Asiago Creamed Spinach Recipe

This Asiago Creamed Spinach Recipe is a creamy delicious side dish that pairs well with just about anything.

Sauteed sweet shallots, garlic, and fresh spinach are coated with a creamy asiago cheese sauce creating the perfect side dish.

Asiago creamed spinach in a light colored bowl.

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Why You Will Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Directions
Serving Suggestions
Storage
Frequently Asked Questions
Tips
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

Why You Will Love This Recipe

Creamed spinach is so easy to make with just a couple of ingredients and a ten-minute cook time.
This is one of my family's favorite sides and a delicious way to get our toddler to eat some creamy spinach.

If you are looking for more easy side dishes you might want to try this Kale and Apple Salad or this Grilled Marinated Bok Choy.

Ingredients

Butter: If you don't want to use butter you could substitute an equal amount of olive oil.

Shallots: If you don't have shallots you could substitute an equal amount of yellow onion.

Garlic

Red Pepper Flakes: Just a pinch of red pepper flakes adds a little heat. Feel free to skip this ingredient if you do not like spicy food.

Heavy Cream or Heavy Whipping Cream: Don't try to substitute milk it won't be as creamy.

Cream Cheese: Full-fat cream cheese is preferred. Cream cheese adds just a hint of tang and helps to thicken the sauce.

Asiago Cheese: Asiago is creamier than Parmasean cheese and also has a slightly nutty-salty flavor. If you can't find Asiago cheese you can substitute Parmesan cheese or Pecorino Romano cheese.

Fresh Baby Spinach: This recipe can be made with fresh or thawed frozen chopped spinach. It may seem like this recipe uses a ton of spinach but as it cooks spinach wilts to a fraction of its original volume.

Nutmeg

Lemon Juice: A splash of acidic lemon juice just before serving helps to brighten the flavor of the dish.

See the recipe card below for quantities.

Directions

In a large pot or large skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat.

Add the shallots and saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften. Do not let them brown.

Add the chopped garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for an additional minute until the garlic becomes fragrant.

Slowly pour in the heavy cream and add the cream cheese. Stir until the cream cheese has melted. I use a spoon to break the cream cheese into smaller pieces to help it melt faster. The cream cheese should take about 8 minutes to melt.

Add the Asiago cheese and nutmeg. Stir to combine.

Stir in the spinach breaking up any clumps of spinach.

Tip: Depending on the size of your pan you may need to add the spinach in batches. As the spinach cooks it will shrink allowing you to add additional spinach.

Let the spinach cook for 2-3 minutes until it is heated through.

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Sprinkle with additional Asiago cheese and a splash of lemon juice.

Serving Suggestions

Some of our favorite ways to serve this creamy spinach is alongside these sourdough fried chicken strips or this smoked meatloaf.

While technically a side dish you could also serve this easy creamed spinach recipe as a delicious spinach dip alongside some crackers and fresh vegetables.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.

Freezing creamed spinach is not recommended as it may cause the cream to split.

Reheat in a saucepan on the stove. You may need to add an additional splash of cream.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should you thaw frozen spinach before cooking?

For this recipe yes. There is a lot of excess liquid in frozen spinach. It is important to thaw and squeeze all of the extra moisture out of the spinach before adding it to the recipe.

If you are making a different recipe that won't be affected by additional moisture then you can probably skip thawing the spinach first.

How do you thaw frozen spinach?

Frozen spinach can be thawed in the refrigerator overnight. If you need to defrost the spinach quicker, remove the spinach from the box and place it in a microwave-safe container. Heat on high for one minute and then stir. Continue heating for one-minute increments stirring in between until the spinach is completely thawed.

Can you substitute canned spinach?

I wouldn't canned spinach tends to have more sodium which might make this recipe too salty.

Tips

If using frozen spinach you will want to defrost the spinach and then squeeze out as much excess water as you can. If you want to you can use a paper towel to blot away the extra moisture. If you don't the sauce will become watery.
Don't try to use additional milk instead of heavy cream. Milk is more likely to separate and won't give you the same creamy consistency.
Don't use pre-shredded cheese shred your own. Shredded cheese often has additives that can prohibit melting and make the sauce clumpy.
For a looser consistency add a little more heavy cream.
For some extra crunch saute panko bread crumbs in a little butter and sprinkle them on top of the dish before serving.

📖 Recipe

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Creamy Asiago Creamed Spinach Recipe