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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Creamed spinach - a classic spinach side dish with a rich and creamy sauce.
Ingredients
1Tablespoonbutter
1/2small oniondiced
2clovesgarlicsmashed and sliced
3/4cupwhole milk
1-2Tablespoonscornstarch
1teaspoonsalt
1teaspoonblack pepper
2ouncecream cheese
2TablespoonsParmesan cheese
12ouncespinachwashed 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.
Shallot and garlic – They add savory, aromatic flavor to this simple side dish. Heavy cream – It creates the rich, flavorful sauce. Cornstarch – It thickens the cream sauce. Fresh lemon juice and Dijon mustard – Many creamed spinach recipes call for cream cheese to add tangy flavor to the sauce.
since it's super quick to make, creamy, & just plain delicious. Not to mention that spinach is an excellent source of vitamins, minerals & has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties.
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.
That bitter taste is caused by oxalic acid. Stay away from larger, darker leaves, they'll have a higher concentration. Young spinach is more tender and tends to be sweeter. Overcooking spinach can bring out the bitterness, as well.
Citrus juice can efficiently cover the bitterness of the spinach and give a fresh flavour to it. You can use either lemon, lime or even orange juice for the purpose. As soon as the leaves get cooked, take them out in a bowl. Drizzle some citrus juice over them, give a light stir and let it sit for 15 minutes.
To cook fresh spinach in boiling water, place 1 pound of washed spinach, covered, in a small amount of boiling salted water. If you're wondering how long to boil spinach, it should only take a few minutes. Once the steam starts to foam, begin your timer. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender.
Quick cooking: Spinach cooks quickly, so it's best to cook it for a short period of time, such as steaming for 1-2 minutes or blanching for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Avoid boiling: Boiling spinach for an extended period of time can cause significant nutrient loss, including vitamin C.
Overly Sweet Foods: Spinach generally has a mildly bitter or earthy flavor, which may not complement very sweet foods or desserts. Some people might not enjoy spinach in overly sweet dishes. Certain Vegetables: While spinach can be combined with many other vegetables, some combinations may not be to everyone's liking.
The spinach in creamed spinach is good for lowering blood pressure because it has potassium, folate, and magnesium. It is also low in calories and high in fiber. Creamed spinach is also low in sodium, which is good for blood pressure.
Choices like kale, spinach or collard greens are filled with vitamins E and C, great for an arthritis diagnosis. Vitamin E protects the body against pro-inflammatory molecules, while vitamin C helps produce collagen, a major component of cartilage.
You can throw Cider Vinegar-Spiked Steamed Baby Spinach together in about five minutes. The cider-vinegar sets this veggie side apart and gives the baby spinach a subtle, sour flavor.
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.
It is already washed and ready to eat, saving time in the kitchen. Canned spinach has a longer shelf life than fresh spinach, so it can be a good option when the fresh one is unavailable. Canned spinach can be used in various recipes or eaten on its own as a side dish.
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. Our recipe skips the fussy sauce making; there's no roux needed to thicken the sauce in this method.
Onion: Minced white onion lends flavor and texture. Garlic: Take the flavor up a notch with minced garlic. Cream: This rich creamed spinach recipe calls for 1 ¼ cups of heavy cream. Cheese: You'll need sliced provolone cheese and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Normally creamed spinach wouldn't be classified as a particularly healthy side dish. But this recipe definitely is! Traditional creamed spinach is loaded up with heavy ingredients like heavy cream and sour cream.
Introduction: My name is Dean Jakubowski Ret, I am a enthusiastic, friendly, homely, handsome, zealous, brainy, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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