Steakhouse creamed spinach is one of my all-time favorite sides because it's rich, creamy, and so easy to make! Spinach is coated in a creamy sauce loaded with mozzarella, cream cheese, and Parmesan. It’s perfect for Sunday dinner, date night, or anytime you want an amazingly flavorful side!
Best Creamed Spinach Recipe
Creamed spinach is so underrated! You might have been served watery, under-seasoned creamed spinach before – but this creamed spinach is nothing like that!
It’s perfectly thick, rich, and ultra-creamy! I make an amazingly cheesy cream sauce to coat the spinach that really takes it over the top!
Steakhouse creamed spinach is creamy, cheesy, and decadently delicious!
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This recipe is also incredibly easy to make! Creamed spinach may sound a little complicated, but it’s totally not. Defrost some frozen spinach and the recipe is even easier to make!
Looking for more tasty spinach recipes? Be sure to check out all of my best spinach recipes right here!
❤️ Why You'll Love This Recipe!
A Classic Side Dish! This decadent creamed spinach recipe is an elevated classic! I add lots of cheese and season it perfectly, so it tastes even better than restaurant quality!
Super Easy! This recipe is delicious, but it’s also no fuss! My steakhouse creamed spinach uses easy ingredients and instructions so it’s always a breeze to make!
Warm & Comforting! I love how comforting creamed spinach is! It’s a side that’s perfect for a cold day!
🥘 Ingredients For Creamed Spinach
My easy, delicious steakhouse creamed spinach only requires a handful of common ingredients. I make it extra cheesy – this isn’t your grandma’s creamed spinach!
- Spinach – 1 pound of spinach. You can use fresh-leaf spinach, baby spinach, or ½ pound of frozen spinach. If using frozen spinach make sure it’s thawed and drained well.
- Butter - 2 tablespoons of butter. Butter will be used to sauté the onion and garlic. I recommend using unsalted butter here.
- Yellow Onion – ¼ cup of yellow onion. This should be minced or finely diced so the onion blends into the sauce well! ¼ cup of onion is about half of a medium-sized onion.
- Garlic – 1 teaspoon of garlic. The garlic should be minced for this recipe! 1 teaspoon of garlic is about 1 large clove.
- Seasonings – The seasonings for this recipe include: 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg.
- All-Purpose Flour – 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. All-purpose flour will thicken the sauce for our creamed spinach. Make sure to just use plain flour here!
- Half & Half – 1½ cups of half & half. You can also use milk or heavy cream, but I prefer half & half to lighten it up a little since this dish is already so rich!
- Mozzarella Cheese – ½ cup of Mozzarella cheese. The cheese should be grated for this recipe. I like mozzarella because it’s mild but melts beautifully!
- Cream Cheese – 2 ounces of cream cheese. 2 ounces is about ¼ cup. Cream cheese makes this creamed spinach irresistibly delicious!
- Parmesan Cheese – ⅓ cup of Parmesan cheese. Grated Parmesan makes the creamed spinach flavorful and extra cheesy! I recommend using a good-quality aged Parmesan if you can!
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
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🔪 How To Make Creamed Spinach
My decadent steakhouse creamed spinach is really easy to bring together! You can use frozen spinach or blanch the spinach ahead of time to make it even easier! You will need a frying pan or skillet, a spatula, and a cheese grater.
This recipe makes enough creamed spinach to feed 4 people, but you can always double it if needed!
- Blanch the leaf spinach. Fill a large pot with enough salted water to cover the spinach (baby leaf spinach or spinach) and bring it to a boil. Then, add the 1 pound of spinach to your boiling water and cook until beginning to wilt, about 1 minute. After 1 minute, drain immediately using a colander and rinse with cold water until the spinach is cool to the touch. Then set aside.
- Sauté onion & garlic. Next, bring a large skillet or non-stick frying pan to medium-low heat with 2 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter is melted, add ¼ cup finely diced onion and 1 teaspoon (1 clove) minced garlic to the pan. Then sauté until softened and the onion is translucent and fragrant – about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Make the sauce. To the sautéed onion and garlic, add the seasoning: 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg. Next, stir in 2 tablespoons AP flour. Cook the flour paste (or roux) for 2 to 3 minutes to cook off the flour taste, then slowly whisk in 1 ½ cups half & half and bring to a boil.
Combine Spinach & Cheese
- Add the cheese(s). Reduce the heat to low, then stir in ½ cup mozzarella cheese and 2 ounces of cream cheese. Then stir until all the cheese is melted, smooth, and thickened about 5 minutes.
- Drain spinach. Take your spinach and squeeze handfuls of the drained and cooled spinach until you’ve squeezed out as much liquid as possible. You can wrap the spinach in a paper towel, dish towel, or cheesecloth to help. Next, transfer the drained spinach to a cutting board and roughly chop all the spinach into strips that are roughly ½ inch to ¾ inch in width.
- Add more cheese. To the sauce, add ⅓ cup of Parmesan cheese and the drained, chopped spinach. Once the spinach is heated to your satisfaction, remove it from the heat and serve immediately.
