Lawry’s Creamed Spinach Recipe
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Lawry’s creamed spinach recipe has become an iconic side dish that pairs perfectly with prime rib or any good cut of beef. The recipe features fresh, spinach leaves, quickly sauteed then folded into a creamy bechamel sauce. (This post was originally published November 12, 2013 and was updated November 18th, 2024)
About Lawry’s creamed spinach recipe
Steakhouse creamed spinach is a beloved side dish in the world of fine dining and home-cooked comfort food alike.
If you can’t get to Lawry’s Prime Rib restaurant, this is absolutely the best recipe for creamed spinach. It’s so good, it’s downright sinful! We serve creamed spinach for Christmas dinner, to go with our Prime Rib, every year. My mom started making it in the early 60s. She got the recipe from a little spiral-bound cookbook called, Ford Treasury of Favorite Recipes from Famous Eating Places, published in 1959.Lawry’s The Prime Rib, a renowned restaurant with a legacy spanning over eight decades, is the birthplace of this sumptuous dish. But it has been a classic steakhouse side dish all over the country for decades.
I worked for a British prime rib restaurant in the 80’s. Their creamed spinach was the main accompaniment to our prime rib dinners. It was always our most popular side dish, along with Lawry’s creamed corn. Both of these side dishes also go perfectly with Leg of Lamb with Mint Sauce or Bourbon Brown Sugar Ham. Don’t save this classic side dish just for special occasions or holiday dinner! It’s also easy enough for a weeknight meal. I also have a low-carb, gluten free, and keto friendly version of this recipe. Low Carb Creamed Spinach.
Ingredients for homemade creamed spinach
This easy creamed spinach recipe is just a simply sautéed spinach in a creamy béchamel sauce with a hint of nutmeg.
- 1 pound fresh baby spinach leaves
- 4 slices of bacon diced
- 1 or 2 garlic cloves
- 1 medium yellow onion diced fine
- 3/4 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoned salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
How do you make creamed spinach?
The only change I’ve made to the original Lawry’s recipe is to add a touch of nutmeg. This is an integral component in a traditional béchamel. It’s an excellent companion to spinach. This is an easy side dish to make ahead. It can even be made the day before and will taste even better the next day!
- Dice bacon and chop the onions.
- Blanch raw spinach in batches by cooking it in salted, boiling water for a few seconds, then plunging it in ice water to stop the cooking. (See note for using frozen spinach)
- Squeeze out excess water from spinach and chop.
- In a medium-sized skillet over medium heat, sauté bacon for 2 or 3 minutes. Add diced onion and continue to cook until onion is translucent another 3 or 4 minutes. Add garlic, chopped spinach, and seasonings and cook another couple of minutes.
Making the white sauce
- In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add flour, stirring with a spoon until flour is incorporated and begins to turn slightly golden brown, about 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until sauce begins to thicken about 3 minutes.
- Add cream sauce to the spinach mixture.
- In a food processor pulse spinach 3 or 4 times. It should retain its texture. Taste and adjust seasoning
- Store leftover creamed spinach in an airtight container.
- To reheat, heat in a covered casserole dish at 325 degrees F. until creamed spinach is hot.
Can I used frozen spinach for this dish?
Yes! This dish uses lots of spinach! If you want to save cooking time, you can substitute frozen chopped spinach for fresh spinach. Just make sure to defrost the night before and get rid of excess moisture.
Looking for more side dishes?
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic and Parmigiano
Delicata Squash with Browned Butter and Sage
Lawry’s Creamed Spinach Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound baby spinach (You can substitute frozen spinach)
- 4 slices of bacon diced
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 medium onion diced fine
- 3/4 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoned salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
- Blanch spinach in batches by cooking it in salted, boiling water for a few seconds, then plunging it in ice water to stop the cooking. (To save time, use frozen, chopped spinach!)
- Squeeze out excess liquid and chop.
- In a medium-sized skillet over medium heat, saute bacon 2 or 3 minutes. Add diced onion and continue to cook until onion is translucent another 3 or 4 minutes. Add garlic, spinach and seasonings and cook another minute.
- In a medium saucepan, heat butter until melted. Add flour, stirring with a spoon until flour is incorporated and begins to turn slightly golden, about 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until sauce begins to thicken about 3 minutes.
- Add cream sauce to the spinach mixture.
- In a food processor pulse spinach 3 or 4 times. It should retain its texture. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
- Can be made a day ahead of time.
Really great recipe! Tastes honestly better than the kind from the restaurant. I will admit, I did end up tweaking the recipe. I did not blanch my fresh spinach, I just chopped it in my food processor and added it to the pan when the recipe called for it and it was just fine. Blanching enhances the green of vegetables but in terms of taste and texture it was absolutely fine. If you are short on time I would recommend skipping that step.
thank you Ally! I appreciate your suggestions!
If I don’t want to buy Lawry’s seasoning salt any suggestions on what seasonings to use?
Salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, and a pinch of sugar should work.