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–+ servings
A silver serving spoon lifting up a helping of creamed spinach out of a serving bowl of the same dish.

Creamed Spinach

Course: Vegetable - Side Dish
Cuisine: American / French
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 270kcal
Author: Kris Longwell
This Creamed Spinach is easy to make and you'll feel like you're eating in a fancy steakhouse...but you're in the comfort of your own home. Yum!!
Print Recipe

Equipment

  • Large saucepan / skillet

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs spinach fresh, mature, washed and thick stems removed
  • 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 shallot chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1¾ cup half-and-half
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg ground
  • ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Prepare the Spinach

  • After rinsing spinach and removing stems, heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add enough water to coat the bottom of the pan.
  • Working in batches, add the spinach and cook, stirring often, until soft and completely wilted, about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain into a colander and repeat this process until all spinach has been cooked. Rinse with cool water. Once cool enough to handle, use your hands to squeeze excess water from the spinach leaves. Place in a clean bowl and set aside.

Make the Creamed Spinach

  • Add the half-and-half and cream to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until just starting to simmer. Keep on low, don't bring to a boil.
  • Using the same skillet that you cooked the spinach in, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped shallots and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes.
  • Stir in the flour and cook for another minute.
  • Whisk in the warmed cream and stir until lumps have dissolved. Cook until thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes more.
  • Stir in the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and Parmesan cheese. Cook for about another minute.
  • Stir in the spinach and continue stirring until fully incorporated and the spinach is heated through, about another 3 minutes.
  • Transfer to a serving dish and serve at once.

Video

Notes

This recipe can easily be cut in half if serving 2 to 4 people.  
Fresh mature spinach is ideal for this recipe.  We do not recommend using baby spinach.    You will still get delicious results with frozen spinach.  Allow two (2) 10 oz. packages to thaw, squeeze out excess water, and proceed with the recipe as written.
For the cream, we find using mostly half-and-half and a little bit of cream makes a nice balance for the sauce, and not too heavy.  However, if you like the sauce really luxurious, then go with all heavy cream.  You can also use a combination of half-and-half, cream, and/or whole milk.  Just make sure you have a total of 2 cups.  Have a little extra cream on hand in case you need to thin the sauce a little after mixing in the spinach.
The spinach can be prepped up to 24 hours in advance.  Keep in an air-tight container in the fridge, it can also be frozen for up to 1 month.  
We find the dish is served best right off the stove, although it re-heats just fine the next day over medium heat and a couple of splashes of cream added to loosen it up. 
The creamed spinach can be frozen, but the texture may be compromised somewhat once thawed. 

Nutrition

Calories: 270kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 690mg | Potassium: 1379mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 21883IU | Vitamin C: 65mg | Calcium: 374mg | Iron: 6mg