Easy Creamed Spinach

Our easy version of classic creamed spinach makes it simple to serve the beloved side dish for any meal—and it’s too good to save for special occasions.

Despite it’s name, creamed spinach is not a dish of spinach and cream. It’s usually blanched spinach in a béchamel or white sauce, perhaps with a little cheese added. Our recipe skips the fussy sauce making; there’s no roux needed to thicken the sauce in this method. Instead, we use one of our favorite shortcut ingredients—cream cheese. Mixed with milk and stirred into sautéed onion and garlic, it creates a creamy foil for the spinach.

What Is Creamed Spinach?

Creamed spinach is a classic steakhouse side dish, a staple of the Thanksgiving table, and a much-loved way to get those who don’t always embrace spinach to eat their greens. It’s a comforting, creamy dish that starts with lots of spinach, because spinach wilts when cooked, and its volume reduces dramatically.

Typically, creamed spinach is made with cooked spinach and a creamy béchamel sauce, like in this recipe from Martha’s mother, Mrs Kostyra. The spinach is wilted, drained, and any moisture squeezed out. Then it is chopped and stirred into béchamel (what you may know as a white sauce). The sauce is the tricky part of the dish, as adding milk or cream to roux (a cooked mixture of flour and butter) can sometimes result in a lumpy sauce. Some renditions also add onion, shallot, or garlic, some call for bacon.

Substitutes for Flat Leaf Spinach 

Our easy creamed spinach recipe calls for fresh flat-leaf spinach, but you can substitute baby spinach if you like. Frozen spinach will also work, but be sure to defrost the spinach and squeeze out all the moisture before adding it to the cream mixture.

Using and Storing Leftovers

Store leftover creamed spinach in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Reheat leftover creamed spinach gently over low heat. In addition to enjoying it as a side dish, try leftover creamed spinach stirred into pasta for an instant sauce, or atop a piece of toast for a comforting snack.