This easy cheesy creamed spinach recipe is a fantastic vegetarian side dish for Thanksgiving and is so speedy it’s a perfect steakhouse style side for weeknight dinners too!
This recipe post is beyond overdue.
I’ve been making this simple creamed spinach for ages and have neglected to photograph it for the blog. I could blame laziness but honestly I’m so eager to get this in my face that I can’t think of anything other than diving in!
Also, I’m lazy.
This week I was determined to remedy the situation because y’all NEED this recipe.
With the holidays right around this corner, this easy cheesy creamed spinach is about to be a staple in my kitchen, and hopefully in yours too!
Ingredients Needed
- Fresh Baby Spinach
- Butter
- Onion
- Garlic
- Heavy Cream
- Cream Cheese
- Salt + Pepper
- Parmesan Cheese
For a fully vegetarian side dish, you can opt for a vegetarian parmesan cheese that is made veggie-friendly. There are a few tasty varieties on the market that may be used in place of classic parm.
Your just a few steps away from faceplanting into this seriously awesome spinach dish.
Prepwork is minimal, with just a few quick measurements and some speedy chopping. Then you’ll simply saute, sauce it up, and stir. That’s it! No baking or boiling needed.
Serving Suggestions
A popular steakhouse side dish, creamed spinach is excellent alongside your favorite protein and pairs great with steak, pork, salmon, or roasted chicken.
For those of us keeping things gloriously vegetarian, the options are endless!
I adore serving creamed spinach alongside roasted or sauteed mushrooms (hello dream combo!) and cauliflower “steaks” and it’s fantastic served with pasta too.
Another fun option is to use it as a base for flatbread pizzas. It’s the star of my Veggie Pita Pizza recipe and I also use creamed spinach in my Baked Spinach Artichoke Wonton Cups and swirl it into my Spinach Artichoke Dip.
Storage and Leftovers
Find yourself with leftovers? That is cause for celebration!
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Since we’re working with a creamy sauce, avoid high heat when reheating. You can reheat either in the microwave or stovetop in a skillet or saucepan.
For stovetop, heat over low heat until warmed through, stirring frequently. For microwave, heat in 30 second increments in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring in-between to help distribute the heat.
I have a whole post dedicated to Recipes to Make with Leftover Spinach Dip and these recipes all work for leftover creamed spinach too! Woot!
Creamed Spinach Recipe
Ready to get your recipe on? Let’s do this!
The recipe below yields 6 servings and can easily be cut in half for a small batch portion or doubled (or even tripled!) to feed a crowd for Thanksgiving. Hope y’all love it as much as we do!
Creamed Spinach
Ingredients
- 20 ounces fresh spinach (two 10 oz bags)
- 2 TBSP butter
- 1 small yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan plus extra to taste
Instructions
- First prep the veggies. Roughly chop spinach. Peel and finely dice onion. Peel and mince garlic.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add and onion and cook until tender, 5-7 minutes.
- Next add garlic and cook for one additional minute until fragrant.
- Season with salt and pepper. Add fresh chopped spinach and stir frequently until wilted.
- Add heavy cream and cream cheese and reduce heat to medium. Simmer until the cream cheese melty and has thickened into a sauce.
- Lastly add Parmesan cheese and stir to combine. That's it! You can add extra salt and pepper to taste as well as any additional parmesan cheese your heart desires. For extra creamy creamed spinach you're welcome to stir in a little extra cream cheese at the end if you'd like. Let your taste buds be your guide! Serve hot.
STORAGE AND LEFTOVERS
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Since we're working with a creamy sauce, avoid high heat when reheating. You can reheat either in the microwave or stovetop in a skillet/saucepan.
- For stovetop, heat over low heat until warmed through, stirring frequently. For microwave, heat in 30 second increments in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring in-between to help distribute the heat.
Notes
Nutrition
Check out my post on 22 Fresh Spinach Recipes for even more spinach goodness!
If you get a chance to try this easy, cheesy creamed spinach recipe, let me know! Leave me a comment here (LOVE checking those daily!) and tag @PEASandCRAYONS on Instagram so I can happy dance over your tasty creations. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
Questions & Reviews
Excellent recipe but seriously does not need the heavy cream. I made it without and everyone raved about it. Why add all the calories and fat
Could stop tasting it while making, hope there is enough for dinner. 🤗
Haha so glad you’re enjoying it!
This recipe turned out perfect. The only slight alteration I made was slightly reducing the amount of cream cheese I used only because I didn’t have the full amount the recipe called for. I mixed it into some cooked rice and served it with baked garlic chicken. I will definitely be making this recipe in the future when I need a side dish. It’s easy to make but tastes & looks like I put in a ton of effort.
Made this for the first time today. I think it’s really good, and easy. I used regular spinach and didn’t chop it up.
Can this be put into crock pot? Or do you have a slow cooker version?
Hi Jennifer! This recipe cooks up so unbelievably fast that I haven’t tested out a slow cooker version just because it would complicate the process. If you’re looking for a way to keep it warm on the table for serving purposes, putting it in the crock-pot on the warm setting should be a-okay as I do that with spinach dip and other similar recipes and it keeps them nice and melty. Hoping that helps! xo
Easy and delicious! I halved the recipe and it was just enough for two meals for me. Thank you for the simplicity and for the delicious result.
I’m so happy you enjoyed the spinach, Gail! Yay!
How many “Creamed Spinach” recipes have I tried? Well how many stars are in the sky! Somehow I stumbled upon this recipe, and with perhaps a little sarcasm I thought it might be something to break up a boring day. Turns out this recipe was a cut above any creamed spinach recipe I’ve ever tried over the years. I found the tang from the cream cheese to be such a compliment to the end result. Same with the Parmesan. I’ve overpowered other creamed spinach recipes with parm, but this perfect amount proved that less is more. Really loved this, and will now look for excuses to make it often. Very happy to have found this site, and now the exploring begins!
Thank you, Jeff! I’m beyond honored that the recipe wowed you, especially after trying so many! DAY = MADE! For sure keep me posted if you get to try any more recipes. 😃