Creamed Spinach
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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.
See more recipes:
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Excellent recipe. I followed exactly- many compliments.
As soon as it says use frozen spinach ….BYEEEEEEER
Don’t comment on a recipe you didn’t even bother trying to make!
So use fresh spinach? Not sure why you bothered to even comment, it’s okay to not say what’s in your head and keep moving forward.
I make this with creamy blue cheese added. A top recipe.
I made this with thanksgiving, and it was one of my favorite things.
If the creamed spinach is made ahead of time, what size dish would you suggest for serving?
Hi Madelyn, I’d go with a medium-sized serving dish. Enjoy!
I love your recipes and they are always a hit. I will be making this for Thanksgiving. We are fans of the creamed spinach au gratin from Ruth’s Chris. How can I make this one au gratin?
So glad you like the recipes! I just took a look at some images of Ruth’s Chris’ creamed spinach, and they look fairly similar to mine. Do they also have one that has some sort of topping?
Hi Jenn, I believe it’s cheddar cheese topping.
Hi Nitza, you could try topping it with some shredded cheddar (and could combine it with a bit of panko for some crunch) and stick it under the broiler for a minute or two. LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Excited to try this as it looks fabulous! Can it be frozen?
Hi Jen, this recipe isn’t the best candidate for freezing — sorry!
The recipe is absolutely amazing and delicious as written – I prefer it to any fancy steakhouse creamed spinach I’ve had, and the two of us could finish it in one meal. In order to enjoy it more frequently with a bit less guilt, I’ve tried subbing heavy cream with half milk and half chicken broth, and that came out nicely, too.
Mmmm mmmm mmmm!!!!! This recipe is absolutely delicious!! I used a yellow onion since I didn’t have shallots on hand and it came out just as great! I also used fresh spinach because I adore how spinach withers 😆. The creamy texture was perfect for the mashed potatoes I paired it with. My bf enjoyed it very very much!! Keeping this one in my recipe book😋
Lovely stuff that I could make from things I already had on hand. Trivial changes – halved the recipe, more or less (it takes about 2/3 of the original recipe of sauce to properly coat a 450g bag of frozen spinach once squeezed dry). I ran a little short of cream so I stirred in some crème fraiche to make up the volume. I only had a dry end of Parmesan so in addition to the scrapings of that, I took advantage of a little Gouda that needed to get used. And since this was intended to be served with simply grilled chicken breast and crushed baby potatoes, and a thick gravy would have just been too much, I added a spoonful of homemade glace de volaille to the sauce (chicken stock reduced until thick). Less fussy cooks than me could just use a good quality stock cube, and if this was being served with beef, I would leave it out.