Garlic Creamed Spinach
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Are you a fan of spinach? Even if you wouldn’t consider yourself the next Popeye the Sailor Man, that’s okay, I’m sure you’re bound to love this Garlic Creamed Spinach recipe! In fact, try giving this to your picky eater kids and I bet this will transform the way they see spinach!
This is officially one of my favourite ways to enjoy spinach, and I really should make this side dish more often! Not only are there minimal ingredients in this Garlic Creamed Spinach recipe, but it can come together so quickly. There’s no reason why this won’t become your new go-to side dish to get in your greens and deliciousness!
This Garlic Creamed Spinach is the perfect accompaniment to any protein. I first made this to pair with my Best Blackened Salmon recipe, but it could also be amazing with some Italian Herb Grilled Chicken or even Tandoori Grilled Shrimp Skewers! In fact, I can see this special creamy spinach recipe as a wonderful side dish as part of any Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner!
Can I use frozen spinach?
I don’t see a point to using frozen spinach since this dish comes together so quickly. The texture and consistency from using fresh spinach would also be much more pleasant, so I would stay away from frozen spinach for this dish.
Is this garilc creamed spinach healthY?
I don’t see why not! I actually tried to make this a lighter version than traditional creamed spinach recipes. If you’re serving this creamed spinach as a holiday side dish, then you may want to indulge more in your actual main and have a less rich side dish!
First of all, I’m not using full fat cream here, but 10% half and half cream. I don’t think you need heavy cream to make this creamy and delicious. The half and half cream does the job just fine, and we’ll add texture with the Parmesan cheese.
Furthermore, spinach has so many health benefits. Spinach is loaded in insoluble fibre, vitamins A, C, and K1, and an excellent source of iron and calcium. For more information about the health benefits of spinach, check out this article by Healthline. That being said, because spinach cooks down so much, you’ll really need to make a lot of it for a decent portion of creamed spinach, and remember this is just on the side! So this is an excellent fun way to get your greens in, and trust me I’m sure it’ll be one of the best ways you’ve ever cooked spinach! Creamy, cheesy, and satisfying!
Additionally, I’m using olive oil to cook our creamy spinach mixture instead of butter, which is typically used for creamed spinach. Olive oil - particularly extra virgin olive oil - is jam packed with health benefits, and it’s a staple of the Mediterranean diet - deemed one of the healthiest diets in the world! Olive oil is loaded with monounsaturated fats, and large amounts of antioxidants. Furthermore, olive oil can protect against heart disease, may help prevent strokes, and may fight Alzheimers’s disease. Cooking with olive oil rocks, and I love the flavour of it! For more information about the health benefits of olive oil, read this article by Healthline.
Lastly, to really get that perfect thick and creamy texture, I’m using yogurt! You may use sour cream, but using a full fat plain yogurt will be a bit lighter in calories and you’ll have the additional calcium benefits!
For those following a Keto diet, this creamed spinach recipe is an excellent option. It is low in carbohydrates and high in healthy fats.
can I use cream cheese?
If you don’t have cream on hand, you could substitute with cream cheese. I’ve made creamed spinach with cream cheese before. To be honest, I didn’t use it today because my cream cheese went bad, sadly! I did have half and half cream which I was already using in mashed potatoes, so I decided to make my creamed spinach with actual cream! But if you don’t have cream then by all means you can use cream cheese! It will be just as delicious and give you a wonderful texture!
could I add in meat?
I don’t see why not! Some chopped bacon or pieces of grilled chicken breast would really nicely complement this Garlic Creamed Spinach!
Tips for the tastiest garlic creamed spinach
You can easily make this recipe lighter by substituting the 10% cream with milk and using lesser parmesan cheese.
Or, you can make it richer by using cream cheese and 1/2 the amount of heavy cream.
Make sure to evaporate most of the moisture from the spinach before adding the liquids (milk, yogurt).
Ingredients for garlic creamed spinach
Our Garlic Creamed Spinach will only require a handful of ingredients. This is exactly why it’s the perfect spinach side dish for the holidays or even on a special weeknight dinner, it’s simple but packed with deliciousness! Let’s review this short list!
Remember to scroll to the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD! All ingredients and quantities are listed in the recipe card. You can easily scale the recipe based on how many servings you’d like to make! You can also print the recipe and save it for later, so don’t forget to read to the end!
Spinach: I’m using fresh baby spinach here. You can use whatever spinach you want, but keep in mind full grown spinach is more bitter.
10% half and half cream: This cream is perfect to use because I often have it on hand for other side dishes.
Onions: I’m using diced red onions here. You can use onions of your choice, but red onions are my favourite.
Parmesan cheese: Grated Parmesan cheese to add saltiness and some incredible flavour to our spinach! This will also help tp thicken up the spinach mixture.
Yogurt: Plenty of creamed spinach recipes use sour cream to further thicken the mixture. To keep this lighter but still have a thick texture, I’m going to add in yogurt! I’m using a full fat plain yogurt, but there’s a bit less fat than sour cream.
Garlic: One clove of minced garlic. This will add a wonderful fragrance and further enhance the great flavours here!
Olive oil: Used to sauté all our ingredients.
Salt and pepper: To taste, as always! Adjust based on your preference.
How to Make Fresh Easy Creamed Spinach
Heat olive oil on medium heat and add onions and garlic.
Saute until the onions have lightly browned and softened.
Add spinach, in batches if needed and saute until the spinach wilts.
Create a well in the middle and add the cream, yogurt and parmesan cheese. Mix well, bring to a simmer and combine with the spinach.
Saute on medium heat until some of the moisture evaporate, season with salt and serve warm.
can I make creamed spinach in advance?
For sure you can! I recommend you eat creamed spinach fresh, but if this a large portion is being made for a dinner party, then I understand that there may be leftovers, or that you may want to make it before your actual dinner party so that it’s ready to serve. That’s no problem, we’re all against food waste here!
If you’re going to make this creamed spinach in advance, then follow the instructions to prepare it. Allow the spinach mixture to completely cool, then transfer the contents into an airtight container. This Creamed Spinach will last for 2 days in the fridge.
how to reheat quick and easy creamed spinach?
To reheat your creamed spinach, simply transfer the contents into a pan and cook on low heat, stirring until the mixture is entirely warmed through. You could microwave it for 30 second intervals, but the spinach may get watered down and make your mixture soggy. I would recommend the stovetop method for best results!
Other Amazing Side Dishes!
WATCH HOW TO MAKE garlic creamed spinach HERE:
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!