Even if it seems like restaurant salads taste better than at home, it doesn’t mean you should avoid getting those greens. While shopping at the grocery store, it’s good to stock up on tons of salad greens and other veggies with bold plans towards eating a more plant-forward diet. Sadly, that big tub of mixed salad will often sit too long and wilt in the refrigerator even with the best of intentions. Instead of shamefacedly tossing the whole lot in the trash, cook those wilted greens quickly and efficiently in the microwave instead.
Several days in the refrigerator is enough to sadden most vegetables, but salad greens seem to suffer the most. While they might not be crisp and bouncy enough for a fresh salad, they’re still well-suited for cooking. Throw a couple of smashed garlic cloves into a microwave-safe bowl with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, and heat for less than a minute until the garlic is soft. Then, toss your sad salad greens in the garlic oil and pop them back into the microwave for 30 more seconds or until tender. Add the cooked greens to your breakfast of scrambled eggs, use them in a classic pasta e fagioli, or eat them right out of the bowl. They’re the perfect substitute in any recipe that normally calls for kale, chard, or even spinach.
Storing your greens for longer
Prevention is better than a cure, they always say, and learning how to store your vegetables properly can extend their fridge life, giving you more time to eat the salad greens the way you originally intended. When you get home from the grocery store, wash and spin-dry the greens in a salad spinner — the Cuisinart Salad Spinner is a worthwhile investment — and then pop the whole thing in the refrigerator. If you don’t have a salad spinner, place the greens directly into a paper towel-lined crisper drawer in the refrigerator after washing and drying. This method will help your greens last longer, giving you plenty of time to work a salad or three into your regular meal rotation.
Though you never want to waste food or your money by letting salad greens go to waste in the fridge, it happens to the best of us. With proper storage and alternate preparation options, along with a few helpful cooking hacks, trashing wilted greens can become a thing of the past.
