Quick Creamed Spinach Recipe (Using Fresh or Frozen Spinach!)
Ready or not, it might be time to start thinking about holiday meal prep! Whether you’re making dinner at home this year or heading to a friend or family member’s house, the meal will most likely include at least a few of the classics: turkey with cranberry sauce and stuffing, a side of homemade rolls, creamed spinach, and, for the pumpkin lovers among us, pumpkin pie for dessert. Creamed spinach is one of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes and I thought it was about time I share my own version on the blog. This recipe is a great way to sneak in a few greens, but realistically it’s rich, indulgent, creamy, and certainly doesn’t get a pass as health food. My version is perfectly balanced with just the right amount of cream to complement rather than overwhelm the spinach, it can easily be doubled for a crowd, and it comes together quickly in less than 30 minutes. I honestly think you’re going to love this one, and can’t wait for you to try it!
What You Need
My creamed spinach recipe is super easy. Here’s what you need:
Spinach. I recommend fresh baby spinach, but you could use chopped frozen spinach instead. If you do, make sure to thaw and drain well before adding to the cream mixture (there’s no need to cook the spinach first if using frozen). Onion & garlic. For truly incredible flavor, we’ll cook the onion and garlic in butter before creating a roux. Make sure to chop your onion finely; we want it to blend right in so it’s almost undetectable. Flour. As part of a roux, flour thickens the cream part of this dish. Use all-purpose flour here–no need to get fancy. Milk & cream. We’ll use an equal amount of milk and cream to make this creamed spinach recipe nice and creamy, but not too rich. You could substitute an equal amount of half-and-half.Salt. To brighten the flavor, add some salt. Plain table salt works well, but if you have fine sea salt opt for that for even better flavor.Spices. Since the spinach itself doesn’t have a very strong taste, I add black pepper, paprika, and just a pinch of cayenne pepper for flavor (and a super subtle heat). Cream cheese. Cream chees not only adds a wonderful depth of flavor to the creamed spinach, but it also adds to the creaminess and richness of the dip without making it too rich.Parmesan cheese. Parmesan infuses a subtle nuttiness and saltiness. It really rounds out the whole dish–don’t skip it!
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Creamed Spinach
SAM’S TIP: While I do have an excellent spinach artichoke dip recipe, this recipe makes a good spinach dip as well! Just increase the milk and cream to be 1 cup each and toss in some chopped artichokes to make a dip! Serve in a bread bowl with plenty of crackers, chips, and veggies for dipping. Enjoy!
More Recipes You Might Like
The Best Dinner RollsSimple Roasted Sweet PotatoesTurkey Pot Pie
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
More Great Thanksgiving Sides!
