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★ Why You’ll Love this Recipe ★
This creamed spinach is easy to make using fresh or frozen spinach. This dish is always a hit at holiday dinners. It's a great vegetarian addition to your Thanksgiving or Christmas menu.
Simply Delicious
Seasoned with shallots, Parmesan cheese and white peppers. Made creamy with creamed cheese and a butter + flour roux. Finally, water chestnuts add a perfect amount of crunchy texture to this otherwise thick and rich dish.
Creamed spinach is an easy holiday or pot luck side dish.
What's special about this recipe is the water chestnut. They are a nice little surprise that everyone raves about. They add just a little crunchy which perfectly balances out the thick, creamy texture of this side dish.
A Green Bean Casserole Alternative
This recipe is easy to make and is a great alternative to green bean casserole for holiday meals like Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter.
Freezer Friendly
This tasty side dish can also be made in a big batch and frozen in portions. Reheat for a quick side dish with dinner, any day of the week.
Inspired by Boston Market's Creamed Spinach
Boston Market uses a blend of cream cheese and Parmesan cheese. If you're looking to replicate Boston's Market's recipe at home, you'll find this combination along with the garlic-oniony taste of the shallot, really nails the flavor. My own addition is the water chestnut. They add a fun crunch which you can skip, but I recommend trying!
★ Ingredients You'll Need ★
You'll need lots of spinach of course. Here's everything you will need to turn it into a creamy, delicious dish you can eat by the spoonful:
- Butter. Salted butter. My husband loves Kerrygold butter. It does have a really smooth, buttery taste but any real butter works best. You can substitute with margarine if you'd like.
- Flour. All-purpose flour combines with the butter to form what's known as a "roux" which thickens the sauce.
- Shallot. This is a tiny member of the onion family that offers a slightly sweeter taste than an onion. I find it to be a happy medium between garlic and an onion. Adding finely diced shallots to your creamed spinach will enhance the flavor. If you don't have shallots then you can use any onion you have handy, but a sweet variety would be best. You may want to also add garlic if you are using an onion.
- Milk. Adding milk to the butter and flour mixture finishes off the roux and creates a velvety sauce.
- Cream cheese. Whipped cream cheese tends to blend more quickly and easily with the roux mixture but block cream cheese works too.
- Parmesan cheese. You can use any kind of Parmesan cheese — grated in the shaker bottle, shredded, shaved or you can even visit the deli and get the real deal grated Parmesan cheese.
- Nutmeg: A little bit goes a long way. Nutmeg adds a slightly nutty flavor to this creamy sauce which tones down the bitter notes of spinach.
- White pepper: Regular black pepper would work in this recipe, but in a creamy sauce the more mild bite and earthy flavor of white pepper are just perfect.
- Spinach: You want to use frozen spinach, not fresh. Fresh spinach contains a lot of water and went cooked, that water will release into your cream sauce making it runny. The flavor will also be overly earthy because of this excess water (read: it will taste like dirt ha ha). So be sure to use frozen chopped spinach. Thaw it, then press and/or squeeze out as much water as possible before adding to the cream sauce.
- Water chestnuts. Adding this little bit of subtle crunch really elevates this dish and is a fun surprise that everyone seems to enjoy.
★ How to Make this Recipes ★
You can watch the video below the recipe below to see the process in action or check out this step by step guide for a quick glace and how it all comes together:
Here's what's involved:
- Melt butter.
- Add chopped shallots.
- Whisk in flour.
- Add milk and whisk.
- Add cream cheese.
- Add Parmesan cheese.
- Add nutmeg.
- Add spinach and water chestnuts.
- Heat, stir then serve!
It's surprisingly easy!
★ Tips & FAQs ★
Creamed spinach actually tastes better made with frozen spinach because fresh spinach leaves are very watery when cooked down, leaving your creamed spinach tasting dull and a bit too earthy.
Creamed spinach goes especially well with meat and potatoes. This is also a delicious side dish to serve with a traditional Thanksgiving meal. You could serve instead of green bean casserole or in addition to as another vegetable side dish option.
Creamed spinach is easy enough for weeknights, yet makes a great holiday side dish as well.
You can make ahead and freeze and eat but it's also easy enough to whip up as a side dish for a weeknight meal.
Just cut the recipe down according to your family size or make a big batch and freeze the leftovers for another day.
The secret ingredient that everyone is always surprised by and loves is the water chestnuts. The water chestnuts are very tiny but give an otherwise very creamy dish, a subtle crunch. They're the perfect, refreshing complement to the rich flavor of the cream cheese too.
