My Steakhouse Creamed Spinach is the exact dish you envision when you're enjoying your $80 ribeye at your favorite Italian-Style Steakhouse. It's creamy and flavorful with mascarpone, Parmigiano, and subtle flavors of shallots and garlic.
Love Simple Veggie Sides? Try our Kale and Cannellini Bean Salad or Roasted Carrots and Fennel!
A Quick Look at the Recipe
- ✅Recipe Name: Steakhouse Style Creamed Spinach
- ⏲️Ready in: 30 minutes
- 👪Makes: 4 servings
- 📋Main ingredients: Frozen Spinach, mascarpone, Parmigiano, garlic.
- ⭐Why You'll Love This Recipe: This recipe has the rich, creamy texture of the expensive restaurant-style dish but comes together at home in about 30 minutes.
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Why This Recipe
This Steakhouse Creamed Spinach isn't just a "copycat" recipe from a specific steakhouse. It's my version of the classic side dish I order every single time I sit down at a steakhouse.
Most versions rely on cream cheese or a flour-thickened sauce for body. I use mascarpone along with heavy cream and Parmigiano Reggiano. The mascarpone melts directly into the cream and gives the spinach a rich, velvety texture while the Parmigiano adds the salty, nutty flavor I associate with an Italian-style steakhouse.
Now that taking two kids to a steakhouse is considerably less relaxing-and considerably more expensive-I'd much rather make this version at home. It also works particularly well for holidays because the entire dish takes about 30 minutes. I can make it while a roast is resting and my Thanksgiving Italian Sausage Stuffing is finishing in the oven.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Frozen Spinach- Frozen spinach is much easier to prepare for something like this because you can get 16 oz of frozen spinach in a very small container compared to trying to buy 16 oz of fresh spinach. Frozen spinach is already wilted and compact; just thaw it and squeeze it extremely dry before using it, and eliminate that extra step.
- Heavy Cream- Heavy cream is key to creamed spinach. And unsurprisingly, for a good creamed spinach, you need a good amount of it. I would not recommend substituting milk or anything low-fat if you want the restaurant-style rich creamed spinach.
- Mascarpone- Mascarpone separates this dish from the typical creamed spinach because it melts right into the heavy cream and makes it rich and creamy without overpowering the dish. I use mascarpone to elevate creamy dishes all the time like Creamy Mushroom Mascarpone Soup!
- Parmigiano Reggiano- Parmigiano Reggiano adds the sharp, nutty flavor to a dish that could otherwise be rather bland.
- Garlic and Shallot- I keep it simple with shallots and garlic. It gives you that mild onion flavor without large pieces of onion throughout the spinach.
*Please see the recipe card below for more information on the ingredients.
How to make an Italian-style Steakhouse Creamed Spinach
Thaw the frozen spinach and squeeze out as much liquid as possible using cheesecloth. The spinach should feel quite dry before continuing. Finely chop the spinach.
Step 1: Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
Step 2: Stir in the shallots and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until they begin to soften.
Step 3: Add the garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
Step 4: Pour in the heavy cream and add the mascarpone. Whisk until the mascarpone has completely melted into the cream and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the Parmigiano Reggiano.
Step 5: Once combined, add the spinach, salt, and black pepper. Stir until everything is well combined. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and coats the spinach rather than pooling around it. Serve immediately.
Creamed spinach is one of those dishes that always do better when served fresh. It can separate once it cools to even room temperature. I love serving it with roasts like Rolled Stuffed Turkey Breast or Authentic Italian Porchetta.
Pro-Tips
- Remove the liquid from the spinach. This is the most important part of the recipe because the more excess water in the pan, the less creamy your creamed spinach will be.
- Buy a cheesecloth. It's inexpensive, washable, and much sturdier than paper towels. A dish towel works too, but I prefer cheesecloth because it doesn't leave lint behind.
- Frozen spinach makes this much easier. Don't be a hero. You don't need to wilt a huge pile of fresh spinach, cool it, chop it, and then squeeze it dry. Frozen chopped spinach lets you start with the part of the process that actually matters: removing the excess moisture.
