I always tell my daughter she needs something green on her plate. If you have kids, you know that’s not always an easy sell when dealing with a 12-year-old who clearly knows more (about everything) than you do. This dish is a sure-fire way to get my daughter to eat a vegetable that isn’t a potato. In fact, I’ve served it to people who claim not to like spinach and watched as they cleaned their plates.
The best part of this spinach is how simple it is to pull together. Even better? You can make this ahead of time and keep it warm until dinner. So, from a busy dad’s perspective, this is a winner all around.
Creamed Spinach
Serves: 8 | Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: ~30 mins
Ingredients
32 oz. of fresh spinach
1/2 medium sized Vidalia onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 stick of butter
3 tbsp flour
1 tbsp salt
1/2 pint of heavy cream
5 oz cream cheese
3 oz. Parmesan cheese
Crushed red pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
Directions
- Rinse spinach thoroughly with cold water and pat dry.
- In a saucepan add one stick of butter and melt on low heat.
- Finely chop the onion and garlic.
- Add onion and garlic to the melted butter and sauté for about 5 minutes.
- Add 1 TBSP salt and 3 TBSP flour to the pan and whisk thoroughly for 5 minutes over low heat.
- Whisk in the cream and bring the mixture to a low boil.
- Add cream cheese and allow to melt, stirring often.
- Add 1 TSP crushed red pepper flakes.
- Add in 3 oz. of shredded Parmesan, stir until melted.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet and cook the spinach until wilted, about 3 minutes.
- Add the cream mixture to spinach and stir until evenly combined.
- Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with shredded Parmesan and red pepper flakes.
Step-by-Step
Step 1: Rinse spinach thoroughly with cold water and pat dry. It is very important to get all of the water off of the spinach; otherwise your creamed spinach will be runny. By the way, 32 ounces looks like a lot of spinach, but it will cook down significantly.
Step 2: In a saucepan add one stick of butter and melt on low heat.
Step 3: Finely chop the onion and garlic.
Step 4: Add onion and garlic to the melted butter. Sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the onions start to become translucent.
Step 5: Add 1 TBSP salt and 3TBSP flour to the pan and whisk thoroughly for 5 minutes over low heat. You’re not actually making a roux here, just thickening the butter slightly.
Step 6: Whisk in the cream and bring the mixture to a low boil.
Step 7: Add the cream cheese, stirring often while it melts.
Step 8: Once cream cheese is melted, add 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. You can add more or less pepper here, depending on your heat preference.
Step 9: Add in the shredded Parmesan cheese and let it melt evenly into the mixture.
Step 10: Add the olive oil to a large skillet and cook the spinach until wilted, about 3 minutes.
Step 11: Add the cream mixture to spinach and stir until evenly combined.
Step 12: Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with shredded Parmesan and red pepper flakes.
Cook a Cheesy Creamed Spinach:
Ingredients
- 32 oz fresh spinach
- 1/2 Vidalia onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 stick butter
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1/2 pint heavy cream
- 5 oz cream cheese
- 3 oz Parmesan cheese shredded
- crushed red pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Rinse spinach thoroughly with cold water and pat dry.
- In a saucepan, add one stick of butter and melt on low heat.
- Finely chop the onion and garlic.
- Add onion and garlic to the melted butter and sauté for about 5 minutes.
- Add the salt and flour to the pan and whisk thoroughly for 5 minutes over low heat.
- Whisk in the cream and bring the mixture to a low boil.
- Add cream cheese and allow to melt, stirring often.
- Add the crushed red pepper flakes.
- Add the shredded Parmesan and stir until melted.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet and cook the spinach until wilted, about 3 minutes.
- Add the cream mixture to spinach and stir until evenly combined.
- Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with shredded Parmesan and red pepper flakes.