I've noticed even family members who don't typically like spinach, usually go back for seconds. 😉
Yes. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Reheat using the microwave or heat in a small pot on the stove over medium heat, stirring as you heat.
Store leftover creamed spinach in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for up to three days.
The roux is what thickens the sauce. It's made using a combination of butter, flour, and milk. Add milk slowly since this is what thins the sauce. If you prefer it thick, use less milk.
Sometimes the milk evaporates during the cooking process so, simply add some back in if that happens. You can add more milk at any time during the cooking process just give it a little time to heat up if you add it at the end.
Try using a dairy-free milk or a low-fast milk. You can also replace butter with margarine if desired.
★ More Spinach Recipes ★
Want more side dish ideas?
I have lots of ideas for you! Browse all my easy side dish recipes. Pin your favorites for holidays, meal-prep or to jazz up your weeknight dinners.
This Boston-Market style easy creamed spinach recipe was featured on South Your Mouth!
Creamed Spinach with Water Chestnuts
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 1 large shallot diced
- 1 ½ cups milk or MORE as desired to thin out sauce
- 4 oz whipped cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese or more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt or more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper or more to taste
- 40 oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed and pressed 4 blocks
- 4 oz water chestnuts drained and minced
Mighty Mrs. is a #WalmartPartner.
Instructions
- Thaw and press excess water from spinach using a colander. Set aside.
- In a small dutch oven or large skillet, saute shallots in butter over medium heat until translucent.
- Then whisk in flour until thick. Let bubble for about 1-2 minutes to reduce the floury taste.
- Slowly pour in milk then add cream cheese and parmesan cheese. Stir until a thick sauce is formed. Add salt, nutmeg and white pepper.
- Immediately stir in thawed and squeezed spinach and minced water chestnuts until thoroughly mixed. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then it's ready to serve!
- If you need to transport this, put it in your crockpot and set to warm.
Joyce Nunnery says
I been looking for this recipe for a long time. Thank you.
Peg says
Just the two of us tonite so I made about a third of the recipe.
Out of cream cheese.
Didnt use milk.
Substituted with 1/4 c mayo,
1/4 c heavy cream and
1/4 c crema
Came out really good!
Bea says
Modified it a bit based on what I had on hand. Blanched some fresh spinach, and used Alfredo sauce instead of cream cheese and parmesan. It was outstanding!
Recipe but I used fresh spinach and just 2% milk it came out excellentMary says
Great Recipe but I used fresh spinach and just 2% milk it came out excellent
Amanda Jones says
Absolutely delicious and my family ate ALL of this dish
Jeanne Phayre says
Can you make this a day ahead and reheat it?
Angela G. says
Yes, you can refrigerate or freeze it then microwave it, stirring every 2 minutes until it’s hot. Or heat it on the stove top over medium heat, stirring frequently. You may need to add a splash of milk since some liquid may evaporate when reheating.
Donna A Pollock says
The best creamed spinich I have ever had. I love the recipe. I myself used half and half instead of mik to make it richer. It was so good. I could have eaten the whole pan of it. Thank you
Angela G. says
Hi Donna, glad you liked it so much! I freeze it in sections snd gave it for lunch sometimes.
Diane says
This creamed spinach sounds good. When my grandmother made it, she would brown the chopped onion in butter, pour in heavy cream and then the spinach and cook it until done. It was delicious.
Judy says
Would this Creamed Spinach freeze well?
Angela G. says
Yes, it freezes very well. Just reheat it on the stovetop or microwave it. Stir until it's evenly heated.
Mikala says
Loved this! The water chestnuts are phenomenal.
Angela G. says
Hi Mikala, glad you enjoy the recipe and the water chestnuts — that’s my favorite part too!
Claudia says
Can cream cheese from a block be used or must it be whipped cream cheese? Thanks
Angela G. says
Hi Claudia, block cream cheese works just fine, it just might take a little longer to melt and blend in which is why I prefer the whipped if possible.
Machelle says
This was awesome? I had no chestnuts but was still DELISH
Angela G. says
Thanks for the feedback, Machelle! So glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Maggie says
Could you use fresh spinach?
Angela G. says
Yes, you can definitely use fresh spinach! Just use the same amount of ounces. Once the spinach wilts, it shrinks a lot so you may need several bags. Thanks for asking!
Nancy Koch says
the recipe calls for milk but he directions refer to half and half.....what do you prefer for this recipe?
Angela Gast says
Gah! I’m clearly always indecisive about this ha ha. I usually use whatever I have. Half and half will give you a richer flavor. If you prefer a lighter, less creamy taste and fewer calories and fat, then milk will be your best bet. Both are truly good so I don’t think you’d be dissatisfied with either one.