Creamed Spinach

October 26, 2021
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We love having creamed spinach at our favorite steakhouses and it took a while to find a recipe that tasted similar to what we have when we eat out. I tried recipes using fresh spinach, and also some with frozen. Amazingly this recipe uses frozen spinach, so its super convenient when you find yourself without fresh vegetables on hand. You can store bags of frozen spinach in your freezer and then you are able to make a great side dish on the fly at the last minute. Frozen spinach is also known as one of the most economical things you can buy at the grocery store!

TIPS: I will half this recipe if there is only two of us at dinner, I just use a smaller baking dish. Depending on how good of a job you did ringing out the spinach to dry it, you may, or may not, have to add a bit more cream just before topping it with cheese and putting it in the oven, if it seems too dry. You can make this dish a few hours ahead of time and refrigerate, just do not add the breadcrumb topping until you are ready to bake, and you will need to bake it a bit longer to heat through.

Creamed Spinach

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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 2- 10 oz bags frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 3 Tbsp butter
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 C finely chopped onion or shallots
  • 1 1/2 to 2 C heavy cream
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne
  • kosher salt and pepper
  • 1/2 C grated parmesan (divided)
  • 2 oz cream cheese
  • 1/4 C panko breadcrumbs

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a small 1-1/2 or 2 quart baking dish.
  • Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 5-6 minutes. Add garlic and stir, cooking until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  • Add 1 1/2 C of the heavy cream, nutmeg and cayenne and bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 4-5 minutes.
  • Mix in the spinach, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 cup of the parmesan. Stir gently until blended.
  • Add the cream cheese and stir until melted. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. (Be sure to taste it here because spinach can be quite bland). If the mixture seems overly thick, you can add more cream at this point and cook to thicken.
  • Transfer the mixture into the baking dish, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the panko crumbs and the rest of the parmesan cheese.
  • Bake until bubbling and light golden on top, about 20 minutes.
  • Enjoy!