Fresh spinach is cooked right on the stovetop in a creamy, savory Parmesan cheese sauce for a steakhouse-style creamed spinach that makes for the perfect Thanksgiving or Christmas side.
Stovetop Side Dishes Like This Save Oven Space on Thanksgiving
If only each meal could be a buffet of flavors like the glorious Thanksgiving dinner. A bite of this, a taste of that. That’s why I’m a big, big fan of Thanksgiving. Sure I love the turkey, but it’s the variety of different side dishes mingling together on my plate that I love most. From cranberry sauce and stuffing to green bean casserole and creamed corn, the Thanksgiving sides always shine.
But there’s another side I always have on the table for Turkey Day. One that lends a little extra oomph to the table: steakhouse-style creamed spinach. It’s creamy but not cloying, fresh instead of stringy.
This easy recipe uses just 5 basic ingredients (plus spices) and won’t clog up your oven since it’s made on the stovetop. Why the stovetop? On this one day of the year when my oven’s dance card is more jam-packed than any of the “celebrity” couples on Dancing With the Stars, there’s a serious need for an order of the oven if Thanksgiving dinner is ever to get to the table.
Enjoy!
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What’s in This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Spinach — I’ve tested this recipe using both fresh and frozen spinach, and the batch made with fresh spinach was the clear winner. Fresh spinach tastes better, goes further, and has a more tender texture than frozen spinach. Plus, there’s no need to squeeze it since fresh spinach doesn’t have as much water in it. Go fresh, you’ll thank me later.
- Butter — Use unsalted and then salt your spinach to taste.
- Heavy cream — I prefer making my creamed spinach without cream cheese. Using heavy cream creates a silky smooth sauce that’s not heavy or gloopy. However, if you don’t care to use cream, you can whisk cream cheese with a bit of chicken stock, as I do in my recipe for creamed Swiss chard.
- Garlic — Stick to just 1 clove to prevent your spinach from tasting overwhelmingly of garlic.
- Fresh nutmeg — Just a pinch cuts through the richness of the cream sauce and adds warmth to the dish.
- Parmesan cheese — Buy a block of Parm and grate it by hand for the smoothest, clump-free cream sauce.
Heidi’s Tip: If you want to give your creamed spinach a little heat, consider adding some cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.
How to Make Creamed Spinach with Fresh Spinach
- Infuse and thicken your cream. Melt the butter in a large skillet, then add the garlic, then the cream. Cook the cream at a slow boil until reduced by half (this process takes about 25 minutes).
- Add the spinach. Do this step in batches and watch as a 1-pound tub of spinach wilts down to a mere 3 cups of creamy, vitamin-dense deliciousness.
Heidi’s Tip: Don’t overcook your spinach! Spinach is delicate and cooks quickly. The longer you leave it on the stovetop, the more liquid will emit from the spinach, thus creating a thinner sauce. So if you like your cream sauce thicker, cook spinach just until al dente and serve immediately.
- Stir in the Parmesan. Once all the spinach has been cooked down, stir in the grated Parmesan and season with kosher salt and pepper.
- Consider adding breadcrumbs. If you have room in the oven and crave that baked taste, transfer the creamed spinach to a baking dish, sprinkle with additional cheese and some panko breadcrumbs, then cook at 350°F for 20 minutes or until golden on top. You’ll have an irresistibly buttery crunch for a nice contrast with the soft, creamy spinach.
What to Serve With Creamed Spinach
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Creamed Spinach Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 clove garlic , pressed or minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 pound fresh spinach leaves*
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Make the cream sauce. In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until it becomes fragrant. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and cook the cream at a slow boil, stirring occasionally until the cream has thickened and reduced by half, about 25 minutes. Season with kosher salt, black pepper and the nutmeg.
- Wilt the spinach and add the cheese. Working in batches, add the spinach to the cream sauce, tossing to coat as the spinach cooks down. Repeat in batches until the last batch is just beginning to wilt, then add the Parmesan cheese and toss with the spinach leaves and cook until the last batch is just barely done. The spinach will continue to cook once it's removed from the heat. Sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese as desired and serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
More Stovetop Thanksgiving Sides You’ll Love
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Linda
I used almond milk instead of heavy cream and mozzarella instead of parmesan only bc I didn’t have parm and it turned out very delicious!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Thanks for sharing!
Mike
I really like this. I agree that it has to be fresh spinach, and real heavy cream.