cheddar creamed spinach
If you’ve never made creamed spinach from scratch, you may not know how easy it is to make. And it is so much yummier (and healthier) than the store-bought kind.
I developed this recipe for Cabot Creamery Cooperative earlier this year, and I thought of sharing it with you this week, since it seems like a great addition to a holiday menu to go with roasted meat, like beef, chicken or lamb. This is a little bit different than many traditional creamed spinach recipes because this one also includes sharp cheddar cheese. Which like the cheddar I added to my famous Cheddar Green Bean Casserole, was a glaring omission in the original. If you live in parts of the US where you can shop in Publix markets or if you live here in Vermont, try to find the Cabot Farmer’s Legacy Collection Farmhouse Reserve for this recipe. You can find a store here. It is a really special cheese with a traditional “East Coast Cheddar Bite” that will really add a huge flavor pop to the spinach. If you can’t find that cheese, look for Cabot Extra Sharp, and it will be just as good.
Be warned, this is really saucy. In a really good, cheesy oh my goodness kind of way! Just be prepared with some steakhouse classics to go with it. Like rosemary tomato marinated flank steak or garlicky chicken and absolutely some roasted garlic mashed potatoes. In my family my mom loves to serve barley with this type of menu. And it wouldn’t hurt to have some flaky whole-wheat chive biscuits for soaking up any last drops of creamy cheddar sauce.
Are you having anyone over for dinner this month?
How will you be celebrating?
What are your favorite Steakhouse recipes?
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cheddar creamed spinach
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
Easy recipe for classic steak-house creamed spinach with a cheddar twist.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons canola oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 ½ cup low-fat milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper, preferably white pepper
- pinch nutmeg
- 2 5-ounce packages baby spinach, washed and spun dry
- 1 ½ cup, 6 ounces shredded sharp cheddar, such as Cabot Farmhouse Reserve or Extra Sharp
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot with canola oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring until the garlic is fragrant, but not 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. Bring to a simmer, whisking often over medium-high heat. 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
I developed this recipe for Cabot Creamery Cooperative and it also appears on their website.
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
I was compensated by Cabot Creamery Cooperative to develop this recipe for their use and promotion. However, I was not paid to write this post. All opinions expressed here are my own.
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:)
I LOVE creamed spinach!! I would devour this entire batch!
Yes I agree Ari. I could eat a ton of spinach too, ha ha!
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?
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.
Your picture is beautiful. We love Cabot cheese.
Thanks Christine. I love Cabot too!
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!
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.
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!
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.