With ingredients like nutmeg and onion, this spinach side dish is packed full of delicious flavor! Whether you are making it as a holiday side dish, or as something to accompany a steak, this is the best creamed spinach recipe.
What is your go-to side dish when preparing dinner? Everyone has a favorite, right?
I almost always have some sort of carb, whether it be a potato, corn, rice, garlic bread or some sort of pasta. But in addition to the carb I also like to have a vegetable. Spinach side dishes are a go-to because of all of the health benefits.
Sure, having some sort of steamed vegetable like broccoli is a quick and easy option, but lately I have really been into spinach. More specifically, this Creamed Spinach. It is surprisingly easy to make and has lots of creamy, cheesy flavor, too.
What's In This Article
Potential Benefits
- Packed with calcium, iron and magnesium.
- Some studies show that spinach is an anti cancerogenic, meaning it can prevent some types of cancer.
- Some reports show is can reduce severity or prevent asthma attacks.
- Spinach has been linked to lower blood pressure.
- You can get several servings of your leafy greens in just one serving of wilted spinach.
A key to this flavorful creamed spinach is the freshly grated nutmeg. The nutmeg adds a wonderful, nutty flavor to an otherwise bland dish.
PRO TIP: Ground spices expire fast and also lack flavor. To get the most out of your nutmeg, grate your own whole nutmeg on a micro grater!
This version of creamed spinach also uses onion. For people who don’t like onion, it can be omitted, but it does flavor the dish.
Spinach doesn’t really have much flavor, so the onion helps to give it a little and pairs well with nutmeg. It also makes is delicious for recipes like my Creamed Spinach Pasta, featured above!
I also love this dish because it is so versatile. It is traditionally served in steakhouses, but you can really pair it with so many other entrees. Not only is it a great side dish for weeknight dinners, but it is also perfect for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Everyone has their own preference about the consistency of creamed spinach. Some people like their creamed spinach super sloppy and wet, while others like it thicker and dry.
You can easily make this creamed spinach to your liking by either adding more or less heavy cream and cheese.
So whether you like it thick or thin, whether you pair it with steak or bring it to Thanksgiving dinner, this creamed spinach recipe is perfect side for any occasion. It might just become your new favorite spinach side dish!
Creamed Spinach Ingredients
Basic ingredients are what makes this such a delicious recipe. Move over Boston Market, there’s a new favorite spinach recipe in town!
- Butter – We add salt into the recipe later, to use unsalted here. If you do choose to use salted butter, just omit the extra salt at the end.
- Onion – I love adding chopped onion to my creamed spinach. It gives it a nice crunch as well as some flavor. If you have family members that aren’t fans, just leave the onions out of the cream mixture.
- Garlic – I do highly suggest using a fresh garlic instead of bottled. It has better flavor. Grate, mince or press garlic for maximum garlic flavor.
- Spinach – You can use frozen spinach, but I highly recommend fresh spinach leaves. Raw spinach is far better than something previously cooked and reheated. If you do use frozen, drain the excess water. Too much water will make for excess moisture in your spinach dish. Also keep in mind, you will need a lot of spinach. A bag of fresh spinach cooks down to look almost not enough spinach.
- Nutmeg – I like to think of this as my secret ingredient. Along with the creamy texture of this tasty side dish, ground nutmeg adds a warmth and nuttiness to a classic dish.
- Parmesan cheese – If you aren’t into cheese, feel free to omit the parmesan cheese or even substitute for pecorino romano cheese instead.
- Heavy cream – Make sure not to use half and half here. I wouldn’t suggest it, you will end up with watery creamed spinach.
- Fine sea salt and ground pepper – You can add these to taste. If using salted butter, omit this salt altogether. I like using fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
How to Make Creamed Spinach
- Cook onion. Melt butter in a heavy bottom saucepan or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, sautéing until it starts to soften.
- Garlic. Add garlic, sautéing for an additional minute.
- Spinach. Add spinach, tossing to coat and allowing it wilt.
- Seasonings. Add nutmeg, Parmesan cheese and heavy cream. Toss to combine and allow to thicken.
- Salt and pepper. Season with fine sea salt and ground pepper to taste.
Storage and Freezing
You can make creamed spinach up to 24 hours in advance and simply reheat it. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat it, simply reheat in a pan on the stove over medium-low heat.
Freezing it is easy too. Pack it with the least amount of air possible, an airtight plastic bag works best. It will stay good for up to 4 months.
More Easy Spinach Recipes
- Spinach and Artichoke Pinwheels
- Creamy Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Spinach Crescent Ring
- Chicken Stuffed with Ricotta Cheese and Spinach
Creamed Spinach
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 sweet onion , chopped
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 20 ounces fresh spinach
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese , finely gratd
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Fine sea salt and ground pepper
Instructions
- Melt butter in a heavy bottom saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, sauteing for 3-4 minutes, or until it starts to soften.
- Add garlic, sauteing for an additional minute.
- Add spinach, tossing to coat and allowing it wilt.
- Add nutmeg, Parmesan cheese and heavy cream. Toss to combine and allow to thicken.
- Season with fine sea salt and ground pepper to taste.
- Serve hot.
- If you liked this recipe or have suggestions, please come back and leave us a comment and rate the recipe. We’d love to hear from you!
Loved this recipe! The perfect amount of flavor and cream.
Such a great side for any season! Love the flavors in this. Looking forward to round two!
I love this classic creamed spinach! Such a great side dish.
I love how easy this recipe is!! It turned out really good! Thanks for the recipe!
This is just like the creamed spinach from one of my favorite steakhouses!! So good and super easy to make!!!! We will be making this again for sure!
This is an awesome and cozy side dish for fall and winter! Looking forward to getting some use outta this one.
Such a delicious way to enjoy spinach. Loved the flavour and addition of nutmeg.
This was super easy to make and was a delicious side dish for our dinner tonight! Even my picky kids loved it!
I’ve never had spinach this way. I am loving all the flavors. Especially the nutmeg and parmesan.
One of my favorite recipes I tried this year, the spinach is flavorful and so creamy great recipe
So creamy, cheesy and full of spinach and onions. This is my kind of side dish.
This looks so good and comforting. I bet it will taste as divine as it looks. Yum
Such a great recipe Jessica! I love how versatile it is – you can use it with pasta and rice to make a delicious main meal too! Thank you for sharing.
Never occurred to me to put nutmeg in creamed spinach but it sounds delicious! Love that this is still green and looks like it has some bite! Sometimes creamed spinach can be so mushy. Gotta try this!
Creamed spinach is a holiday staple! I have never tried it with steak before and will have to do that next. No reason to wait for the holidays to enjoy this creamed spinach.