Best Creamed Spinach Recipe (from Frozen)

Best Creamed Spinach Recipe (from Frozen)

This is a detailed recipe for creamed spinach thickened with béchamel that can be made quickly and easily. The main ingredient in this tasty dish is frozen spinach, which is always readily available at grocery stores.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Czech

Keyword Vegetable Recipes

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings portions

Calories 181kcal

Author Petra Kupská

Ingredients

20 ounces frozen spinach (560 g) 2 packages
½ stick unsalted butter (60 g)
½ onion
3 cloves garlic
4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
⅔ cups whole milk
⅓ cup heavy cream
1 pinch ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon black pepper ground
salt to taste

Instructions

Let the frozen spinach thaw first. Fill a large bowl with hot water and place the unwrapped packet of frozen spinach in it. After a while, the water in the bowl will be cold. Drain it and pour another hot water back into the bowl. Within half an hour, you will be able to defrost the whole spinach packet gently. Take the thawed spinach out of the packet and transfer it to a colander you placed on a bowl. Let the excess water drain off.
Make béchamel base. Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel the garlic and cut the cloves into small pieces with a knife. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic to the butter and sauté while stirring for about five minutes until soft. Add the flour and stir carefully for about a minute. Remove the pot from the heat source and start pouring in the milk mixed with the heavy cream. Add the liquid only gradually, whisking carefully so that no lumps form. Turn the heat down to low, return the pot to the stove, and let the béchamel mass simmer for 15 minutes, occasionally stirring.
Remove the pot from the heat source and start pouring in the milk mixed with the heavy cream. Add the liquid only gradually, whisking carefully so that no lumps form. Turn the heat down to low, return the pot to the stove, and let the béchamel mass simmer for 15 minutes, occasionally stirring.
Add the drained off spinach into bechamel cream sauce, stir, and let warm for about five minutes. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Mix the spinach with an immersion blender until it is silky smooth. Finally, add a pinch of grated nutmeg, and you're done!

Notes

Makes 4-6 portions as a side dish.
SERVING: Serve hot as a side dish to pork roast, a slice of smoked meat, braised beef cubes and similar meals.
Storage: Let the spinach cool completely, and store it in a covered container in the fridge. Here it will keep for up to five days.
Béchamel sauce: This recipe is based on béchamel, a white sauce originally from French cuisine. The basic ingredients for making béchamel are butter, flour, and whole milk. If you're wondering why your spinach is runny and how to thicken the spinach, béchamel is the answer you're looking for!

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