The Dish: Creamed Spinach

A side dish of our freshly made creamed spinach

Spinach is such a versatile ingredient in the kitchen. It can replace or add to lettuce in a salad or it can be cooked down and added to any number of dips, side dishes or entrees.
When we are looking for a nice, comforting side dish to accompany a meal, it is hard to look past creamed spinach. It has such a great blend of rich flavors that really satisfy your appetite. Here is a recipe for creamed spinach that is one of our favorites.



Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Cooked Spinach (roughly one full bag of uncooked spinach)
• 1 Tbsp Margarine
• 1 Onion; chopped
• 3 Toes Garlic; minced
• 1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
• Salt and Pepper to taste (Start with 2 tsps each)
• 1 Tub (8 oz) Cream Cheese
• 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

Directions:

1. Cook spinach in a large pot until it cooks down, stirring frequently. Then pour into a strainer and using a towel, press all of the excess water out of the cooked spinach. 
2.  In a large sauce pan (or high-walled skillet) on medium-high heat, sauté onions, garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne in a little margarine. Cook until onions they sweat and soften.
3. Add cream cheese and stir with rubber spatula until the cheese is a uniform softness, this should still seem like a paste. Add cream and whisk (or using a blending wand) until the mix feels like a thick sauce then reduce heat to low or warm.
4. Add the cooked and drained spinach to the cream mixture and stir until well mixed.