Rich Creamed Spinach

Creamed spinach is a perennial favorite side dish. My version is a bit richer and oh-so delicious.

Rich Creamed Spinach

Spinach is one of my favorite veggies. It seems to have become popular again since fresh baby spinach is a best seller for salads and lots of other recipes. Needless to say, I’m glad for its renewed popularity.

So it only follows that creamed spinach, a timeless favorite, is popular again. Either eaten as a side or topped with a sunny-side-up egg as a main dish, it’s just delicious.

I was lazy for years and always used to buy this in the pouch, but since it’s so easy to make, why not do it yourself?

Sauce How You Like It

The one thing I found I didn’t like about the frozen creamed spinach I’d buy is the texture of the sauce. For some reason, I don’t care much for a runny texture. You’d have to serve it in a separate dish–a bowl or monkey dish actually–and eat it with a spoon. I prefer a much thicker sauce and this recipe is for a thick sauce.

However, if you prefer a standard and thinner sauce, then reduce the flour in the recipe to 3 tablespoons. For a little more substantial sauce, increase it to 4 tablespoons. In the realm of 5 or 6 tablespoons, you’re entering the really thick category. The only adjustments are in the flour, nothing else is affected.

Frozen Or Fresh

When it comes to the spinach, the choice is up to you.

I’m usually partial to fresh, but in this dish I actually prefer the frozen cut variety of spinach. I have a great way of getting out the water–and it’s loaded with water–and that’s in the recipe instructions.

If you want to use fresh, I’d go with baby spinach and at least 6 cups of it. You can wilt it prior to adding it to the sauce, but that’d be an extra step. Again, it’s up to you.

The Recipe

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Rich Creamed Spinach

A very rich and homemade version of this classic side dish

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: creamed spinach recipe, homemade creamed spinach, richer creamed spinach

Servings: 6

Calories: 211kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 20 oz frozen chopped spinach

Sauce:

• 6 tbs flour
• 3 tbs butter
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• Pinch of ground nutmeg

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Defrost spinach and squeeze out as much water as you can. What I do is put the spinach in a clean dishtowel and wring it out. Set aside.
• Heat milk and cream in a saucepan until it's very hot.
• Melt the butter in another large saucepan. Add the flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg and whisk until there are no lumps. Cook for 5 minutes to cook the flour.
• Slowly whisk in the hot milk/cream. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add the drained spinach, stirring to mix well. Simmer for 2 minutes to heat the spinach.

Notes

This makes a very thick sauce where a spoon will stand up in it. If you prefer a thinner sauce, use less flour--3 tbs flour will yield a thin sauce that will make the spinach soupier in consistency. Using 4 tbs of flour will make a medium sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 211kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 542mg | Potassium: 430mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 11649IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 205mg | Iron: 2mg

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