Creamed Spinach
This easy Creamed Spinach Recipe uses fresh spinach, cream cheese, and half-and-half for a rich, flavorful side dish perfect for weeknight dinners or holiday meals.
Servings: 4
Calories: 229kcal
Ingredients
- 20 ounces fresh baby spinach, stems removed and roughly chopped (two 10-ounce packages)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup minced sweet yellow onion, vidalia
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus additional for boiling water
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup half-and-half
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add ice water to a large bowl and set aside.
- Add the spinach in 1-2 batches to the boiling water. Blanch for 30-60 seconds or just until wilted and bright green.
- Using a large slotted spoon, remove the blanched spinach from the pot of boiling water and place it into the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
- Transfer the cooled spinach to a colander, set in the sink, and squeeze out as much moisture as possible from the spinach.
- To a medium skillet over medium heat, add the butter, onion, garlic, salt, black pepper and nutmeg. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the onion is tender and translucent.
- Add the half-and-half to the skillet. Stir in the cream cheese until it has completely melted and no lumps remain. Allow the sauce to simmer for 2-3 minutes or until it has thickened.
- Break apart the spinach as you add it to the cream sauce. Stir to evenly incorporate the spinach into the cream sauce. Remove from the heat and transfer to a serving bowl.
Notes
- You can substitute a 10-ounce box of frozen chopped spinach (thawed according to package directions) for the fresh spinach in this recipe. You will skip the blanching process used for the fresh spinach however, you will still need to squeeze the thawed spinach well to remove as much of the excess moisture as possible before adding to the cream sauce.
- For a slightly thicker, and richer, cream sauce you can substitute heavy cream for the half-and-half in this recipe.
- Squeeze as much excess moisture out of the blanched spinach as possible. This prevents thinning the sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 512mg | Potassium: 894mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 13955IU | Vitamin C: 41mg | Calcium: 208mg | Iron: 4mg
