Healthy Creamed Spinach
I use fresh spinach, garlic, and a creamy blend of milk and cheese for my 15-minute healthy creamed spinach recipe. This rich, comforting, and indulgent side dish has all the qualities of traditional creamed spinach without a lot of guilt. I use cream cheese and parmesan to create a smooth texture that does not require flour.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 226kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter
- ½ onion finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 10 oz fresh baby spinach leaves
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp cream cheese room temperature & diced (can use up to 3 tbsp for more creaminess)
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- In a large pan sauté the butter and onion, cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
- Add the spinach leaves and sauté until wilted.
- Add the cream and bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes until cream starts to thicken.
- Add the cream cheese and grated parmesan cheese, stir to incorporate and continue to cook until sauce starts to thicken.
- Add seasonings and adjust to taste.
Notes
- My #1 Secret Tip for this healthy creamed spinach recipe is to make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature before it goes into the pan. Cold cream cheese does not melt as smoothly and breaks down into little white lumps that take forever to incorporate, leaving the surface looking curdled instead of silky.
- Squeeze frozen spinach dry: If frozen spinach is your only option, I recommend thawing it completely, then squeezing out as much water as possible before adding it to the pan. Excess moisture waters down the sauce and prevents it from thickening the way it should.
- Drain off excess water: If the cooked spinach has released a lot of water that has not had time to cook off, I drain it from the pan before adding the cream. This prevents the spinach from overcooking and the sauce from getting watered down.
- Rich finish: If I want a super luxurious finish, I whisk 1 egg yolk into the warm cream sauce just before serving. This creates a sauce similar to an authentic Alfredo sauce. Just be sure not to add it to boiling sauce, as this causes the egg to cook too quickly and turn rubbery instead of silky.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.5cups | Calories: 226kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 607mg | Potassium: 468mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g