Classic. Creamy. Delicious. I made this for my company potluck this season for the first time and got a kudos from the company for it, so now I get to share how it was made. I cook a lot by taste testing, so my measurements for this recipe are not precise, but more guidelines. I actually guesstimated on the dry ingredients, but the wet ones were fairly to the point as I could just see how much I used.
I got inspiration to make this because I had gone to Dickey’s BBQ that weekend before and ordered their creamed spinach, which was somewhat similar to what I did here. I used more salt than what they do, and presumably added more cheese for flavor, as this was one of those dishes where I just kept adding until I got to a point where it tasted quite good.
I had made this in a crock pot, so the directions are fairly straightforward: add things to pot until it is warm and gooey and yummy and let it cook by itself.
What You’ll Need:
5lbs frozen cut baby spinach
1qt Heavy Whipping Cream
8oz Cream Cheese
1.5 sticks of unsalted butter
5oz shredded asiago cheese
4oz grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1tbsp garlic powder
1tbsp onion powder
1tsp paprika
3tbsp sea salt
1tbsp cracked black pepper
If you want to make a smaller portion because you’re not doing a potluck, divide the spinach, cheese, and cream by half.
Add spinach to pot with cream cheese, and let it start to melt down. Slowly mix in heavy cream (ounce or two at a time) when spinach becomes warm until smooth consistency. Add asiago and parmesan cheese until flavor is desired, as well as spices. Do not skip the nutmeg or the salt! The salt brings out all of the flavor and the nutmeg adds a deep richness.
Tip for deeper flavor: Finely dice one sweet onion and caramelize over low to medium heat in a saucepan before adding instead of using all of that onion powder. Best way to caramelize is to start off with some oil in the pan, a good olive oil will do, and then add the onions once the pan is hot and then as I say, “salt like the ocean”. The salt brings out the natural sweetness and flavor of the onion as it cooks down. Cook the onions until browned, as this will take a while. Add a little sliver of butter as needed to keep the pan moist. As the onions clear, take some fresh garlic (minced or whole cloves**) and add it to the pan and just slowly let these flavors come out and smell wonderful.
** When dealing with fresh cloves of garlic, always take the flat side of the knife (or the hell of the palm of your hand) and press down and crack open the garlic to release the aroma and flavor inside.
The Family Cookbook 