- Use only fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Pre-grated cheese has anti-caking agents that prevent the cheese from melting smoothly.
- Keep the heat gentle once the dairy is added. You're looking for a gentle simmer, not a boil. Let the cream reduce gradually until it clings to the spinach.
- Use the spinach as your "done" cue. If you can see cream pooling around the spinach, give it another minute or two. When it's ready, the sauce should cling to the spinach.
Serving Suggestions
A Steakhouse Style Creamed Spinach like this is perfect to serve as part of a holiday spread or a weeknight dinner for a similar reason. It only takes 30 minutes with minimal prep.
- Serve it with your main dishes like Italian Pork Roast, Chicken Rollatini, or Authentic Veal Marsala.
- Add a starch on the side, something big for the holidays like Authentic Italian Baked Ziti or Authentic Italian Lasagna, or a simple pasta like Italian Pink Sauce with Sausage.
- Like any good steakhouse, you want a rich dessert to follow this dish like Pistachio Torta Caprese (Italian Flourless Chocolate Cake) or Rainbow Cookie Cake.
FAQs about Creamed Spinach
Store creamed spinach in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in a saucepan over medium-low heat until creamy and warmed through. If the sauce starts to separate, add a tablespoon of water and keep heating until it becomes creamy again.
Yes, you'll need 12-16 oz of fresh spinach. I steam it until it wilts, then transfer it to a cutting board to cool and roughly chop. Place it in a cheesecloth and squeeze as much liquid out of it as possible. Then follow the recipe as shown above.
The most common reason is excess water left in the spinach. Thaw the frozen spinach completely and squeeze it in cheesecloth until it is as dry as possible. Make sure to completely thaw before. I've made this mistake before, and it is impossible to move all the liquid from something that is frozen.
If you've already added the spinach and the sauce still looks thin, keep it at a gentle simmer for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cream reduces and coats the spinach.
More Spinach favorites!
Please leave a comment and star rating below in the recipe card! I love to hear what you think of our recipes. Feel free to tag us on Instagram @vindelgiudice.
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Steakhouse Creamed Spinach
Equipment
- 1 large saucepan
- 1 cheesecloth
Ingredients
- 16 Oz Frozen Spinach
- 1 Shallot chopped
- 1 Clove Garlic, minced
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 4 oz mascarpone
- 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
Instructions
- Thaw the frozen spinach and squeeze out as much liquid as possible using cheesecloth. The spinach should feel quite dry before continuing. Finely chop the spinach.
- Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the shallots and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Pour in the heavy cream and add the mascarpone. Whisk until the mascarpone has completely melted into the cream and the mixture is smooth.
- Stir in the Parmigiano Reggiano. Once combined, add the spinach, salt, and black pepper.
- Stir until everything is well combined. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and coats the spinach rather than pooling around it. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Remove the liquid from the spinach. This is the most important part of the recipe because the more excess water in the pan, the less creamy your creamed spinach will be.
- Buy a cheesecloth. It's inexpensive, washable, and much sturdier than paper towels. A dish towel works too, but I prefer cheesecloth because it doesn't leave lint behind.
- Frozen spinach makes this much easier. Don't be a hero. You don't need to wilt a huge pile of fresh spinach, cool it, chop it, and then squeeze it dry. Frozen chopped spinach lets you start with the part of the process that actually matters: removing the excess moisture.
- Use only fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Pre-grated cheese has anti-caking agents that prevent the cheese from melting smoothly.
- Keep the heat gentle once the dairy is added. You're looking for a gentle simmer, not a boil. Let the cream reduce gradually until it clings to the spinach.
- Use the spinach as your "done" cue. If you can see cream pooling around the spinach, give it another minute or two. When it's ready, the sauce should cling to the spinach.
Vinny DelGiudice says
One of my favorite side dishes to make that feels impressive but is actually just an easy 30 minute dish!