Creamed Spinach + What To Do With Leftovers?

I love me some spinach.  Add cheese and cream to that spinach and, well...you might want to avert your eyes.  It's not gonna be pretty when I get my hands on it.

This was originally a recipe for spinach gratin, created by Ina Garten.  I sort of diverged from that and did my own thing, and in the future will be making some further changes (maybe using fat free half-and half instead of cream?).  The end result is very reminiscent of Boston Market's creamed spinach.  Check it out...

As with any great recipe, we start with butter.  2 tablespoons unsalted, to be exact, melted over medium heat.

Into the pan goes 2 cups of diced onion, which is sauteed until translucent.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flour over top...

Stir the flour into the onions until absorbed, and continue stirring while the flour cooks for a minute or two.

Then pour over 1/2 cup of heavy cream and 1 cup of milk.

Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg over top, then stir everything together and allow the mixture to thicken.

Meanwhile, squeeze the water out of 3 10 oz. packages of thawed frozen spinach.  Once the spinach is as dry as can be, add to the onions and cream and mix together.  At this point, add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the mixture into a buttered dish, and sprinkle 1/2 cup of fresh parmesan cheese on top.

Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees until bubbly.  Yum.

And that's it! Simple as can be.  As with my stuffing recipe, this could just as easily be used as a Christmas dinner recipe (that festive green color is perfect!), or as a make-ahead side dish which can be popped into the oven and ready in a matter of minutes.

Enjoy!

TIP: Leftover spinach sitting in the fridge? No problem! Reheat the spinach in a saucepan over medium heat and add enough skim milk (or whatever you prefer) to thin it out to a saucy consistency.  A pinch of garlic, a drizzle of olive oil, and voila! You have a creamy, spinachy pasta sauce! It works terrifically well, believe me, and you can adjust the seasoning and level of thickness any way you like.  So there you go! A tasty way to use up your leftovers.

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