Creamed Spinach (From Frozen)

A casserole dish with a silver spoon filled with cheesy creamed spinach.

5 from 3 votes

Creamed Spinach (From Frozen)

This baked creamed spinach using frozen spinach is really easy to prep ahead for holidays and enjoy with an elegant meal. Made similar to what you'd find at a steakhouse, it's creamy and casserole-like.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Dinner, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Diet: Diabetic, Low Salt, Vegetarian

Servings: people

Calories: 350kcal

Author: Alicia

Equipment

1 Roughly 11" casserole dish, or can split this into a few different casserole dishes - whatever fits!

Ingredients

3 pounds frozen spinach
½ cup butter
¼ cup all purpose flour
10 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
4 shallots (roughly 1 cup chopped)
3 cups half and half
½ cup vegetable broth
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 pinch cayenne, about ⅛ teaspoon
4 oz unflavored cream cheese
kosher salt and black pepper to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and cook frozen spinach for about 4-5 minutes. Drain and let it cool, then use a kitchen towel to squeeze out all moisture. Set aside.
In a very large pan, melt butter over medium heat and add shallots and garlic, stirring frequently for 2-3 minutes until softened and fragrant, but not too browned. Stir in flour till it becomes smooth and begins to turn light brown. Stir in half and half and broth, bringing to a simmer over high heat till thick. Stir frequently to keep it smooth. Add in the spices and cream cheese, stirring with a wooden spoon till smooth. Then add in the drained spinach, mixing till fully combined. Taste and adjust any seasonings, adding salt and pepper as needed.
Transfer to a baking dish (I used an 11" gratin dish) and then bake at 350F for about 15 minutes or golden brown on top.

Notes

This recipe makes about 8-10 servings as a side dish. It's calculated for the holidays or a crowd. If you want to adjust, just use the slider on the recipe to cut it down.
Make sure you're buying 1 pound bags of frozen spinach and not 10oz. They look similar.
Low sodium - Check your cream cheese and use a low sodium vegetable or chicken broth.
Gluten free - Substitute about 2-3 tablespoons of arrowroot powder or cornstarch for the all purpose flour. Gluten free all purpose flour can also be used.
Can you use fresh spinach? Yes! But it would take up so much room in your fridge! You'd need roughly 5 pounds of fresh to boil down to 3 pounds.
This recipe can be made ahead before baking and stored, covered, in the fridge for 3 days. It's best if you make it the morning of a holiday so it has time for the flavors to combine, then bake to warm before dinner. It will just need a longer baking time of about 10-15 more minutes.

Nutrition