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This is the Best Creamed Spinach Recipe you’ll ever taste! Three kinds of cheese and fresh spinach together with fragrant herbs and so easy to make!
Featured with this Recipe
This easy Creamed Spinach recipe is velvety smooth, richly decadent with tender baby spinach leaves. This dish even wins over kids who universally hate spinach. If you’ve never had creamed spinach before and you’re unsure of how you’ll like it, we promise you’ll love our spin on a classic recipe. With its creamy texture and lots of cheese, you can’t even taste the spinach! Trust me, one bite and you’ll be hooked!
Ingredients in Creamed Spinach
This really is the best way to get all the vitamins and nutrients of spinach, by covering it up with a lot of cream and cheese! This may not be the healthiest version of spinach, but it’s definitely the tastiest! Here’s what you need:
- Fresh spinach – about one and a half pounds of baby spinach leaves.
- Butter – unsalted butter is best so you can control the amount of sodium in the recipe
- Onion – one yellow or white onion, finely chopped
- Garlic – crushed, or finely diced
- Flour – the all purpose flour will help in thickening up the cheesy sauce
- Half and half – you can substitute whole milk and a splash of heavy cream if you don’t have half and half on hand
- Kosher salt – to taste
- Ground black pepper – to taste
- Parmesan cheese – use fresh or shredded, not the powdered kind
- Mozzarella cheese – half a cup or so of shredded cheese
- Cream cheese or Creamy Swiss Laughing Cow cheese – about five wedges or four ounces.
Tips for Perfect Creamed Spinach
- Boil spinach for just 2-3 minutes or until it’s slightly wilted but not soggy.
- Drain the spinach really well using a cheesecloth or a kitchen towel. You can also press the spinach in a fine mesh strainer to remove water.
- You may find the spinach is really hot, so let it cool a little bit before draining.
- When adding half and half to the skillet, pour just a little at a time, whisking constantly until it’s the consistency of a thin gravy.
Best Cheese for Creamed Spinach
For this decadent recipe, the cheeses are the best part (shhhh, don’t tell the spinach). We love using Laughing Cow Swiss cheese. Its mild flavor and smooth texture melts beautifully into the other cheeses. You could also use flavored cream cheeses like Chive and Onion Cream Cheese to give it some added flavor. Whisk in tangy Parmesan cheese and buttery mozzarella and you’ve got a tasty trifecta of cheese that will melt in your mouth and pair well with leaf spinach.
Frequently Asked Questions About Creamed Spinach
Fresh baby spinach is best but you can substitute a package of frozen spinach. The trick is to thaw it completely and press as much water out as possible (see instructions below). Once completely dry, add directly to the sauce in the skillet. Cook in the sauce until heated through before adding cheeses.
No. Storing creamed spinach in the freezer would risk the creams and cheeses separating. Enjoy it fresh; you probably won’t have any leftovers anyway!
Because the béchamel sauce is made with flour, most creamed spinach recipes are not GF. However, this can easily be made gluten-free by simply swapping out the flour. Use your favorite substitute instead of regular all-purpose flour.
What to Serve with Creamed Spinach
Creamed Spinach is a popular side dish at steakhouses because it pairs beautifully with a good piece of meat. Steak, prime rib, chicken, pork and roast all taste delicious with a side of cheesy spinach. And of course, this gorgeous recipe is a staple of our Thanksgiving menu. Add it to your menu this year, too!
Read More: 25+ Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes
More Spinach Recipes
Once you get your kids on board with this cheesy, creamy spinach, try a few of these other delicious spinach recipes. They’ll love them too!
- Melting Pot’s Spinach Artichoke Cheese Fondue
- Spinach Enchiladas
- Fresh Spinach Dip
- Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Easy Spinach Dip
- Cheese Tortellini Soup
- Veggie Omlets
How to Make Creamed Spinach
The BEST Creamed Spinach Recipe
Ingredients
- 20-24 ounces fresh spinach (about 1 ½ pounds)
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 cups half and half (or whole milk)
- kosher salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (fresh, shredded– not the powdered kind)
- 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese
- 5 wedges Creamy Swiss (Laughing Cow) (or 4 oz. cream cheese)
Instructions
- Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil. Add spinach and cook down for about 2-3 minutes or until spinach is wilted but not soggy.
- Drain spinach well and then wring out using cheesecloth (preferred) or a kitchen towel. You can also press spinach in a fine-mesh strainer to try and remove excess water. Note: the spinach may be VERY hot, handle with care and allow to cool if needed. Note: you may be surprised to find that you only have 1-2 cups of spinach. This is totally normal.Set spinach aside.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions become soft and transparent.
- Sprinkle flour over the onions and stir until flour is cooked (about 3 minutes).
- Pour in half and half a little at a time, whisking constantly making a beschamel sauce. You want it to be the consistency of a thin gravy. Add more half and half or milk if needed. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add spinach and stir until spinach is well mixed in.
- Add Parmesan cheese, Mozzarella cheese, and creamy Swiss cheese (or cream cheese). Stir until all cheeses are melted and completely mixed in.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Unsalted butter is best so you can control the amount of sodium in the recipe.
- You can substitute whole milk and a splash of heavy cream if you don’t have half and half on hand.
- When adding half and half to the skillet, pour just a little at a time, whisking constantly until it’s the consistency of a thin gravy.
- Fresh baby spinach is best, but you can substitute a package of frozen spinach. The trick is to thaw it completely and press out as much water as possible.
Nutrition Information
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Can you freeze this recipe?
Personally, I wouldn’t. Any time you freeze a cheese sauce you run the risk of it separating when you reheat it.
I’ve picked your recipe to make for our small Easter dinner. I’m going to try a few additions. Small chopped red pepper maybe sautéed with onion and garlic or put in raw, sweet Visalia is the onion I chose and I’m putting a bunch of fresh chopped parsley in the mix too plus Durkees fried onion scattered on top. Wish me luck
This looks delicious! I love cream of spinach and corn, and this only spinach version sounds even wonderful!
Love your recipe. Cheesy and creamy and looks yum.
I love any recipe involving spinach, looks delicious!
Going through your post made my mouth water..this looks so delicious..want to dip my fingers in it!
How long can I hold the creamed Spinach? I am cooking for 12-13 guest, and need to hold in chafer until all of meal is ready. Thanks Kirby
If you are keeping it warm in a dish I would say 2-3 hours probably. Hope this helps!
Oh yum!! Totally makingthis for Thanksgiving. Thanks for the recipe!!