Amaranth Greens
Tender, nutrient-rich leafy greens with a mild spinach-like flavor that cook down quickly and pair well with bold seasonings
Storage
Wrap in a damp paper towel and store in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer. These greens are delicate, so keep them dry and don't crush them under heavier produce.
Keeps For
About 10 days refrigerated, though they're best within the first few days while the leaves are still perky. Older leaves are still great cooked into something where the texture doesn't matter, like saag.
Flavor Profile
Milder and sweeter than spinach with a hint of earthiness. Young leaves are tender enough for salads, while mature leaves cook down silky-soft in minutes. The stems are tender when young but get fibrous as the plant matures. Cooked amaranth has a pleasant, slightly mucilaginous quality similar to cooked spinach.
How to Prep
Wash thoroughly—these can hold grit. Young plants can be used whole, stems and all. For larger plants, strip the leaves and tender stem tips. If the stems seem tough, peel them like you would chard stems or just use the leaves. The cooking liquid often turns a beautiful pink or red from the pigments in the leaves—this is normal and makes for striking soups.
Ways to Cook
- 1 Sauté with garlic and olive oil until just wilted
- 2 Stir-fry quickly over high heat with ginger and soy sauce
- 3 Add to soups and stews in the last few minutes of cooking
- 4 Use young leaves raw in salads
- 5 Simmer in coconut milk with spices for a Caribbean-style callaloo
- 6 Fold into omelets or scrambled eggs
- 7 Toss with pasta, garlic, and parmesan
- 8 Steam lightly and dress with lemon and olive oil
Pairs Well With
Did You Know?
Amaranth has been cultivated for over 8,000 years and was a staple food of the Aztecs, who used both the leaves and the grain-like seeds. The name comes from the Greek word for 'unfading' because the flowers retain their color when dried. Today it's eaten worldwide—called callaloo in the Caribbean, vlita in Greece, and various names across Asia and Africa.