This creamed spinach is fresh spinach cooked down with butter, onion, and garlic, then folded into a sauce of cream, cream cheese, and Gouda with a pinch of nutmeg. It takes about 20 minutes in one pan, and the nutmeg makes it a natural side for a Yule dinner. Below the recipe, you'll find what each ingredient brings magically and how to stir a wish for a warm, full year into the pan.
Why Creamed Spinach Belongs on a Yule Table
Creamed spinach belongs on a Yule table because it brings green to the darkest time of the year, and nutmeg is one of the classic winter spices. Evergreens are the old Yule symbol of life that carries on through the cold, and a bowl of greens on the solstice table carries the same wish. Nutmeg is the spice of eggnog and mulled wine, so a little of it in the cream ties this dish to the rest of the season's cooking.
Creamed spinach is best known as a steakhouse side. It's served at Old Homestead Steakhouse in New York City, which opened in 1868 and is the oldest steakhouse in the country. It's just as good next to a holiday roast at home.
Spinach itself has traveled a long way to get to your plate. Its name comes from the Persian word aspanakh, and in classic French cooking, a dish made with spinach is called à la Florentine.
Magical Properties of the Ingredients
This pan leans toward prosperity, protection, and comfort, which is what most of us want from a midwinter meal. Here is what each ingredient brings.
- Spinach is for money and abundance. Like other leafy greens, its color ties it to growth and to paper money.
- Nutmeg is for luck and money. Practitioners carry whole nutmegs as good-luck charms, and a pinch grated into food brings that luck to the table.
- Garlic is one of the oldest protection foods, used to keep harm away from the household.
- Onion is also for protection. In many kitchen traditions, people set out cut onions to absorb negative energy.
- Butter has long been part of hearth and household magic, used for peace in the home and to smooth things over.
- Cream and cheese are nourishment and comfort. Dairy has been left as an offering to household spirits for centuries, so it's a fitting gift for the people at your table too.
- Olive oil comes from the olive tree, a symbol of peace since ancient Greece. Practitioners use it for peace and blessing.
- Salt is protection and purification.
- Black pepper is a fire spice for protection and for clearing away what you don't want to carry into the new year.
How to Make Creamed Spinach
To make creamed spinach, soften onion and garlic in butter and olive oil, wilt fresh spinach in the pan, season it with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, simmer it with cream until the liquid reduces by half, then stir in cream cheese and Gouda until melted.
Creamed Spinach With Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Vidalia onion minced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 bunches spinach stemmed and chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼ cup half-and-half or heavy cream
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- ¼ cup shredded cheese such as Gouda
Instructions
- In a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter, then add the olive oil.
- Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, until soft.
- Add the chopped spinach a few handfuls at a time, letting each batch wilt before adding more, and warm it through.
- Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cream. Mix well.
- Cook until the liquid reduces by half, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the cream cheese and shredded cheese and stir until melted.
Notes
- Two bunches of spinach look like far too much for the pan, but they cook down to a fraction of their size.
- Use any cheese you love. Gouda, Gruyère, white cheddar, and Parmesan all work.
- Grate the nutmeg fresh if you can. A whole nutmeg and a small grater give a warmer, brighter flavor than the ground kind.
- Leftovers keep for 3 days in the fridge. Reheat them gently with a splash of cream.
How to Stir a Yule Wish Into the Pan
You can make this creamed spinach into a small Yule kitchen spell by holding a wish for the year ahead in mind while you cook. Here's how.
- Choose your wish before you start. Keep it simple, like "a warm home" or "enough for everyone."
- Name what each ingredient brings as it goes in. Spinach is for abundance, nutmeg is for luck, and garlic and onion are for protection.
- Stir clockwise as the cream reduces. Practitioners stir clockwise to draw something in. While you stir, recite:
Green for plenty, spice for cheer,
warm this table through the year.
- Grate the nutmeg with your wish in mind. If you have a whole nutmeg left over, tuck it in your pocket or on your altar as a charm for the new year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Use Frozen Spinach for Creamed Spinach?
Yes, you can use frozen spinach for creamed spinach. Thaw a 10- to 16-ounce bag and squeeze out as much water as you can before adding it to the pan, or the sauce will turn thin.
Why Is Nutmeg in Creamed Spinach?
Nutmeg is in creamed spinach because its warm, slightly sweet flavor brings out the richness of the cream and softens the earthy taste of the spinach. It's a classic pairing in cream sauces.
How Do I Keep Creamed Spinach From Getting Watery?
To keep creamed spinach from getting watery, cook the spinach until its liquid has mostly cooked off before adding the cream, then let the cream reduce by half. Squeeze frozen spinach dry before using it.
Can I Make Creamed Spinach Ahead of Time?
Yes, you can make creamed spinach ahead of time. It keeps for 3 days in the fridge. Reheat it gently on the stove with a splash of cream to loosen the sauce.
What Do You Serve With Creamed Spinach?
Creamed spinach is usually served with steak, roast beef, pork roast, or roast chicken. It's also a good side for a holiday ham or a Yule roast.
A bowl of green on the longest night is a small promise that the light comes back.
