Prepare Steakhouse Creamed Spinach right at home in 20 minutes using this quick and easy recipe. Creamed spinach with luxurious texture and umami flavor is wonderful vegetarian side dish. And it's a perfectly decadent way to eat your vegetables. Even the carnivores will devour it since it's so rich and creamy.
I am including instructions to make Instant Pot Creamed Spinach. This is a must have side dish on our Thanksgiving and Holiday dinner menu. We are all about scrumptious sides for these winter dinner celebrations. Homemade Cornbread, Sweet Potato Casserole, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Cranberry Sauce and this Creamed Spinach are our crowd pleaser dinner sides.
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It makes creamy spinach that is low in calorie, velvety smooth and superbly delicious! As always, I am adding my delicious twist to this classic creamed spinach typically found in fancy steakhouses and gourmet dinner parties. So it is easy to adapt to your dietary preferences.
This creamy spinach is made without cream. So it is lighter than other varieties. I often use the same recipe and add canned artichokes and chopped jalapeno to make Jalapeno Spinach Artichoke Dip !! It's super duper delicious snacking dip.
Recipe Inspiration
In my French cooking class, I learnt a wonderfully easy way to make roux. ( pronounced as roo) Roux is a white sauce or thickening agent. It helps bulk up sauces and soups.
So, I decided to make a creamy spinach using the roux as a base and eliminating the cream and cheese. The calorie counter came down in leaps and bounds all without sacrificing the taste and creamy texture.
Why you will Love this recipe
- It's keto, low carb and low calorie
- It's velvety smooth and creamy and tasty.
- It offers guilt free soul food eating
- This quick and easy recipe can be made on stovetop or in electric pressure cooker like Instant Pot
- Rich and creamy without using high calorie heavy cream or cream cheese
Ingredients
Exact measurements of the ingredients are listed in the recipe card below. Here's a brief overview of what I am using. Basic pantry ingredients is all you need to make this recipe.
- Spinach - You can use either frozen or fresh spinach. If you use fresh spinach, use baby spinach and chop it finely before using.
- For creamy texture and to make the roux, use butter or olive oil, flour ( or cornstarch ) and milk - I am using almond milk and almond flour to make it low carb and keto. Half and half adds smooth velvety texture.
- For the savory rich flavor, use nutmeg powder and salt and black pepper. For added flavor, I like to include small onion and couple of minced garlic cloves. Nutmeg adds very intriguing and distinctive flavor to the creamed spinach. Do not skip using it.
- For optional finishes you can sprinkle parmesan cheese or grated mozzarella cheese on top.
Helpful Hint : This recipe uses frozen, chopped spinach from the bag. The bagged frozen spinach is crumbly compared to boxed frozen spinach. No need to thaw it. If you use frozen spinach from the box, defrost it first to avoid excessive water. You can also use an equal amount of fresh leaf spinach if you wish. The cook time will remain the same.
How to Make
Make the Roux : We start of by making the roux. Mix in the flour with warm oil on medium-high heat and stir continuously till it turns into light yellow / brown colored paste called a roux.
Add in the milk and whisk well so it becomes nice smooth paste. Heat the roux for couple more minute or so that the taste of raw flour goes away.
Separately, sauté onions and minced garlic in oil until fragrant and translucent.
Add frozen or fresh spinach, half and half and milk. Add salt, pepper and ground nutmeg. Stir well to combine. Let the mixture come to boil and cook together.
Add the roux to cooked spinach mix. Whisk well so that everything is well incorporated. Make sure there are no doughy lumps. Cook the mixture together for couple more minutes and voila! The creamed spinach is ready to serve.
The cooked creamy spinach mixture thickens further as it cools down. If you notice it too watery, sauté on low for couple minutes uncovered.
To avoid Burn messages on Instant Pot, I prefer to cook the roux separately on the stove top. It cooks quickly and is ready before the spinach is cooked.
Pro Tips
This recipe does not use any cream. Instead it uses roux or white sauce made out of oil and flour to thicken and get creamy texture to the creamed spinach. To make it vegan and plant based , dairy-free milk can be used for cooking.
Reheating and Storage Instructions
As with any thick creamy recipes, I do NOT recommend freezing the Creamy Spinach. You should serve it warm soon after you make it.
I store my leftover Creamed Spinach in a glass container in the fridge for up to 3 days. When I’m ready to enjoy the dish, I simply pop it in the microwave for 1 minute.
Serving Suggestions
This creamy spinach is ideal side dish that compliments most dinner menu. It is often served as a side to steakhouse favorites like fillets , pork chops, or chicken dishes.
I like to pair it with Whole Roasted Cauliflower for delicious plant based meal. It also works well with Grilled Portobello Mushroom Steak
You can also serve it as a hearty side dish for comforting soups like Loaded Potato Soup , Vegetable Barley Soup or Lentil Quinoa Soup.
More Vegetable Side Dishes
Yes. Creamed spinach is a vegetarian side dish. 1 Cup serving has 201 calories. 9 gm of carbohydrates, 5g of protein , 1g of fiber . It also has 343 IU vitamin A.
★ If you make this Steakhouse Creamed Spinach Recipe , do let us know how you like it by ★ star rating it and leaving a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Steakhouse Creamed Spinach (Instant Pot Option )
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoon olive oil divided
- 2 Tablespoon almond flour or cornstarch
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 ( 16 oz.) frozen chopped spinach
- 1½ cup Milk divided - use ½ cup for roux and 1 cup for cooking
- 1 cup half and half
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
To Prepare the Roux
- We prepare the roux on the stovetop. In a heavy bottom skillet, on a medium heat, warm the oil. With a wooden spoon, stir the flour into the warm oil a little bit at a time, until it is fully incorporated , giving you a pale-yellow-colored paste called a roux.
- Heat the roux for another minute or so to cook off the taste of raw flour. Slowly add the ½ cup warm milk to the roux, using a wire whisk, whisk it well to make sure it's free of lumps. Cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly so it forms a nice smooth paste. Roux is ready.
How to Make Instant Pot Creamed Spinach
- Place the Instant Pot on the sauté mode. Add the olive oil, garlic, and onions to the pot. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the onions become fragrant and translucent. Add the frozen chopped spinach and milk to the pot. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste. Close the lid and cook for 3 minutes on MANUAL High-Pressure Cooking.
- When the pot indicates it has finished, wait on keep warm timer for 5 minutes and then release the leftover pressure by turning the knob to venting. Open the lid. Add the half and half and the prepared roux. Whisk well. Put the Instantpot back on Sauté and let the mixture bubble for couple minutes. Cancel SAUTE. When everything is well combined, creamy spinach is ready ! Serve warm.
Steakhouse Creamed Spinach on Stove top Directions
- Put the heavy bottom pan on medium high heat. Add oil and let it warm up. Add garlic and onions to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the onions become fragrant and translucent.
- Add the frozen chopped spinach and rest of the milk to the mixture. Season with nutmeg, salt, and black pepper to taste. Cover the pan and cook it covered on low heat for 10 minutes until the mixture bubbles and spinach wilts and cooks. Remove the cover.
- Add the half and half and prepared roux. Whisk well so everything combines properly. Then cook for another 3-5 minutes without the cover so the mixture thickens. Turn off the heat. Your creamy spinach is ready to serve. Enjoy !
Notes
Nutrition
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Esther Sternberg
Hi - looks delicious! I cannot find in the recipe how much of the almond milk is used for the rue. It says divided in the ingredients list yet it's not specified how.
Thank you.
admin
Use 1/2 cup of milk to make the rue and rest 1.5 cup for cooking the spinach.