My easy-to-make, ultra-creamy steakhouse creamed spinach is one of the best side dishes you can make! Serve it with an amazing pan-seared T-Bone steak or a fluffy baked potato, and you’ve got an amazing weekend or date night meal! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Tips & Recipe Notes
- If you decide to use frozen spinach, let it thaw completely before using it. Then, using a paper towel, dishcloth, or cheesecloth, squeeze out as much water as you can. There will be a lot!
- Love spinach dip? You can put transfer the creamed spinach to a small baking dish, sprinkle with extra mozzarella and Parmesan, and broil until golden, and you’ve got the best spinach dip appetizer ever!
- I recommend grating the mozzarella and Parmesan yourself! Pre-grated cheese has fillers and starches added, which can give the creamed spinach a grainy texture.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
This amazing steakhouse creamed spinach is best used within 3 days! You’ll want to transfer the creamed spinach to an airtight container to keep it as fresh as possible!
You can freeze creamed spinach, too! Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for no more than 3 months. When you’re ready to eat it, defrost it in the fridge overnight.
*I recommend draining any excess water that may appear on top before reheating!
Reheating Steakhouse Creamed Spinach
You can easily reheat the creamed spinach in a skillet over low-medium heat until hot and bubbling! Alternatively, you can reheat portions in the microwave for 30-second intervals, or until thoroughly reheated.
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❓ FAQ
Creamed spinach is so versatile! Of course, you can eat it as a side, but you can also serve it as a dip, stuff chicken or salmon with it, toss with pasta, or use it as a topping for almost anything!
I highly recommend adding the nutmeg! Nutmeg is often used as a baking spice, but it’s an excellent addition to any cream-based sauce! Its warm flavor adds a level of depth to sauces that can’t be replicated with other spices. It doesn’t make the creamed spinach taste sweet either – it just balances the flavors perfectly!
To freeze your creamed spinach, let it cool off before transferring it to a heavy-duty freezer bag with the air squeezed out or an airtight container. Pop in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost it in the fridge overnight before reheating, and pour off any excess water that may have accumulated.
🍚 More Easy Side Dishes
- Dauphinoise Potatoes - Thinly sliced potatoes baked in a super creamy and cheesy sauce.
- Panda Express Fried Rice - Eggs, peas, carrots, and green onions, all in perfectly cooked fried rice just like at Panda Express.
- Honey And Herb Oven Roasted Carrots - Sweet fork-tender carrots that take very little prep time!
- Sauteed Zucchini And Yellow Squash - Sauteed zucchini and yellow squash is a quick and easy side dish that will have veggies on the table in no time!
- Fried Cabbage - Savory pan-fried cabbage with plenty of bacon that comes together in a flash!
- Butter Peas & Carrots - Wonderfully tender carrots and buttery peas that you can make on the stovetop or in the microwave!
📋 Recipe
Steakhouse Creamed Spinach
Ingredients
- 1 lb spinach (fresh leaf spinach or baby leaf spinach, or use ½ pound frozen spinach)
- 2 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup yellow onion (minced or finely diced)
- 1 teaspoon garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups half & half (or heavy cream)
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese (grated)
- 2 oz cream cheese
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with enough salted water to cover the spinach and bring it to a boil. Add the spinach to your boiling water and cook until beginning to wilt, about 1 minute. Drain immediately into a colander and rinse with cold water until the spinach is cool to the touch. Set aside.1 lb spinach
- Bring a large skillet or non-stick frying pan to medium-low heat with the butter. Once the butter melts, add the onion and garlic and saute until softened and the onion is translucent and fragrant or about 8-10 minutes.2 tablespoon butter, ¼ cup yellow onion, 1 teaspoon garlic
- Add the seasoning (salt, ground black pepper, and ground nutmeg) and stir into the sauteed onion and garlic, then add the all-purpose flour and stir it in as well. Cook the flour paste for 2-3 minutes to cook off the flour taste, then slowly whisk in the half & half and bring it to a boil.1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 1 ½ cups half & half
- Reduce heat to low and stir in the mozzarella cheese and cream cheese. Stir until all of the cheese is melted, smooth, and thickened, about 5 minutes.½ cup mozzarella cheese, 2 oz cream cheese
- Squeeze handfuls of the drained and rinsed spinach until you've squeezed as much excess liquid out as possible. Transfer to a cutting board then roughly chop all the spinach to strips that are roughly ½ inch to ¾ inch in width.
- Add the Parmesan cheese and chopped spinach to the cream sauce, stir to break up the spinach and melt the Parmesan. Once the spinach is heated to your satisfaction remove from heat and serve immediately.⅓ cup Parmesan cheese
Equipment You May Need
Notes
- If you decide to use frozen spinach, let it thaw completely before using. Then, using a paper towel, dishcloth, or cheesecloth, squeeze out as much water as you can. There will be a lot!
- Love spinach dip? You can put transfer the creamed spinach to a small baking dish, sprinkle with extra mozzarella and Parmesan, broil until golden, and you’ve got the best spinach dip appetizer ever!
- I recommend grating the mozzarella and Parmesan yourself! Pre-grated cheese has fillers and starches added, which can give the creamed spinach a grainy texture.
Nutrition
Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
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