This easy steak house creamed spinach recipe is rich, creamy, and loaded with parmesan cheese, cream cheese, and melty gruyere—basically the leafy green version of a hug. It’s the perfect side dish for juicy steak, roast chicken, or even spooned straight outta the skillet.
Why You’ll Love It
This cheesy steak house creamed spinach recipe is a classic steakhouse side dish. It's basically what happens when your favorite steakhouse favorites meet your cozy home kitchen.
Think Ruth’s Chris or Morton’s Steakhouse, but with your own personal preferences leading the way.
Whether you’re planning an easy weeknight meal or pulling out the cast iron for date nights and special occasions, this creamy classic side dish has major range.
It’s a great option for Christmas dinner, a great side dish for pork chops, or just a sneaky way to get more leafy greens into your life.
What sets this apart from other versions (besides the fact that it tastes like spinach artichoke dip and Ruth’s Chris had a baby) is the way it balances richness with flavor.
The dash of nutmeg, the mellow sweetness of caramelized onion, the punch of minced garlic, and the melty magic of gruyere cheese? Yeah, that’s the good stuff that WE LOVE!
And if you’re dairy-free, try subbing coconut milk for the heavy cream and vegan cream cheese—though let’s be real, this is one of those indulgent small batch recipes that’s worth the full dairy dip every now and then.
And don’t forget to bake it for a few minutes at the end to get that golden brown, bubbly top—it’s a great way to lock in all that ton of flavor.
Honestly though, this isn’t just a great side dish. It’s the best creamed spinach recipe I've ever made, and I’m not just saying that because it goes really well with tortilla chips at midnight (although… it totally does).
Ingredients & Substitutions
This easy creamed spinach recipe is made with simple ingredients you can grab from most grocery stores—like frozen chopped spinach, heavy cream, and a hearty handful of parmesan cheese. And luckily for all of us, this easy recipe comes together in one large skillet with very minimal effort.
- Frozen Chopped Spinach: You’ll need to thaw and squeeze out any excess liquid if you're using frozen leaf spinach. I don't recommend swapping in fresh spinach (doesn't matter if it's fresh baby spinach or mature spinach leaves) because it shrinks so drastically. After testing this again and again, I've found that frozen spinach is best over fresh ingredients when it comes to this classic dish.
- Salted Butter: Used to sauté the onions and build that luscious cream sauce that's front and center in this decadent side. You could also use unsalted butter or olive oil if that’s your thing.
- Yellow Onion: Adds sweetness and depth when caramelized. You could use another type of onion or even shallots if you wanted to.
- Garlic: Minced garlic brings savory flavor to balance the richness. Garlic powder works in a pinch. I don't recommend using the pre-minced jarred variety.
- Heavy Cream: Creates the creamy texture you want in a white sauce. Whole milk or even coconut milk can be used, but the results will be slightly thinner. If you're using whole milk, you'll want to make a roux with some all purpose flour.
- Nutmeg: Just a dash adds warmth and enhances the cream sauce without overpowering.
- Cream Cheese: Adds tang and a thick, velvety base. Don't skip this ingredient because in my opinion, it helps make the best steakhouse creamed spinach.
- Gruyere: Melts beautifully and adds that nutty iconic flavor. If you don't like gruyere, you could swap it for swiss cheese, mozzarella, asiago or white cheddar.
- Parmigiano: Use half in the sauce and the rest on top before baking. Pecorino Romano or another aged italian cheese works too.
- Salt and Pepper: Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste.
- Optional Additions: You can even customize this steak house creamed spinach with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper if you're craving a little kick.
How to Make It
Here's the step-by-step instructions to make this classic steakhouse side dish. If it’s your first time making this steakhouse creamed spinach, just follow the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe with exact ingredient amounts.
- PREHEAT THE OVEN: Set your oven to 375°F so it's ready to go.PREP THE SPINACH: Thaw and strain the frozen chopped spinach. Use a kitchen towel or a food processor with a mesh insert to get rid of all that excess water and moisture.
- SAUTÉ ONION: Melt butter in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Add diced onion and a pinch of salt. Cook until golden and soft—about 5-7 minutes.
- ADD GARLIC: Toss in the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
- MAKE THE CREAM SAUCE: Pour in heavy cream, add the cream cheese, a dash of nutmeg, kosher salt, and black pepper. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring until everything is smooth and slightly thickened.
- STIR IN THE CHEESE: Add ¾ cup of the grated parmigiano a little bit at a time until it melts into the sauce. Then stir in the gruyere until everything is fully melted and a creamy sauce develops.
- ADD THE SPINACH: Fold in the strained spinach and stir until fully coated. Season again with salt and pepper, if needed.
- BAKE: Sprinkle the remaining parmigiano on top. You could also move this into a casserole dish if this is a special occasion and you want it looking fancy! Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbling around the edges.
- SERVE: Let it sit for a few minutes before serving. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
What goes with Creamed Spinach?
Here are some of my favorite easy side dishes to serve with this cheesy steak house creamed spinach recipe.
- Garlic Steak Bites Appetizer with Boursin Cheese
- Quick Caramelized Onions
- Cheesy Potato Soup
- Creamy Beef Pot Pie
- Baked Blue Cheese Pasta with Bacon, Spinach & Tomatoes
- Jiffy Spoon Bread Recipe with Cheddar Cheese & Candied Jalapenos
- Green Pasta Sauce with Boursin, Spinach & Basil
Recipe
The Best Easy Steak House Creamed Spinach Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 10 oz bags Chopped Frozen Spinach thawed and strained
- 2 tablespoon Salted Butter
- 1 Medium Yellow Onion diced
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 cups Heavy Cream
- 1 pinch Nutmeg
- 4 oz Cream Cheese room temperature
- ½ cup Gruyere Cheese shredded
- 1 cup Parmesan Cheese grated, divided
- Kosher Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and strain excess water from chopped spinach.
- In a large skillet or cast iron pan, melt butter over medium heat and sauté onion with a pinch of salt until caramelized, about 7 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook for another minute.
- Pour in heavy cream, add cream cheese, nutmeg, salt, and pepper, and simmer over medium-low heat until thickened.
- Stir in ¾ cup parmigiano, little by little, until smooth.
- Add gruyere and stir until melted.
- Fold in strained spinach and stir to combine. Taste and season if needed.
- Top with remaining parmesan cheese and bake for 10 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.
Notes
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