his taste, so this recipe is all his own. The basil added a nice aroma to the dish and the lemon and tomatoes added a nice acidity to the spinach.

Here's what you'll need:

- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 lb (8-10 ounces) fresh spinach
- 1/2 cup packed basil leaves
- 1/2 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat.  Toss everything in the pan together and cook, stirring often for about 5 minutes until the spinach and basil have just wilted down and the tomatoes are piping hot

Serve with your favorite main course and enjoy!  The fresh, lemony flavor is sure to compliment a variety of summertime dishes.

This dish was so fast and simple, but so delicious. We didn't have any fresh lemons on hand, so we used bottled lemon juice, but you could certainly use the juice of a fresh lemon if you wanted.