Easy Creamed Spinach

Plate of meat, tomato salad, and Creamed Spinach.

Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Perfect creamed spinach, just like those in the best steakhouses — rich but not ridiculous!

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Servings: People

Author: Katie Workman

Equipment

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion (finely chopped)
1 pound spinach leaves (very roughly chopped)
1 cup half and half
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Pinch ground nutmeg (optional)
Pinch cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes
½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

In a large deep skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 3 minutes until the onion is golden and starting to become tender. Add the spinach in big handfuls, cooking as you go, to wilt down the spinach.
When all of the spinach has been added, stir for another minute to allow any liquid released by the cooking spinach to evaporate. Pour in the half-and-half, and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper, nutmeg (if using), and the cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes, and continue stirring until everything is well combined and creamy, about 3 more minutes.
If you like (this is optional, but adds more creaminess), you can run an immersion blender through the spinach mixture a few times to puree some of the spinach, or scoop about 1/4 of the spinach mixture into a food processor or blender and pulse a few times to make it a bit smoother. Return the blended spinach to the pot, if needed.
Stir in the Parmesan until the cheese is melted and everything is well blended. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot.

Notes

This recipe calls for half-and-half, which is a middle ground between milk and heavy cream. You can use milk (whole, please, nothing lower fat), half-and-half, or cream in this recipe, depending on how rich you are looking for your dish to be. You can also use half milk and half cream, or any combo of the aforementioned dairy products. Whatever you have on hand should work; the level of richness will depend largely on how much fat is in your dairy.

Storage and Reheating

Creamed spinach will last about 3 days, well, in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also freeze leftovers; place them in a freezer-proof container or bag, and seal it, making sure there is no extra air trapped in the container. HOWEVER, make sure there is a little space for the creamed spinach to expand, which it will do when it freezes. You don’t want the spinach to pop open your container.

Creamed spinach will last in the freezer for up to 4 months. Allow it to defrost in the refrigerator before reheating.

Just reheat in a pot over low heat, stirring frequently, until it is hot throughout. Do not let the heat get too high, or it might cause the sauce to separate or the bottom to burn.

You can also heat it in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring after each heating period, until it is just hot throughout. Don’t let it overcook in the microwave, or the texture will get very mushy, and the sauce might start to break down.

Nutrition