The BEST Creamed Spinach Recipe (2024)

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This creamed spinach recipe is so rich and delicious that you will forget you are even eating spinach!

It is a wonderful spinach side dish to serve up during the holiday season–or any time of year really.

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Like creamed corn, this easy side dish is perfect to make and serve with any of your favorite main dishes.

Creamed spinach with creamed cheese really helps to add such rich flavor to the recipe. I love the flavor and it is great paired with chicken, pork tenderloin, or even meatloaf or steak.

Table of Contents

Creamed Spinach

If you are craving something different, I recommend this easy spinach side dish. I have served this up all year round, and I love the tang from the parmesan cheese in it.

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What is creamed spinach?

Creamed spinach is fresh spinach leaves that get wilted in a pan on the stove and paired with a homemade creamy sauce. I used butter, onions, cream cheese, parmesan cheese, and more for the best-creamed spinach recipe ever. It is so rich and incredible, but so easy to whip up.

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How to make creamed spinach

To make this, all you need to do is grab a large skillet and toss your butter in and let it melt down on medium heat. Then add in your diced onions and cook until softened and translucent in color.

Now add in your garlic and give a quick stir until nice and fragrant.

Then in the microwave, you will want to heat your milk in the microwave just enough to warm it up. Then whisk in the cornstarch, and then pour the mixture into the skillet stirring.

It will thicken, add in your cream cheese, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese. Then stir in the spinach and let it wilt down a bit. Once it is fully creamed and wilted, serve, and enjoy.

How to make creamed spinach using frozen spinach

If you have frozen spinach on hand and want to use that in replace of fresh go right ahead. Just thaw your spinach and then squeeze off the excess liquid. If you skip this step it will water down your sauce.

Once it is thawed, you will stir in at the end of the cooking of the cream sauce. Then just heat until warmed, and then serve just like it was fresh spinach.

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Can you make creamed spinach ahead of time?

Personally, I prefer creamed spinach fresh. You will find it offers the best texture and flavor. If you want to make ahead of time, you can do so. Just know that when you go to reheat it will have a softer spinach texture that is more broken down.

Go ahead and make it, and then store leftovers in the fridge until ready to serve. Then reheat in the skillet until warm. If the sauce is too thick add in a little chicken stock to help thin out the sauce as you reheat.

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How long does creamed spinach last

You are more than welcome to store this for up to three days in the fridge. Make sure you store in an airtight container. Always use your best judgment in terms of quality. When in doubt, toss it out.

What to serve with creamed spinach

You can serve creamed spinach with so many things. From the classic Thanksgiving or Christmas feast to meatloaf, steak bites, pork, or chicken. While great for the holidays, this spinach side dish is so versatile, and we eat it all year round. Just like these crockpot glazed carrots.

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Expert Tips

  • Use half and half in replace of whole milk for a thicker and creamier texture
  • Or reach for heavy cream for a richer flavor overall
  • Feel free to add 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg for even more flavor
  • You can double the recipe if you plan to serve a crowd

More Delicious Side Dishes

  • Sweet potato casserole
  • Brussels sprouts with bacon
  • Copycat Cracker Barrel fried apples
  • Pan-seared asparagus
  • Corn casserole

Recipe

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Recipe

4.69 from 119 votes

Creamed Spinach

Author: Jaclyn

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Total: 15 minutes mins

Creamed spinach - a classic spinach side dish with a rich and creamy sauce.

Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 small onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic smashed and sliced
  • 3/4 cup whole milk
  • 1-2 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 ounce cream cheese
  • 2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese
  • 12 ounce spinach washed and dried

Instructions

  • In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until translucent (about 3 minutes). Add garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes, stirring often.

  • Heat the milk in a microwave for 25 seconds; whisk in the cornstarch. Pour mixture to skillet.

  • Add salt, pepper, cream cheese, and Parmesan cheese to skillet; whisk until well combined.

  • Stir in the spinach, coating the spinach completely in the cream mixture. Serve warm.

Notes

You can use frozen spinach in place of fresh. Just thaw and squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible before adding to the skillet in step 4.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 156kcal

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The BEST Creamed Spinach Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you make creamed spinach less bitter? ›

Use olive oil or any kind of oil. Oil will reduce the bitterness. Don't over-cook it (most common culprit). Sautee it with garlic and squeeze a small amount of lemon juice on it before serving.

