Every year, when the big meal is all served and done, I think to myself, why did I even bother with the turkey? I mean, the real reason most of us wait around for Thanksgiving is the sides, right? This creamed spinach is up there with my favorite things to serve on Thanksgiving. Tender wilted spinach mixture with a smooth, creamy white sauce flavored with a knob of butter, onions, garlic, and of course, all the cheeses. Creamed spinach is probably one of the easiest side dishes you can make and it also happens to be perfect to make ahead if you want to get a leg up on the holiday preparations. The two main ingredients are undoubtedly spinach and heavy cream, but it’s the ratio of these ingredients that can make or break your creamed spinach. I like to use a few additional ingredients like freshly grated nutmeg and cream cheese. The end results are magic. Don’t be surprised when you find family members at the stove just eating this stuff right from the pot. It’s totally worth it. In fact; make extra so that some of it still makes it to the table!
Ingredients for homemade creamed spinach:
Spinach: You can use either frozen chopped spinach or fresh baby spinach leaves for this recipe. Keep in mind that if you decide to use fresh spinach, you’ll need about twice the amount that’s listed for frozen spinach.Butter: We’ll use a knob of butter to help saute the onions.Onions: Finely chopped onions are the base of this recipe. They cook in the butter and get nice and tender. Keep in mind that you don’t want the onions to brown, here. We want them to be soft and translucent.Garlic: I add a whole lot of garlic to me creamed spinach recipe! But I do give a range of garlic, incase you are cooking this for someone who isn’t a huge fan. The harsh garlic bite does cook out as we saute it in butter with the onions so you won’t be left tasting it on your breath later.Cream Cheese: Softened cream cheese helps provide flavor and it also helps thicken the creamed spinach without the need to add in flour. I’m not a huge fan of flour-based white sauces as they always leave a grainy texture in your mouth.Half and Half: Instead of using heavy cream, I prefer to use half and half for this recipe. I find that the richness in heavy cream kind of mutes all the other beautiful, delicate flavors in creamed spinach. Since we’re using three types of cheeses, I went ahead and swapped heavy cream for half and half. If you don’t live in the states, half and half is just a 50:50 combo of milk and cream.Shredded Mozzarella: I like to buy a chunk of low moisture mozzarella cheese from my deli attendant and shred it on a box grated myself. Pre-shredded cheeses are often coated in starches to help keep them from clumping in the package. By buying a wedge, the cheese just melts a 1000 times better in the sauce.Grated Parmesan cheese: I buy parmesan cheese in bulk from Costco and often grate it and keep it in the fridge for these types of recipes. Did you know, if you have a high power blender, you can toss in a chunk of parmesan, run the blender, and have grated parmesan in seconds! You can also use shredded parmesan cheese, if you’d like.Ground Spices: I use a freshly grated nutmeg, cayenne pepper, dried dill, and white pepper to flavor the spinach. Nutmeg and white sauces are meant to be together forever, and ever. I also like to add a small dash of dried dill to this recipe. I’m a big fan of both spanakopita and palak paneer, and both of these recipes use dill with spinach. The results are delicious if you like dill. If not, feel free to omit it from the recipe, it’s an optional ingredient.
How to make easy creamed spinach recipe:
Other holiday recipes and sides to try:
Herb Roasted Thanksgiving TurkeyCheddar Mashed PotatoesCheesy Cauliflower CasseroleGreen Bean Casserole with Crispy Show String OnionsSweet Potato Casserole with Crunchy Brown Sugar ToppingSlow Cooker Creamed CornGarlic Butter Roasted Brussels Sprouts20-Minute Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes
