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. There are so many different ways to turn basic ingredients into delicious meals. Best of all, they won’t cost much.
One of the things I have 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. This is where this easy recipe comes in super handy.
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, even picky eaters tend to happily eat them in one form or another.
Creamed spinach is one of those healthy recipes 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 calls for. But if you instead only have heavy 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.
Full list of ingredients
- Frozen spinach
- Sour cream or cream cheese. Substitute for double cream, heavy whipping cream or any other high fat dairy item to create this creamy dish.
- 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 easy creamed spinach recipe is so simple, you will probably chuckle just by reading it. First, we take a small saucepan and add our frozen chopped 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 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.
Adjust the temperature to medium-low heat and 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. Transfer spinach to a nice bowl and serve as a creamy side dish with potatoes and fried eggs.
Store any leftover creamed spinach in an airtight container in the fridge and use as delicious spinach dip with a few tortilla chips the next day.
Other dinner recipes to try
Handy tips and tricks
Frozen spinach still has a high water content. When cooking, the excess water will be used to cook the spinach, so you don’t need to add any extra water to your pot. If in doubt, only add the tiniest dash to prevent your spinach from turning into an overly watery dish 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 milk. This may just require a little more salt than the above recipe.
You can make this recipe with frozen spinach, fresh baby spinach, as well as canned spinach. I personally prefer to use frozen spinach over baby spinach leaves, 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. Whether you mix everything in one pot like I do, or create a separate white sauce to mix through the main dish is entirely up to you. A classic steakhouse side dish, the creamy sauce can be enhanced with the addition of a small onion, a pinch of cayenne pepper or a variety of leafy greens.
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. If you cook frozen spinach by itself, avoid cooking on high heat. While it is tempting to drain any excess liquid, keep this step till last. It can also help to use a large skillet for your spinach, as this allows for more excess moisture to evaporate.
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 tender spinach instead will create a more subtle flavour, which most people prefer. Stems are also more bitter than leaves, so if you have the option to remove them, this may be an easy way to achieve a more pleasant flavour. You want to use a lot of spinach in your dish to create the amount of volume you are after. Keep an eye on the cooking time, as overcooking 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, the excess water will be used to cook the spinach, so you don't need to add any extra water to your pot. If in doubt, only add the tiniest dash to prevent your spinach from turning into an overly watery dish 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 milk. This may just require a little more salt than the above recipe.
You can make this recipe with frozen spinach, fresh baby spinach, as well as canned spinach. I personally prefer to use frozen spinach over baby spinach leaves, as it‘s very cheap, easy to store and readily available when I need it.
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