The Best Creamed Spinach
Use frozen or fresh spinach for this easy creamed spinach recipe that's the ultimate cozy side dish! It comes together in just 25 minutes and has that restaurant-quality taste you crave.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 pound frozen chopped spinach or 2 pounds fresh see notes
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 4 ounces cream cheese (1/2 block Philly) softened
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Pinch nutmeg
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Frozen spinach: Thaw the spinach, then squeeze out as much of the excess water as you can. Fresh spinach: Boil a pot of water. Add the spinach and cook for about 1 minute. Drain it and rinse it under cool water. Squeeze out excess water. Chop if desired.
- In a pot, sauté the butter and onion over medium heat until it's lightly browned (about 5-7 minutes).
- Reduce heat (I keep it on medium-low for this step, but you can increase heat as needed). Stir in the garlic, followed by the heavy cream, cream cheese, parmesan, and nutmeg. It will take a few minutes for the cream cheese to melt in. I break it up with my spoon/stir it continuously. The sauce should thicken up as it cooks.
- Stir in the spinach and let it heat through. If you want more liquid, add in a splash more cream. If there's too much liquid, you may need to cook the spinach for a few more minutes to reduce the sauce to your liking.
- Season with salt & pepper as needed (I am pretty generous with both).
Notes
- It seems to vary as to what size frozen spinach packages come in, so anything from about 16 ounces (1 pound) to around 20 ounces (you'll sometimes see 10 ounce packages, so use two of these) will work for this recipe.
- Yes, two pounds of fresh spinach looks like a LOT, but it shrinks down a ton when it's cooked. If you'd prefer to use only one pound of fresh spinach, use 1/2 cup heavy cream, and you may need to cook it for a little longer if you want the sauce to thicken up the same way.
- If you forget to take the cream cheese out of the fridge to soften, you can microwave it (try 20-30 sec., but microwaves vary so keep an eye on it).
Nutrition
Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 417mg | Potassium: 344mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 9817IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 324mg | Iron: 2mg