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 garlic minced
- 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.
Perfect!
Thanks Dorothy!
Cynthia, I love old cookbooks. Sharing this today. ☺
John and I will be doing this for Thanksgiving. I love it!
Excellent Terry! Hope you like it!
One of my favorite recipes! Glad to see it again! I adore vintage recipes!
G’day! Love creamed spinach! Reminds me of a dish from childhood!
Cheers! Joanne
washburne catering we have used this sinach for our guest for 25 years #1
Peter, I agree, it’s the best!
If using frozen chopped spinach …how many packages would you use for this recipe?
Good question Mary, I find with fresh spinach it cooks down so much! I would probably use a pound of frozen, which might end up being more than a pound of fresh. It’s so good, though, you won’t mind having leftovers!
Being married in the 1950’s, my parent’s had a very small home wedding, just my grandparents, aunts, and great grandmothers. For their wedding dinner my mom’s parents took everyone to Lawry’s the Primerib Restaurant. My parents made that their anniversary destination throughout their 60 years together. I still remember the first time my brothers and I were included. At the time it was considered a very fancy restaurant. When I tasted that creamed spinach I thought I had died and gone to heaven! Years later, when Lawry’s opened their California Kitchen, my mom bought a book of Lawry’s recipes…and we’ve been making that creamed spinach for many years. In that recipe it calls for 2 10oz. boxes of frozen spinach. I have made it with fresh and frozen…I find frozen much eaiser to work with when cooking for a large group.
What a wonderful story! I worked in an English restaurant for many years and this was incredibly popular…maybe so many memories attached to the flavor! I agree with the frozen spinach! I’ve made it both ways and you can certainly make a LOT more using frozen spinach.
A pound is a pound no matter whether fresh or frozen. Sheesh
but is it? a bag of frozen spinach might weigh 16 ounces, but how much of that is ice? Regardless, an ounce or two on either side won’t affect the recipe.
Hi- if I plan to make this a day ahead, what is the best way to re-heat?
Thanks!
Hi Laurie, you can make it a day ahead and heat it covered in a low oven until warm.
thank you!
This looks absolutely delicious, I love it!
This was the only way I liked spinach as a kid– gotta make this!
Please email me new posts
Did you sign up with your email? I can do it for you if you give me your email. Thank you! Cynthia
What do you do with the bacon grease? Has anyone tried a double batch? I salted the water I boiled the Spinach with the Lawry’s seasoned salt. I’m going to cook the bacon to be crunchy and drain the grease then add the Onion…
I use the bacon grease to saute the onions. I like to add the seasoning at the end because some bacon is saltier than others.
this is the correct recipe for Lawry’s creamed spinach direct from the site.
Lawry’s Famous Creamed Spinach
Prep Time 20 min Cook Time 20 min Total Time 40 min Servings: 4 -6
Lawry’s Prime Rib restaurant’s creamy spinach.
Ingredients
2 pkgs. (10 oz. each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
4 slices of bacon diced
2 clove of garlic
1 small onion minced
2 T flour
1 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
2 cup milk
Instructions
Drain spinach well and squeeze out excess moisture with hands; chop finely and set aside. Fry bacon in heavy skillet until crisp; remove, drain and chop. Sauté onion and garlic in bacon drippings; add flour, Seasoned Salt and pepper and blend thoroughly. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly until thickened. Add spinach and bacon; heat.
Hi Connie,
As you can tell by the photo in my post, I got the recipe directly from an old cookbook from the 50s. That recipe was from Lawry’s. I’m sure that in subsequent years it was updated for frozen spinach,(which you can see I included as an alternative to fresh).
Using this recipe for Valentine’s day dinner. Thanks friend.
Awesome Michael! So rich and delicious! I’m going to come up with a Keto version!
Just went last night in I saw some little brownish yellowish round seed-like things in the spinach. Could it be mustard seeds?
Hi Lisa, sorry i’m just responding. I was in Europe for 2 weeks. I’m not sure what the yellowish things were on your spinach…Maybe the spinach sprouted?
Lived in Southern Calif in the early 70’s, just married. Got to go to this FANTASTIC restaurant, Gullivers Prime Rib. Sadly, no longer in business. They ONLY served Prime Rib! Their creamed corn & creamed spinach side dishes – and the Yorkshire pudding – were to die for! This recipe is the closest I’ve gotten to that heavenly dish! THANK YOU SO MUCH! Every year for Solstice I do this traditional dinner. Usually have at least 10 guests for dinner – one year had 18. This year, with COVID, it’ll just be us 2, but I’m making up plates of left overs to take to friends & elderly who won’t be able to enjoy with us this year.
I’m so glad I found this recipe, my past creamed spinach recipes just never made the cut. This one does!
Yes, the English restaurant I worked at in the 80s served the same menu! I think you’ll love it!
I followed all steps. It’s perfection.
Thank you Alex!
Delicious! I used turky bacon–still really good– I might even add a fifth piece next time!
I tossed the stemed spinach and the others all into the food processer and mixed it all
together;-)
YUM!
So glad you liked it and that the turkey bacon was a good substitute. thank you!
So glad to find this recipe again. Its the best.
I’m glad you found it too! It’s a family favorite!
Loved the texture and the taste. Best thing on my plate.
so glad! Thank you!
Great Recipe! Mom had this book when I was a kid too. Poured over every recipe and location aplanning to visit every spot when ‘I grew up’. I only got to one I think as most were long gone. Still have the book.
Love it! I still have mine too!
I’m so grateful to see this recipe Lawry’s was a special place to me as a child and my husband and I even had our rehearsal dinner at Lawry’s Prime Rib. I’ve been searching for the original recipe, not just a copycat recipe. I agree with you about the nutmeg. Can’t wait to make this!
Thanks so much! I can’t wait for you to try it!
My folks were married in 1950 and had their rehearsal dinner at the original Lawry’s (across the street) . We took them for their 25th and the same waitress served us. We took them on their 50th and as memorable as ever. The same waitress sadly wasn’t there on that last visit. Lawry’s has always been willing to share recipes. They used to provide post cards with the recipes before the internet. No one does it better!
aww! Such a sweet story! I actually got their recipe from a little cookbook of American restaurants from the 50s.