Creamed spinach has always been a staple in my home. In my younger years, we were often served potatoes, creamed spinach and friend eggs as an easy weekday meal. Raising children myself now, I have carried this tradition over and this is by far the best 3 ingredient creamed spinach from frozen spinach recipe I have ever used.
Supercharged
Being a vegetarian comes with a lots of health benefits. One of the things I have however struggled with for a few years now are waves of very low energy, causing me to feel quite tired at times. As most busy parents know, looking after yourself and your body‘s health is much easier without the daily distractions of a busy household. Sadly, I have fallen into this trap myself, where a quick meal the whole family actually eats trumps any idea of well rounded balance.
Back when I was little, my mum would often remind us that potatoes, creamed spinach and eggs are a perfectly rounded meal. So this is what I started to bring back to the dinner table. Boiled potatoes are an excellent source of carbohydrates. They‘re filling, easy to digest and give you tons of energy for hours. Most importantly, kids tend to happily eat them in one form or another.
Creamed spinach is full of great nutrients, reaching from the obvious iron to high levels of vitamin C, magnesium, calcium, folic acid and vitamin B6. And then there are eggs, nature‘s super food, packed with energy and fat. In short, this easy meal keeps you going for longer and that‘s exactly what I need in my life!
Easy peasy
The part I like most about this 3 ingredient creamed spinach from frozen spinach recipe is that I can make it with a super cheap packet of frozen spinach and whatever leftover creamy product I have in the house. Now, in our household we usually have sour cream or cream cheese in the fridge, meaning this is what the recipe cals for. But if you instead only have thick cream or something along the lines, the 3 ingredient creamed spinach from frozen spinach recipe is still one to keep in mind. A few simple additions of salt and potentially a splash of soy sauce will allow you to whip up a delicious creamy side without any effort.
So what are you waiting for? Peel your potatoes, crack some eggs and get started on making the best 3 ingredient creamed spinach from frozen spinach recipe today. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
Ingredients
- Frozen spinach
- Sour cream or cream cheese
- Salt
Tools you will need
Small sauce pan
Blender
Pretty bowl to serve
Serving suggestions for creamed spinach
- Boiled potatoes and fried eggs
- Roasted vegetables like potatoes or carrots
- Chips and sausages
- As an easy topping on some sourdough bread
- Baked potatoes
- Meat dishes
How to make the best 3 ingredient creamed spinach from frozen spinach recipe from scratch
This recipe is so simple, you will probably chuckle just by reading it. First, we take a small saucepan and add our frozen spinach to it. You can add the tiniest bit of water if you are worried about the spinach burning. I usually just place the pot on medium high heat and let it thaw. Given spinach has a high water content anyway, the heat automatically extracts the liquid, preventing it from burning.
Stirring the spinach every once in a while, wait for it to be heated through all the way, then add your sour cream or cream cheese.
Continue to stir until the mixture is well combined and bubbly.
Turn off the heat and transfer your mixture to a blender. Add salt to taste, noting that spinach will need a little more than your usual side dish.
Blend until smooth. Serve as a side with potatoes and fried eggs.
Handy tips and tricks
Frozen spinach still has a high water content. When cooking, you won‘t need to add water to prevent it from burning. If in doubt, only add the tiniest dash to prevent your spinach from drowning in liquid later on.
Sour cream and cream cheese (unsweetened) are ideal ingredients to this dish. If you are out and don‘t feel like going back to the shop, you can however substitute for another creamy ingredient like thick cream or coconut cream. This may just require a little more salt than the above recipe.
You can make this recipe with fresh or canned spinach also. I personally prefer to use frozen spinach as it‘s very cheap, easy to store and readily available when I need it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use frozen spinach instead of fresh?
For cooked recipes, you can absolutely use frozen spinach instead of fresh, yes. Personally I actually prefer frozen spinach, because it gets frozen immediately after being harvest. This means it‘s not only at its peak, but has also preserved most of its nutrients. Fresh spinach is great for any cold dishes of course, like salads, or as a garnish. But when we look closely at its nutrient content, we find that fresh spinach, due to lengthy periods of transportation, packaging and display on shelves, may have lost a fair bit of its nutrients compared to the frozen counterpart. Whatever you choose, eating any vegetable is a good choice.
What is cream of spinach made of?
As with most foods, there are a lot of different recipes circulating the globe. Some, like my 3 ingredient creamed spinach from frozen spinach recipe, are very quick and straightforward to make. Others contain much more labour intensive processes and a number of hard to find ingredients. The base of any recipe is however spinach and a creamy product, such as cream, sour cream or coconut cream.
Do you need to thaw frozen spinach before cooking?
You do not need to thaw frozen spinach before cooking, no. Given spinach is quite a delicate food that should not be overcooked, most recipes will call for the greens to be added as the last step after the meal has cooked. In most cases, you will be able to add the frozen spinach at the same time you would add fresh spinach. Then you just cook the recipe for a little longer until the spinach is fully cooked.
How do you make creamed spinach less bitter?
Creamed spinach can become bitter due to a few things. For one, using a large leaved spinach such as silverbeet, comes with more bitterness naturally. Opting for baby spinach instead will mean a more subtle flavour, which most people prefer. Stems are also more bitter than leaves, so if you have the option to easily remove them, this may be an easy way to achieve a more pleasant flavour. Make sure you don‘t overcook your spinach either, as this can create a range of unpleasant notes. Salting your spinach is essential to balance out the flavours of creamed spinach. Every time I make my recipe I am surprised about how much salt I add in comparison my usual way of cooking.
Does creamed spinach contain cheese?
Personally I have never used cottage cheese in creamed spinach. The clumpy consistency of it is usually counterintuitive to the creaminess we am to achieve. My personal preferences are sour cream or cream cheese. With the additional of a few extra spices you may also achieve a nice creamed spinach using cream or coconut cream. If you have run out of all other dairy products and only have cottage cheese available, blending the mixture after preparation could be a way to achieve a creamier dish without having to run to the shop again.
The best 3 ingredient creamed spinach from frozen spinach recipe
This recipe is so simple, you will probably chuckle just by reading it.
Ingredients
- 1 pack frozen spinach
- 2 Tbsp Sour Cream or unsweetened cream cheese
- Salt
Instructions
- First, we take a small saucepan and add our frozen spinach to it. You can add the tiniest bit of water if you are worried about the spinach burning. I usually just place the pot on medium high heat and let it thaw. Given spinach has a high water content anyway, the heat automatically extracts the liquid, preventing it from burning.
- Stirring the spinach every once in a while, wait for it to be heated through all the way, then add your sour cream or cream cheese.
- Continue to stir until the mixture is well combined and bubbly.
- Turn off the heat and transfer your mixture to a blender. Add salt to taste, noting that spinach will need a little more than your usual side dish.
- Blend until smooth. Serve as a side with potatoes and fried eggs.
Notes
- Frozen spinach still has a high water content. When cooking, you won‘t need to add water to prevent it from burning. If in doubt, only add the tiniest dash to prevent your spinach from drowning in liquid later on.
- Sour cream and cream cheese (unsweetened) are ideal ingredients to this dish. If you are out and don‘t feel like going back to the shop, you can however substitute for another creamy ingredient like thick cream or coconut cream. This may just require a little more salt than the above recipe.
- You can make this recipe with fresh or canned spinach also. I personally prefer to use frozen spinach as it‘s very cheap, easy to store and readily available when I need it.
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