Name: Steakhouse Creamed Spinach for Two
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 tbsp. Unsalted Butter (or Olive oil); 1/4 cup thinly sliced Shallot; 2 cloves Garlic (minced); 1/8 tsp. Ground Nutmeg; 1/2 cup Half & Half; 6 oz. fresh Baby Spinach; 1 tbsp. Whipped Cream Cheese; 3 tbsp. Grated Parmesan; Salt + Pepper; 1 tsp. fresh Lemon Juice

A luscious, delicious creamed spinach recipe with fresh spinach, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese. This is a small batch recipe that makes two servings, but can easily be doubled or tripled as needed!

I create small batch recipes for smaller households, and this recipe is no exception. It makes about one cup of creamed spinach, and comes together in just 15 minutes. If you need more than two servings, feel free to double or triple the recipe! There is a slider in the recipe card at the bottom of this post that allows you to adjust the serving size.

Creamed spinach is such a classic steakhouse side dish. Morton’s in particular has a really great version of it, but it’s a staple at many others, too. This is kind of a copycat recipe, but I really don’t love to think of it that way. It’s just a solid, delicious, super creamy version that goes great with any main course: steak, chicken, or even a thick pork chop. It’s honestly such an easy recipe with simple ingredients, and makes a great side dish for any occasion!

A small, shallow white dish full of creamed spinach and a spoon positioned inside of it.

Ingredients

1 tbsp. Butter (or olive oil)
1 small Shallot, thinly sliced (about 1/4 cup)
2 cloves Garlic, minced
⅛ tsp. grated Nutmeg
½ cup Half & Half
6 oz. Fresh Baby Spinach
1 tbsp. Whipped Cream Cheese
3 tbsp. grated Parmesan
Salt + Pepper
squeeze of Lemon Juice (about 1 tsp.)

Here’s all of the ingredients you’ll need to make this steakhouse creamed spinach recipe:

All of the ingredients needed to make small batch creamed spinach arranged near one another and labeled.

Ingredient Notes & FAQs

Shallot

I prefer to use a shallot for this recipe for a couple of reasons: 1) I can grab one from the store, use the entire shallot for this recipe, and have no leftover shallot to store or toss. 2) Shallots have a mild, slightly sweet, slightly garlicky flavor that works really well with the creamed spinach – so it’s a fantastic addition to this recipe! Can I use Onion? Absolutely. I recommend using a yellow onion, and thinly slicing or finely chopping 1/4 cup to use for this recipe.

Nutmeg

Nutmeg, in very small quantities, provides a warm flavor note in rich cream sauces (think macaroni and cheese, where a dash of nutmeg is typically used). It won’t make or break this creamed spinach recipe, but if you have it on hand, please do not skip it. It truly does make it taste better!

Half and Half

Heavy Cream is a great substitute for half and half in this recipe. I like half and half because it still provides a rich, creamy texture and flavor without as many calories. However, heavy cream would be exceptional and I highly recommend using it if you prefer! You can try to use whole milk, but it will take much longer to thicken up, and the flavor won’t be nearly as rich.

Fresh Baby Spinach

Flavor-wise, fresh spinach is great for this recipe. I use fresh baby spinach for my recipe because I love it. A lot of creamed spinach recipes call for frozen spinach, which totally works, but it’s just not my preference. Can I use Frozen Spinach? You can, but you’ll need to thaw it first and drain as much excess liquid as possible before mixing it into the creamy sauce. Also look for frozen chopped spinach specifically.

Another important note about this recipe and using raw spinach: I don’t steam my spinach for this recipe. I’ve tested the recipe with both steamed spinach and fresh spinach, and I don’t think there’s a big enough difference to warrant that entire step of steaming and draining the raw spinach (and cleaning more dishes). The reason so many creamed spinach recipes call for steaming the spinach first is so it wilts and mixes into the cream sauce. However, the baby spinach leaves will easily wilt and mix into the cream sauce without steaming. Therefore, I like to chop the fresh spinach and toss it right into the pan with the cream sauce.

Instructions

How to Make this Easy Creamed Spinach Recipe

Tear any thick stems off of the spinach leaves and discard. (If the leaves are smaller and the stems aren’t too big, don’t worry about them! Just get rid of as many thick stems on the larger leaves without being too obsessive.) Roughly chop the spinach leaves and set aside.
Melt butter (or olive oil) in a small-ish saute pan over medium heat. (I use an 8” nonstick pan.)
Stir in shallots and a pinch of salt, and cook until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in garlic and nutmeg, and cook for about 30 seconds.
Stir in half and half and cook until slightly thickened, about 4-5 minutes. (Stir frequently to ensure the half and half doesn’t begin to separate.)
Add the chopped fresh spinach a heaping handful at a time. Stir it into the half and half mixture after each addition, until it has all been mixed in. (I sometimes bump the heat up just a bit to ensure the excess water from the spinach is sufficiently cooked out of the pan. You want a thick, creamy consistency. If the sauce seems too watery, just keep cooking and stirring until most of the liquid has evaporated and a creamy sauce remains.)
Stir in the whipped cream cheese, followed by the parmesan cheese. Remove the pan from the heat.
Season with a pinch of salt, a crack of fresh black pepper, and a squeeze of lemon. Stir to combine, and serve warm!

