Steakhouse Creamed Spinach
This Steakhouse Creamed Spinach is rich, creamy, and ready in just 30 minutes. Made with frozen spinach, mascarpone, heavy cream, and Parmigiano Reggiano, it gets its velvety steakhouse-style texture without cream cheese or a flour-thickened roux.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 344kcal
Cost: $10
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 344kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 636mg | Potassium: 332mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 9959IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 351mg | Iron: 2mg
