Creamed Spinach has always been one of my favorite side dishes. Its creamy texture mixed with the flavor of Spinach and melted cheese goes so well with other comfort foods. Whenever I'm talking about this creamed spinach recipe, I always think of Boston Market, where it's like Thanksgiving every day. My go-to meal has always been half a chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, and creamed Spinach. Then you also get that little cornbread piece. YUM! Anyway, that's what made me want to come up with my own version of Boston Market's Creamy Spinach...here it is! Enjoy!
Creamed Spinach Recipe
This creamed Spinach only takes about 15-20 minutes from start to finish making it a perfect side dish for weeknight dinners and holidays. Plus, it can be made ahead of time and easily reheated.
Ingredients for creamed Spinach
Vegetables: Spinach is the main ingredient here, and while you could certainly use fresh, I don't recommend it. It's much easier to use chopped frozen Spinach. In a bag or box doesn't matter; either will work just fine. The only other vegetable you'll need is a yellow onion.
Butter: I prefer salted butter mainly because I think Salt is an essential ingredient in this creamy Spinach. However, unsalted will work just fine as well.
Cream: I use Half and Half and Sour Cream for the cream. The rest of the creaminess comes from the cheese.
Cheese: Cream cheese adds more flavor and creaminess to the creamed spinach recipe. I think cream cheese makes almost everything better! Also, some freshly grated parmesan at the end gives it extra flavor and stickiness to balance the texture.
Seasonings and Spices: Some regular Kosher Salt and White Pepper are all you'll need here. I quickly learned not to skimp on the Salt when perfecting this recipe. Start with a little and work your way up. If you still feel like you need more, a few grinds of Pink Himalayan Salt over top of a serving is fantastic!
Creamed Spinach Directions
Before cooking, prep the frozen Spinach by thawing it first. Once it's completely thawed, press or squeeze the water out using a clean tea towel, cheesecloth, or a fine mesh strainer. Any of them will work. Just be sure to get as much out as you can. This will ensure you don't have watery runny Creamed Spinach.
Begin by heating a 12" Cast Iron Skillet over medium-low heat. Once the skillet has preheated, add the diced onions and butter. Sauté the onions until they are just turning translucent but haven't really softened quite yet. The slight crunch of the Onion in the finished dish adds another level of much-needed texture.
Now, add the Flour, Kosher Salt, and White Pepper to the onion and butter mixture, stirring to thoroughly coat the onions in the flour. Allow this mixture to cook for a couple of minutes to alleviate the flavor of the flour.
Next, begin slowly pouring in the half and half while constantly stirring. Once the sauce has started to thicken and bubble, add the Cream Cheese and Sour Cream. Slowly stir the mixture to incorporate the ingredients thoroughly.
Repeat the last step with the freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese, folding it into the creamy mixture to create a thick sauce.
Now that a thick sauce has formed, add the thawed and pressed Spinach to the skillet stir to combine, and let it all cook and meld for about five minutes.
In Conclusion
This recipe is for you if you're like me and love Boston Market or just flat-out love Creamed Spinach. It's speedy, easy to make, and has a perfect balance of flavors and textures.
Give it a try, and let me know in the comments what you think!
Before you get to cooking, though, I think you may also like these recipes. Save, print, or bookmark them for later on! You'll be happy you did!
Thank you so much for stopping in to Chicken Fried Kitchen today, and please feel free to reach out in the comments or by email if you have any requests or have made any extraordinary changes that need to be noted.
I hope you found exactly what you were looking for and, as usual...
Happy Cooking
-Jeremy
📖 Recipe
Creamed Spinach
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. Salted Butter
- 1 Yellow Onion - diced
- 3 Tbsp. All Purpose Flour
- 1 - 1 ½ tsp. Kosher Salt
- ½ tsp. White Pepper
- 1 Cup Half and Half
- ½ Cup Sour Cream
- 4 Oz Cream Cheese - softened
- ¼ Cup Parmesan Cheese - freshly grated
- 30 Oz Frozen Chopped Spinach - thawed/drained
Instructions
- Prep the frozen Spinach by thawing it first, then pressing or squeezing all the water out using a clean tea towel, cheesecloth, or a fine mesh strainer.
- Heat a 12" Cast Iron Skillet over medium-low heat.
- Add the diced onions and butter, sautéing until the onions are just turning translucent but haven't really softened quite yet.
- Add the Flour, Kosher Salt, and White Pepper to the onion and butter mixture, stirring to coat the onions, and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Begin slowly pouring in the half and half while constantly stirring. Once the sauce has begun to thicken and bubble, add the Cream Cheese and Sour Cream. Slowly stir the mixture to incorporate the ingredients thoroughly.
- Fold in the freshly grated Parmesan Cheese until a thick sauce has formed.
- Lastly, add the chopped Spinach stirring to combine, and then let the creamed spinach cook and meld for about 5 minutes.
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