What are the ingredients in Giant creamed spinach? ›

Spinach, Water, Modified Whey, Modified Corn Starch, Butter (Cream, Natural Flavor), Nonfat Milk, Buttermilk, Salt, Cream, Maltodextrin, Onion Powder, Natural Flavor, Garlic Powder, Sodium Caseinate.

Is creamed spinach anti inflammatory? ›

Anti-Inflammatory: Spinach contains components like flavonoids and carotenoids that have anti-inflammatory properties, potentially reducing the risk of chronic diseases.

Should you rinse canned spinach? ›

Rinse canned spinach to remove excess salt. ½ cup of canned spinach contains: - More than your recommended daily value of Vitamin K to help with the formation of bones, tissues and hormones.

What cancels bitter taste? ›

Sweetness: From sugar, honey, fruits or otherwise, sweetness will counteract bitter and sour flavours. It can also be used to cut down the heat of a particularly spicy meal. Saltiness: Salt plays two very important roles in flavouring a dish. Firstly, it balances against bitterness.

What are the ingredients in Seabrook Farms creamed spinach? ›

** Contains: Milk, Wheat **

Chopped, tender, young Spinach and a smooth, delicately flavored sauce made with real cream - no artificial flavors or colors added - packed in a flavor-saving boilable cooking pouch.

What are the benefits of creamed spinach? ›

Recipe: Creamed Spinach

Spinach contains iron, heart-healthy antioxidants and very few calories. While eating spinach raw in salads is a terrific way to add color and nutrition to your diet, cooking it can turn it into a comforting wintertime side dish.

What is creamed spinach made of? ›

Our easy version of classic creamed spinach makes it simple to serve the beloved side dish for any meal—and it's too good to save for special occasions. Despite it's name, creamed spinach is not a dish of spinach and cream. It's usually blanched spinach in a béchamel or white sauce, perhaps with a little cheese added.

What is the number one food that kills inflammation? ›

1. Avocados. Avocados are often sought after for their creamy texture and satiating taste. But they are also powerhouses when it comes to fighting inflammation.

What to avoid with spinach? ›

Vitamin K: An individual must not consume spinach if they are taking anti-coagulating medicines (blood thinners) such as warfarin. Spinach is very high in vitamin K, and this nutrient may react with the anticoagulant drug and significantly affect its action and effect on other coagulating factors present in the blood.

Is creamed spinach good for high blood pressure? ›

A Swedish study has shown that spinach is one of the superfoods that will bring your BP readings down due to its abundance of heart-healthy nutrients like potassium, folate, and magnesium.

Can you eat too much canned spinach? ›

What's bad about spinach? If you eat spinach every day in excessive amounts (more than a bowl) there can be adverse health effects. Most commonly these include gas, bloating and cramps due to its high fiber content. Eating too much spinach can also interfere with the body's ability to absorb nutrients.

Can you eat canned spinach straight from the can? ›

Eating it straight out of the can

Canned spinach is cooked and safe to eat, and you certainly may eat it as is.

Is canned spinach just as good as fresh spinach? ›

Also, despite the popular belief that "fresh is best," frozen or canned baby spinach has just as many health benefits as fresh, often at less cost. Frozen or canned spinach is also easier to store, and keeps for a long time.

How do you make spinach sauce less bitter? ›

Afterwards, bring it to a pan/wok/whatever you have and mix with the oil of choice (I used olive oil, but butter is best) Add soy sauce to taste (I used 1tsb per bunch) and let cool. The spinach should be much less bitter than average and nice to eat, but still pretty healthy as a meal.

How do you tone down bitter taste? ›

The Fix: Balance bitter flavors by introducing something salty, sweet, or sour. For naturally bitter foods such as kale, you can soften the flavor by add a lemony vinaigrette, Parmesan cheese, and pomegranate seeds. You can also elevate kale by tossing it olive oil and salt, then roasting it in the oven until crispy.

How do you make bitter greens less bitter? ›

Fight bitterness with other flavors like sweetness and spice. Cook bitter greens with bacon or sausage, pump up the garlic, throw in something spicy, or add a sweet element, like roasted squash or dried fruit.

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