Creamed Spinach
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This rich and creamy creamed spinach recipe is easy enough for a weeknight but special enough for the holiday table.
I learned to appreciate a good creamed spinach while working at Sam & Harry’s, a fine-dining steakhouse in Washington, DC, that was the place to be back in the ’90s—guess that dates me a bit, doesn’t it? This creamed spinach recipe is my take on that classic steakhouse side dish, with bright green spinach in a rich, cheesy cream sauce. It may be old-school, but it’s so good it never goes out of style.
I start frozen spinach, so no washing, blanching, or chopping pounds of fresh spinach. And instead of making a flour-thickened sauce, I simply simmer heavy cream until it reduces and thickens, then add Parmigiano-Reggiano, a touch of nutmeg, and the spinach. The whole thing takes about 30 minutes and can be made entirely ahead of time. Serve it alongside steak, beef tenderloin, roast chicken, or pan-seared salmon.
“Loved this…Tastes just like a good steakhouse side.”
What You’ll Need To Make Creamed Spinach
- Frozen cut-leaf spinach: A great shortcut here—look for cut-leaf rather than chopped spinach, which has a better texture. Be sure to squeeze it very dry so excess water doesn’t thin the cream sauce.
- Butter, shallots & garlic: Create the savory base of the dish. Shallots are milder and slightly sweeter than onions, which works especially well with the cream.
- Heavy cream & nutmeg: The cream is simmered until reduced and thickened, so there’s no need for flour. A touch of nutmeg is a classic pairing with spinach and cream.
- Parmigiano-Reggiano: Adds salty, nutty flavor and helps give the sauce a rich, silky consistency. For the best flavor, use freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano rather than pre-grated Parmesan cheese.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Creamed Spinach
Cook the aromatics: Melt the butter and cook the shallots until soft and translucent, then add the garlic and cook briefly. Keep the heat gentle so the garlic doesn’t brown.
Make the cream sauce: Add the cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and simmer until noticeably reduced and thickened. You’ll know it’s ready when the cream coats a wooden spoon. Reducing the cream this way creates a rich, velvety sauce without the need for flour. Stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano until smooth.
Add the spinach: Stir in the well-drained spinach until evenly coated in the sauce and heated through. If the creamed spinach seems a little loose, let it cook briefly to evaporate any excess moisture. Serve right away, or let cool and refrigerate until ready to reheat and serve.
More Veggie Side Dishes You’ll Love
Creamed Spinach
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup finely chopped shallots, from 1 to 2 shallots
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 pint (2 cups) heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch freshly grated nutmeg, or use ground nutmeg
- ½ cup finely shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 2 pounds frozen cut leaf spinach, thawed and squeezed very dry (see note)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute more. Do not brown.
- Add the heavy cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and bring to a gentle boil. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the cream is thick enough to coat a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes. Add the cheese and stir until melted.
- Add the spinach and stir until evenly combined with the cream sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. (If the spinach seems a little watery, cook over medium-low heat until any excess liquid evaporates.) Serve warm.
Notes
- Cut leaf spinach is not the same as chopped spinach. If your market doesn’t carry cut leaf spinach, look for frozen whole leaf spinach. (Chopped spinach will work, but the texture won’t be as appealing.) Some markets carry 1-lb (454-g) bags, and some carry 10-oz (283-g) boxes; if you can only find the 10-oz boxes, you’ll need three of them. If you’d like to start with fresh spinach, you’ll need about 2 lbs (907 g) baby spinach leaves. Steam and drain the baby spinach, then roughly chop and measure out 2 packed cups.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: This dish can be made and refrigerated a day ahead of time. Reheat in the microwave, uncovered, stirring every 30 seconds or so, until hot, a few minutes. When reheated, the spinach won’t be quite as creamy-looking as it was originally (though the taste will be the same); you can add a bit of cream when reheating to get a creamier consistency, if you’d like.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made this for Christmas dinner and loved it. I even got my picky 7 year old to eat and enjoy it.
Hello:
I served this dish on Christmas day! The flavors were extremely good. Easy to follow instructions as well. I think I made a mistake by not adding the full 2 cups of heavy cream. I substituted 1/2 cup of water instead of heavy cream. I was trying to cut down on the fat, but I think that caused my sauce to thin out. Definitely, my bad! I look forward to making this again.
Thank you for this recipe!
I made this for Christmas dinner to accompany prime rib. It was a huge hit and I will definitely be making it more often than just Christmas Day. I tweaked the recipe a bit and used 1/2 spinach and 1/2 rainbow Swiss chard. So delicious.
I made this the day before our big dinner…tasted it and it was so delicious….only problem was at our dinner, I accidentally left it in the microwave and didn’t discover it until the next morning!!! LOL!! I will make it again…..
I made this for Christmas Eve dinner and we all loved it. I think a new tradition is born. I made it ahead that afternoon, which was fantastic because it was so easy to reheat in the microwave just before dinner. I also used two 10 oz. packages of spinach (instead of three) because I didn’t read the recipe closely enough beforehand and it still came out beautifully!
Hi – I want to make this for christmas and I’m expecting a fairly large crowd. Do you think it will be ok if I double the recipe? Thanks!
Yep – hope you enjoy! 🙂
If using fresh spinach does one have to stem it?
Hi Marjory, If you use fresh baby spinach, there’s no need to stem it. However, if you use regular, I would remove the thick stems.
Hi, I will be using a 2.5 lb large package of fresh baby spinach from Costco. If no steaming is needed, do I just rough chop and add the raw spinach to the cooked sauce to wilt? Thanks. Look forward to making it for Thanksgiving.
Hi Karen, If you were reading the comment above, we were talking about stemming, not steaming. If you use fresh spinach, you will need to steam and drain it. Hope that clarifies!
Hello, thanks for providing this recipe.
I’m curious if this can be prepared an hour or two ahead of time and reheated one I arrive at a dinner party I’m going to?
Any tips on storing, stirring, re-heating, etc?
Thank you!
Mike
Definitely! See the bottom of the recipe for detailed reheating instructions. Hope everyone enjoys it! 🙂
I’m preparing this dish for 8 adults. How much should I tweak? I need to prepare ahead of time
Hi Gloria, This recipe serves 6 to 8 and the servings are fairly generous so I don’t think you’ll need to make any changes. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jen
I love creamed spinach so am excited to try this! Question though, is there a good substitute to flour or will anything else really change it? Thanks!
Hi Janet, I’m not sure I understand — there’s no flour in this creamed spinach. Are you inquiring about another recipe?
I made this for Christmas dinner and it was a hit! Whenever I need ideas for dinner I know your recipes will not disappoint!