Creamed Spinach Recipe
Creamed spinach is not only really yummy, but it's such a colorful side dish that complements almost every main protein course you serve. It's even scrumptious along with mac and cheese. This recipe is so tasty, that even veggie haters will love spooning it onto their plates.
The trick to making good creamed spinach is letting the cream cook down and thicken, says food blogger & photographer Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant's Table. For a simple side that takes about 30 minutes to make, creamed spinach tastes rich and luxurious. The key to successful preparation is the gradual addition of elements and the slow cooking of the cream.
Creamed spinach will go great alongside chicken, steak or with mashed potatoes. It's also great as a pasta topping if your fridge is bare and you're really not sure what to eat for lunch. Finally, creamed spinach will keep and reheat well, so it's an excellent dish to plan for leftovers.
Make creamed spinach along with the next steaks that you barbecue, and get a taste of home and classic American food on your table in practically no time.
Gather the ingredients to make creamed spinach
The ingredients for making creamed spinach are really rather simple. At its core, this dish is about spinach, cream, and some seasonings, so let's go with that!
We recommend using fresh spinach for this recipe. It keeps its shape better and ends up with a nice texture that isn't at all slimy, even after cooking. But if all you've got is frozen spinach, that will work. You will need a 10-ounce package of frozen spinach for this recipe. You can also skip the blanching if using frozen spinach — just make sure you defrost and dry it out properly.
For the additional ingredients, you will need butter, onions, garlic, cream. We also love the addition of Parmesan, as it really takes this dish to another level. No worries, though, if you don't have any on hand, you can skip it.
For the seasoning, we use nutmeg, salt, pepper, and chili flakes or cayenne pepper, if you like a bit of heat in your food.
Blanch spinach in a large pot of water
When starting out with fresh spinach, the first thing you'll need to do is to blanch your spinach. If you are using frozen spinach, then skip the blanching stage.
To blanch spinach, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add all the spinach at once, and cook for 30 seconds.
Drain all the water from the pot, and transfer the spinach to a large bowl of ice water. Once the spinach is cool enough to handle, drain and squeeze as much water out of the spinach as possible. We recommend using some paper towels at the end to really dry out the spinach.
Cook the onions and garlic in a pan
Set a large pan to medium heat. You can even use the same pot you used to blanch the spinach, thus making this a one-pot meal, because who doesn't love a one-pot meal? Just make sure the pot has a thick enough bottom that whatever you're cooking isn't going to burn right away.
Add butter to the pan, and wait for it to melt. Add the sliced onions, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for another minute longer. Give everything a good stir before moving onto the next stage.
Add cream, and make the sauce for the spinach
Now you're going to make the creamy sauce for your spinach. This is the delicious, buttery, velvety sauce that gives creamed spinach its name, so you know this is important!
Add the heavy cream and nutmeg to the pan with the spinach. If you don't have heavy cream, feel free to use 15 percent cooking cream here. Cook the sauce, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the cream has thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and optional cayenne pepper or chili flakes, and stir to combine.
Add the spinach to the pan with the sauce
Add the blanched or defrosted spinach and Parmesan to the pan, and stir to combine.
Cook the spinach in the sauce for a couple of minutes, stirring it occasionally. This helps the spinach and sauce really bind together, ensuring that the creamy flavors of the sauce really permeate everything in your pan, including the inside of your spinach.
Turn off and remove the creamed spinach from the heat. Taste, and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more Parmesan, salt, or pepper to taste. Sometimes, we like to sprinkle more chili just before serving — those flakes of red look beautiful in the midst of the white and green plate!
Serve creamed spinach with potatoes, pasta, or alongside chicken or beef
Creamed spinach is great when served fresh from the pan. At this stage, the sauce is creamy but not dry, and the creamy mixture will coat and stick to whatever else you serve with your spinach.
Creamed spinach goes really well alongside chicken or beef, and it's a great side dish for barbecue season. We also love it on top of pasta, for a creamy Alfredo-like sauce.
Creamed spinach can keep in the refrigerator for three days, and can be reheated in the microwave in bursts of 30 seconds. Give the spinach a stir after each burst, ensuring the sauce reheats evenly.
- 1 pound (16 ounces) fresh spinach
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ⅛ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- pinch of cayenne pepper or chili flakes
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add spinach, and cook for 30 seconds. Drain the pot, and transfer the spinach to a large bowl of ice water. Once the spinach is cool enough to handle, drain and squeeze as much water out of the spinach as possible.
- Set a large pan to medium heat. Add butter, and melt. Add chopped onions, and cook for 5 minutes. Add minced garlic, and cook for another minute.
- Add heavy cream and nutmeg to the pan with the spinach. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the cream has thickened, about 10 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and optional cayenne pepper or chili flakes, and stir to combine.
- Add spinach and Parmesan to the pan, and stir to combine. Cook the spinach in the sauce for a couple of minutes, stirring it occasionally.
- Serve immediately. Creamed spinach can keep in the refrigerator for 3 days, and can be reheated in the microwave in bursts of 30 seconds, after which you give the spinach a stir.
| Calories per Serving | 218 |
| Total Fat | 20.4 g |
| Saturated Fat | 12.6 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.2 g |
| Cholesterol | 68.7 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 5.3 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1.9 g |
| Total Sugars | 1.9 g |
| Sodium | 317.4 mg |
| Protein | 5.4 g |