See below for a full step-by-step guide on how to make this Easy Creamed Spinach Recipe.

Tear any thick stems off of the baby spinach leaves and discard. (If the leaves are smaller and the stems aren’t too big, don’t worry about them! Just get rid of as many thick stems on the larger leaves without being too obsessive.) Roughly chop the spinach leaves and set aside. Be sure to check out this reel on Instagram to see my recipe video!
Melt butter (or olive oil) in a small-ish nonstick pan over medium heat. (I use an 8” nonstick pan.)
Stir in the shallots and a pinch of salt, and cook until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in garlic and nutmeg, and cook for about 30 seconds.

A nonstick pan full of butter and shallots with a wooden spoon stirring them.

4. Stir in half and half and cook until slightly thickened, about 4-5 minutes. (Stir frequently to ensure the half and half doesn’t begin to separate.)

Heavy cream being poured into a nonstick pan full of cooked shallots and garlic.

A wooden spoon gliding through a heavy cream sauce in a nonstick pan.

5. Add the chopped fresh spinach a heaping handful at a time. Stir it into the half and half mixture after each addition, until it has all been mixed in. (I sometimes bump the heat up just a bit to ensure the excess water from the spinach is sufficiently cooked out of the pan. You want a thick, creamy consistency. If the sauce seems too watery, just keep cooking and stirring until most of the liquid has evaporated and a creamy sauce remains.)

A small pan full of fresh spinach sitting on top of a cream sauce.

A small pan full of fresh spinach being stirred into a cream sauce.

6. Stir in the whipped cream cheese, followed by the parmesan cheese. Remove the pan from the heat.

Parmesan cheese being grated into a small pan full of creamed spinach.

7. Season with a pinch of salt, a crack of fresh black pepper, and a squeeze of lemon. Stir to combine, and serve warm!

A lemon being squeezed into a pan full of creamed spinach and parmesan cheese.

A closeup of a wooden spoon full of creamed spinach.

This is such a decadent side that is absolutely packed with spinach. I titled it the “Steakhouse Creamed Spinach” because I wanted it to be similar to the creamed spinach recipes you would find at any of the best chain steakhouses: Capitol Grille, Morton’s Steakhouse, Ruth’s Chris, etc. I was always hesitant to order creamed spinach because I thought it was such a weird side dish to offer, but after I tasted it for the first time, I was totally hooked. I get why it’s ranked pretty high on the list of steakhouse favorites now!

I’m usually a starch side girl (especially when it comes to steak), but this is easily one of my new favorite vegetable side dish recipes – and for good reason! It’s a classic dish with a creamy sauce, a little bit of cheese, and a ton of flavor. It actually reminds me of spinach artichoke dip, which obviously is one of the best dips on the planet. 🙂

A small, shallow white dish full of creamed spinach and a spoon positioned inside of it. Garlic and a bowl of fresh spinach are arranged near the dish.

I totally recommend eating this alongside a gorgeously marbled ribeye (my personal perfect grilled ribeye has a ton of marbling, a healthy salt and pepper seasoning, and is cooked to medium-rare!), but this is also one of my favorite sides to pair with chicken breast, pork chops, or just alongside a really good baked potato. If you’re doing a small batch Thanksgiving, this also pairs great with turkey, and it is a really fun side dish to throw onto the menu, too! This recipe has an extra garlicky flavor because it uses two garlic cloves, but you’re welcome to adjust that down to just one. In a classic steakhouse creamed spinach recipe, either amount works.

Store and Reheat Leftovers

Storing: You can store leftover creamed spinach in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple of days, but no longer than 3-4 days. (The minced garlic will eventually become too intense to enjoy.)

Reheating: Reheat creamed spinach in a small nonstick pan over low heat, stirring frequently as it heats up.

More Side Dish Recipes for Two

If you make this Steakhouse Creamed Spinach and love it, I would love it if you left a rating and comment below! If you have questions about any of the ingredients or the process, feel free to shoot me an email so I can get back to you ASAP. Tag me on Instagram if you post it, too!

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xx Sara

Ingredients