Creamed Spinach with Cheese
by Katie Webster
December 17, 2021 (updated 4/16/24) Jump To Recipe
Traditional Creamed Spinach gets a cheesy twist! This 10-minute Creamed Spinach recipe is made with tender fresh baby spinach that’s cooked in a luscious creamy white cheddar cheese sauce for a perfect restaurant-quality side dish.
When it comes to creamed spinach, we found that people fall into two camps: those who love creamed spinach and those who haven’t experienced good, creamed spinach yet. Fortunately, we love creamy spinach and plan to convert anyone who falls into the second camp! Along with sauteed spinach with garlic, this is one of our favorite spinach side dishes!
Creamed Spinach Ingredients
How To Make Homemade Creamed Spinach with Cheese
Step 1: Make Garlic Roux
In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, melt butter and canola oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. To pot, add flour and stir to form a paste.
Step 2: Make Bechamel and Simmer Sauce
Remove from heat and whisk in milk until smooth. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Return to medium-high heat and bring to a simmer, whisking often.
Step 3: Add Spinach
In batches, add spinach to the creamy sauce. After each batch, cover, and allow to wilt. Repeat until all spinach is wilted.
Step 4: Add Cheese
Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Katie’s Recipe Tips
Store leftover creamed spinach in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
When ready to enjoy again, reheat on the stove over low heat.
You sure can! Thaw a 10-ounce package or frozen spinach or brick of frozen spinach. Thaw and drain well. Make the cheese sauce and add the thawed, drained spinach until heated through.
This is a great make ahead dish! Prepare dish according to recipe card, place in an airtight container, and store in the fridge up to 3 days. When ready to reheat, gently stir in a non-stick skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat until steaming hot – being sure to not overheat it.
Yes, this dish can easily be made gluten-free. For a gluten-free alternative, make a slurry with 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch with three tablespoons of the milk. Skip adding the flour to the saucepan, add the milk. When it is steaming hot, whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Bring it to a boil while whisking to prevent it from clumping.
A quick cooking green such as swiss chard would work well. Kale is tougher though so it would not soften as nicely.
To Serve as a Make-Ahead Creamed Spinach Gratin
- To serve this as a make ahead casserole for a holiday meal, prepare the creamed spinach as directed. When it is done, transfer it to a medium-sized oven-proof casserole dish. Refrigerate up to 3 days.
- Stir together 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs, 2 teaspoons avocado oil, 1/2 teaspoon paprkia and a pinch each garlic powder and salt. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the creamed spinach.
- Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until the casserole bubbles along the edge and the spinach is heated through.
Make sure to check out our Easy Sweet Potato Casserole, Parsnip Gratin and our Turnip Casserole as well for more holiday casseroles!
Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!
Happy Cooking! ~Katie
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Homemade Creamed Spinach with Cheese
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
Description
If you need an easy spinach side dish, this recipe for classic steak-house creamed spinach with delicious sharp cheddar cheese is the perfect one to try. It is made in one pan in less than 15 minutes with simple grocery store ingredients and pantry staples!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/3 cup flour
- 2 1/4 cup low-fat milk
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper, preferably white pepper
- pinch nutmeg
- 15–ounces baby spinach, washed and spun dry
- 1 1/2 cup, 6 ounces shredded sharp cheddar
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot with avocado oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring until the garlic is fragrant and lightly browned, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add flour and stir to form a paste.
- Remove from heat and whisk in milk until smooth. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg. Return to medium-high heat and bring to a simmer, whisking often.
- Add spinach, in batches, covering and allowing to wilt so it can fit, until it is completely wilted.
- Remove from the heat and stir in cheese.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- When ready to reheat, gently stir in a non-stick skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat until steaming hot – being sure to not overheat it. Alternatively, reheat leftovers in an oven-proof baking dish at 350 for 30 minutes.
- Feel free to use a 10-ounce package of frozen spinach in this recipe. Thaw and drain well. Make cheese sauce and the thawed, drained spinach and heat through.
- To make gluten-free, omit flour slurry and instead use a slurry with 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of milk.
- Feel free to swap out another quick-cooking green such as swiss chard in this recipe.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup each
- Calories: 233
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 536 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 12 g
Katie Webster
Katie Webster studied art and photography at Skidmore College and is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute. She has been a professional recipe developer since 2001 when she first started working in the test kitchen at EatingWell magazine. Her recipes have been featured in numerous magazines including Shape, Fitness, Parents and several Edible Communities publications among others. Her cookbook, Maple {Quirk Books} was published in 2015. She launched Healthy Seasonal Recipes in 2009. She lives in Vermont with her husband, two teenage daughters and two yellow labs. In her free time, you can find her at the gym, cooking, stacking firewood, making maple syrup, and tending to her overgrown perennial garden.
Absolutely gorgeous. The garlic twist with nutmeg mmwwah. Had it with a fish dinner and sautéed potatoes and carrots.
Ms Katie
Your recipe Blessed my mouth! It was simple, quick and DELICIOUS!! My first time making it and I will surely be making it again.
Thank You!!!
Thank you so much!!
I Loved it first time I’ve done this one recipe, and I’ll continue doing it because is so delicious.
Thank you so much for letting me know you loved it. I appreciate it.
Recipe sounds delish….little confused about the cheddar cheese measurement. Is is 6 ounces or 1-1/2 cups? One cup is 8 ounces so I am confused how 6 ounces is equal to 1-1/2 cups? Can you help?
Hey Susan, Thanks so much. You are right that 6 fl oz is way less than 1 1/2 cups. But cheese is measured by weight and here we’re talking about how much it weighs. I add that detail, not to confuse, but because a lot of folks buy 8 ounce blocks of cheddar. From there, just cut three quarters of a block and shred it. No need to get out a measuring cup or scale!
Spinach lovers unite! I don’t think we ever had creamed spinach on Thanksgiving. I remember my mom serving the kind that was frozen for a weeknight side dish though.
OMG, I am a maniac for creamed spinach. We used to have it every Thanksgiving but somehow I forgot about that — I will use your recipe next year!
Your picture is beautiful. We love Cabot cheese.
Thanks Christine. I love Cabot too!
Hi Debbie! How are you? I was just thinking of you. Great question. I put the spinach in at the end so that it would stay more fresh. It cooks almost instantly, especially baby spinach. My thinking was that I hoped for a nice texture, and also that when spinach cooks longer, the sulfur compounds come out. The sauce takes on a darker color too. I’d love to hear back from you to see what you think.
I love the idea of cheese in creamed spinach! I’m interested in your recipe. When I make it, I sauté onions and garlic, put in the spinach to wilt and then make the sauce …. I’m assuming it makes a difference when you add the spinach?
I LOVE creamed spinach!! I would devour this entire batch!
Yes I agree Ari. I could eat a ton of spinach too, ha ha!
Creamed spinach is one of my favorites. This one looks like perfection! Can’t wait to give it a try.
Thanks Candace Me too. Thanks for coming by:)