Favorite Creamed Spinach Recipes

THE BEST CREAMED SPINACH RECIPE

Steps:

• Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil. Add spinach and cook down for about 2-3 minutes or until spinach is wilted but not soggy.
• Drain spinach well and then wring out using cheesecloth (preferred) or a kitchen towel. You can also press spinach in a fine-mesh strainer to try and remove excess water. Note: the spinach may be VERY hot, handle with care and allow to cool if needed.
• Note: you may be surprised to find that you only have 1-2 cups of spinach. This is totally normal.Set spinach aside.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions become soft and transparent.
• Sprinkle flour over the onions and stir until flour is cooked (about 3 minutes).
• Pour in half and half a little at a time, whisking constantly making a beschamel sauce. You want it to be the consistency of a thin gravy. Add more half and half or milk if needed.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Add spinach and stir until spinach is well mixed in.
• Add Parmesan cheese, Mozzarella cheese, and creamy Swiss cheese (or cream cheese). Stir until all cheeses are melted and completely mixed in.
• Serve immediately.

FAST AND EASY CREAMED SPINACH

Steps:

• Pour olive oil into a large soup pot, place over high heat, add spinach, and cover. Cook for 1 minute, uncover, and lightly stir until most of the leaves are bright green and wilted, about 2 minutes. Quickly drain spinach in a strainer and transfer to a plate lined with 4 or 5 paper towels. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze as much liquid from the spinach as possible. Transfer spinach to a cutting board and coarsely chop.
• Mix salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg in a small bowl.
• Place a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter in skillet, and stir shallot in the hot butter until just barely golden and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir seasoning mixture into shallot mixture and pour in cream. Raise heat to medium-high and reduce cream sauce to about half, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon zest.
• Reduce heat to low and toss spinach with cream sauce in skillet. Cook and stir until spinach is heated through and coated, about 2 minutes. Stir Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese into spinach until thoroughly combined; serve immediately.

ABSOLUTELY THE BEST CREAMED SPINACH

Steps:

• COOK THE SPINACH (if using fresh spinach): Heat a very large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add all the spinach with the water still clinging to its leaves, you may have to firmly pack it. Cover the pan tightly (weight the lid down, if necessary). Leave the spinach to cook for about 2 minutes, then turn it over so that the wilted leaves are on the top. Cover and repeat the process a few times more, until all spinach is nicely wilted. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Drain spinach and reserve the pot that you cooked the spinach inches DO NOT WASH OR WIPE CLEAN.
• If you don't have a salad spinner (OR if using frozen spinach), squeeze the spinach dry with your hands a little at a time, squeezing as much liquid as possible from the leaves. Use paper towels and gently blot the spinach to help it dry. Chop the spinach leaves coarsely and set aside.
• MAKE A ROUX: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon, to make a loose paste. Cook for about 1 minute. As soon as it balls up into a paste, exchange the wooden spoon for a wire wisk and in a steady stream, whisk in the warm milk. Stir slowly, until the roux comes to a simmer, about 2 minutes, stirring continuously, until the sauce has thickened.
• Add the cream, salt, and pepper, and stir for 1 minute more. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese to melt.
• ONION MIXTURE: In the same skillet where the spinach was cooked, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until onions are translucent.
• ASSEMBLY: Add the cooked spinach and the cheese sauce to the pan and stir together over medium heat until well mixed and heated through. Taste for seasoning, and transfer to a heated and covered serving dish.

CREAMED SPINACH

Steps:

• Combine milk, spinach liquid and garlic in a 1-quart microwave-safe measuring cup or small bowl covered with a saucer, and microwave (or heat slowly in a medium saucepan) until very hot and steamy. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes to soften garlic.
• Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour. Add hot milk mixture all at once, then whisk until smooth. Stir in spinach; cook until sauce is thick and bubbly and spinach is tender but still green, about 5 minutes. Stir in cheese, nutmeg, and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper. Serve hot.

EASY CREAMED SPINACH

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add spinach, and cook just until wilted, about 1 minute. Drain in a colander; rinse with cold water until cool. Squeeze spinach to remove as much liquid as possible; coarsely chop, and set aside.
• In a large saucepan, heat butter over medium. Add onion and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add cream cheese and milk; cook, stirring, until cream cheese is melted and smooth. Stir in spinach. Simmer over medium heat until mixture thickens, 8 to 10 minutes. Add nutmeg; season with salt and pepper.

FAVORITE CREAMED SPINACH

Steps:

• 1) sautée onions in butter and 1 t of salt on medium heat.
• 2) when onions begin to become translucent add garlic and olive oil.
• 3) add flour to make a thick paste, all liquid should be absorbed, you can add more flour or olive oil if needed, cook for 2 to 3 minutes to cook flour thoroughly.
• 4) let cool slightly and whisk in milk, stirring continuously to avoid lumps while bringing to mixture to a boil, when finished the sauce should be thick enough to cover the back of a spoon, (be careful not to burn the sauce on the bottom of the pan).
• 5) Add spinach (with as much water removed as possible) and the remaining 1 t of salt (or to taste) and Parmesan, stir thoroughly to combine, bring back to a simmer and remove from heat.