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If you love the steakhouse creamed spinach from the old-school city restaurants (Peter Luger, Smith & Wollensky, The Palm) or the chains (Ruth’s Chris, Outback, LongHorn, Texas Roadhouse), here’s how to make it at home, quickly and easily. Don’t miss it.
Why we love this recipe
As a child of 1980s America, I never outgrew my deep love for this classic side dish. I met this dream come true at New Jersey’s Charlie Brown’s steakhouse, dallied with it at the Pennsylvania Dutch all-you-can-eat buffet Miller’s, and then got fancy at ordered it in NYC at Peter Luger’s, The Palm, and the original Smith & Wollensky.
This American classic is easy to make at home. Our recipe is:
- Just like the original
- Without unnecessary heaviness (but you’re welcome to adjust if you like!)
- Ready in 30 minutes
- Make-ahead friendly
Whether you’re cooking for the family or want to impress at a dinner party, sometimes the best food is really well-executed comfort food. When that’s the vibe you’re after, it doesn’t get better than this.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- Frozen chopped spinach is your best bet for this recipe, but you can use fresh spinach if you insist. Find the details below.
- Cut the onion really small — more of a mince than a dice.
- Butter, flour, and whole milk create the creamy béchamel sauce that’s this recipe’s signature. You can stir in a big splash of heavy cream if you want to make it richer.
How to make it
Here’s what you’ll do to make a great batch of steakhouse creamed spinach. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- First you’ll cook the spinach according to packaged directions. I like to do this in the microwave, since it’s easy and the results are good. The next step is very important: When it’s cool enough to handle, squeeze out and discard all the liquid that you can. Then you’ll sauté the onions and garlic in the butter. When they’re softened, add the flour and stir constantly, cooking for a minute or two.
- Pour in the milk and stir very well to incorporate the flour into the liquid. Add the seasonings, bring to a boil, and then simmer for five minutes until you have a silky sauce.
- Add the spinach and parmesan.
- Stir really well, cooking for a minute or two to warm through. That’s it!
Expert tips and FAQs
Chopped frozen spinach is the ideal ingredient for this recipe for a few reasons. It’s already got the density that you’re looking for, it’s easy, and it tends to be a lot more affordable than its fresh counterpart. I’d recommend saving the fresh spinach for the many places where it really shines, like a gorgeous salad or a fabulous quick-cooking curry.
If using chopped frozen spinach, all you need to do is cook it in the microwave (or on the stovetop, if you must) according to package directions, let it cool enough to handle, and then squeeze out and discard all the liquid.
If you want to use fresh spinach in this recipe, you’ll need to do some prep. You can use either baby or mature spinach. Either way, chop it well. You can include the tender parts of any stems. Then cook it in boiling, salted water until tender. For baby spinach, this will only take a minute. For mature leaves, give it two to three minutes and then test it, since they vary widely.
When cool enough to handle, carefully wring out all the moisture that you can. This is harder when working with fresh spinach, but equally important. Proceed with the recipe as directed.
You can, which makes it even more amenable for casual dinner parties. Complete the recipe anytime on the day you want to serve it, and transfer it to a microwave-safe serving container with a lid. (Good old-fashioned Corningware is the perfect tool for the job, both functionally and aesthetically.) Shortly before serving, microwave it on half power until heated through.
Leftovers keep well, tightly sealed in the fridge for up to a week and can be reheated the same way.
It’s easy to increase the richness of this dish if you really want to go for it. You can replace some of the milk with heavy cream or make the recipe as directed and then stir in 1/2 cup of warmed heavy cream before serving.
How to serve it
Steakhouse creamed spinach is great with:
- Filet mignon or sirloin cap
- Yukon gold mashed potatoes
- Sautéed mushrooms
- And hey, maybe a Manhattan
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Steakhouse Creamed Spinach
Ingredients
- 1 pound (454 grams) frozen chopped spinach
- 3 tablespoons (42 grams) butter
- 1 small yellow onion, minced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons (23 grams) flour
- 2 cups (473 ml) whole milk
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup (50 grams) grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook the spinach according to package directions. I like to do this in the microwave. When it’s cool enough to handle, squeeze out all the liquid that you can. Set aside.
- Melt butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat.
- Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until somewhat softened, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for a minute or so, until foamy.
- Pour in milk and stir vigorously to dissolve flour mixture.
- Add nutmeg, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for five minutes, until slightly thickened.
- Stir in spinach and grated cheese, cooking for a minute more to warm through.
Notes
- If you want to use fresh spinach in this recipe, you’ll need to do some prep. You can use either baby or mature spinach. Either way, chop it well. You can include the tender parts of any stems. Then cook it in boiling, salted water until tender. For baby spinach, this will only take a minute. For mature leaves, give it two to three minutes and then test it, since they vary widely.When cool enough to handle, carefully wring out all the moisture that you can. This is harder when working with fresh spinach, but equally important. Proceed with the recipe as directed.
- You can make this recipe in advance if you like. Complete the recipe anytime on the day you want to serve it, and transfer it to a microwave-safe serving container with a lid. (Good old-fashioned Corningware is the perfect tool for the job, both functionally and aesthetically.) Shortly before serving, microwave it on half power until heated through.Leftovers keep well, tightly sealed in the fridge for up to a week and can be reheated the same way.
- It’s easy to increase the richness of this dish if you really want to go for it. You can replace some of the milk with heavy cream or make the recipe as directed and then stir in 1/2 cup of warmed heavy cream before serving.
- To make this recipe gluten-free, swap in a 1:1 GF flour blend for the all-purpose flour. You won’t need to make any other changes.
- Leftovers keep well, tightly sealed in the fridge for up to a week and can be reheated at half power in the microwave.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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My family LOVES Creamed Spinach but I wasn’t happy with the recipe I was using. Just made this for Christmas Eve 2023 and everyone in my family said it was hands down the BEST Creamed Spinach we have ever had…including our favorite steakhouse! Thank you!
That’s wonderful, Pia. Makes me happy. xx
I just made this for Thanksgiving 2022. I doubled the recipe and it is DELICIOUS! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
this was absolutely delish!! topped any steakhouse here on long island- i added 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of heavy cream and some more salt and pepper to taste along with some extra parm. It was perfect and creamy
So glad, Samantha. xx
I made this tonight for our steak dinner and it was so delicious! It was enough for my spouse and I to have leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch too.
I don’t often come back to recipe posts, but it was just perfect that I felt it necessary! Thank you for sharing your recipe with us! It was a big hit tonight!
So glad, Amber. Thanks for coming back!
I think this is a drop dead recipe for creamed spinach. I did add the 1/2 cup of cream before heating up in microwave. This recipe is a keeper for special occasions. Very very easy to make.
So glad, Kathy. Happy holidays. xx
I had no trouble using fresh spinach with this recipe (no prep needed). Just add it in at the end and it wilts just fine in the cheese sauce. I used half and half instead of milk for extra creaminess, and baked it in separate dishes with more parietal and panko crumbs on top. Yum!
Thanks for letting us know, Ellen. That’s great.
Absolutely delicious! My first time to try creamed spinach, and it was even tastier than I’d hoped!
So glad!
I can’t believe you said Charlie Brown’s in New Jersey! I grew up there in the 70’s and went to the Upper Montclair location often! Your recipe is very similar to the version I’ve made for many years. Thanks for sharing yours!
Love it, Georgia.