Welcome to the ultimate guide for preparing a truly unforgettable side dish: Creamed Spinach with Mascarpone. This isn’t just any creamed spinach; it’s a rich, decadent, and incredibly smooth rendition that elevates a classic comfort food to gourmet status. Often synonymous with high-end steakhouses, creamed spinach brings a touch of elegance to any meal, and our version, featuring the luxurious addition of mascarpone cheese, promises an even more complex flavor profile and an unbelievably velvety texture.
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Understanding Creamed Spinach: A Culinary Classic
Creamed spinach is a beloved side dish renowned for its lush, creamy texture and vibrant spinach flavor. It typically involves cooking fresh spinach until tender, then folding it into a rich sauce, often made with heavy cream, butter, and seasonings like garlic and onion. Its popularity soared in American steakhouses, where it perfectly complements robust cuts of meat, offering a contrasting yet harmonious element to a hearty meal. The traditional recipe provides a comforting, savory experience, but with our special ingredient, mascarpone, we’re about to embark on a journey to an even more refined and luxurious version.
Why You’ll Adore This Mascarpone Creamed Spinach
- Unmatched Creaminess and Velvety Texture: The mascarpone cheese melts into the sauce, creating an exceptionally smooth and luscious consistency that truly sets this dish apart.
- Gourmet Flavor Profile: Mascarpone introduces a subtle sweetness and a rich, buttery depth that beautifully complements the earthy spinach, making for a sophisticated taste experience.
- Surprisingly Quick and Effortless: Despite its luxurious feel, this recipe is remarkably simple to prepare, coming together in mere minutes, perfect for busy weeknights or impromptu dinner parties.
- Versatile Pairing: It’s an ideal accompaniment to a wide array of main courses, from succulent steaks to roasted chicken, elegant fish, or even a simple grilled vegetable platter.
- Flexible Ingredients: Can’t find mascarpone? No problem! Cream cheese serves as an excellent substitute, ensuring you can still enjoy a wonderfully creamy dish.
Essential Ingredients for Decadent Creamed Spinach
Crafting the perfect creamed spinach begins with selecting quality ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need, along with insights into why each component is crucial:
- Spinach: Opt for fresh, bundled, or bagged mature spinach. While baby spinach is lovely for salads, the slightly larger, more robust leaves of mature spinach hold up better to cooking and provide a more substantial texture in this dish. Ensure it’s thoroughly washed to remove any grit.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: This is the backbone of our creamy sauce. You don’t need an excessive amount; just enough to create that rich, unctuous base. Its high-fat content is key to the sauce’s stability and luxurious feel.
- Dehydrated Onion: Offering a more concentrated and mellow flavor than fresh onion, dehydrated onion integrates seamlessly into the sauce without adding unwanted texture. It’s a secret weapon for consistent flavor.
- Dehydrated Garlic: Similar to dehydrated onion, this provides a potent garlic punch without the sharpness or chunkiness of fresh garlic. It’s incredibly convenient and a staple in my pantry for its intense flavor.
- Mascarpone: The star ingredient! This Italian cream cheese is what transforms this side dish into something truly special. Its high fat content and mild, slightly sweet, buttery flavor contribute to an unparalleled creamy texture and rich taste.
- Salt and Pepper: Essential for seasoning. Always add these to taste, adjusting as needed to bring out the best in your dish. A good pinch of freshly ground black pepper is particularly recommended.
Mascarpone: The Secret to Supreme Creaminess
Mascarpone is an Italian cream cheese, but it’s distinctly different from the cream cheese you might typically find for bagels. Originating from the Lombardy region of Italy, it’s made from whole cream (not milk) that is coagulated with acidic substances like lemon juice or acetic acid, then gently heated. The result is an incredibly soft, spreadable cheese with a significantly higher fat content than standard cream cheese, giving it a silkier texture and a richer mouthfeel.
Its flavor is mildly sweet and distinctly buttery, without the tanginess often associated with American cream cheese. While famously used in classic Italian desserts like tiramisu, mascarpone’s velvety smoothness and subtle richness make it an exceptional addition to savory dishes. In creamed spinach, it melts beautifully, creating a luxuriously smooth, almost custard-like sauce that perfectly coats each tender spinach leaf. It adds a gourmet touch, enhancing the overall decadence and providing a depth of flavor that traditional creamed spinach often lacks.
Crafting the Best Creamed Spinach with Mascarpone: A Step-by-Step Guide
Follow these simple steps to create a truly irresistible side dish that will impress every time:
- Prepare Your Spinach: Begin by thoroughly washing your fresh spinach under cold running water. Remove any tough stems that might detract from the smooth texture of the dish. After washing, give the spinach a good shake to remove excess water, but don’t dry it completely; a little residual moisture will help it wilt down in the pan.
- Wilt the Spinach: Add the washed spinach to a large skillet or pot. Cook it over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. You’ll notice it will dramatically reduce in volume as it wilts. Continue to sauté until all the spinach is fully wilted and any accumulated liquid has evaporated. This step is crucial to prevent a watery finished dish.
- Build the Cream Base: Pour the heavy whipping cream into the skillet with the wilted spinach. Add the dehydrated onion and dehydrated garlic. Stir continuously to combine all ingredients evenly. Allow the mixture to gently simmer for 1-2 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld and the cream to begin thickening slightly.
- Incorporate Mascarpone: Reduce the heat to low. Add the mascarpone cheese to the spinach and cream mixture. Continue to stir gently until the mascarpone completely melts and is fully incorporated, transforming into a smooth, luxurious, creamy sauce that coats every strand of spinach.
- Thicken to Perfection: Keep stirring the mixture until all ingredients are well combined and the spinach is enveloped in the rich sauce. Allow it to simmer for another 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reaches your desired thickness. Remember, it will thicken slightly more as it cools.
- Season and Serve: Finally, season your creamed spinach generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Adjust as necessary. Serve immediately and prepare for compliments!
Chef Jenn’s Expert Tips for Flawless Creamed Spinach
Achieving restaurant-quality creamed spinach is easier than you think with these professional insights:
- Thoroughly Wash Your Spinach: This cannot be stressed enough. Spinach, especially mature varieties, can harbor a lot of dirt and grit. Wash it multiple times under cold running water, swirling it gently, until no sediment remains at the bottom of your basin. Gritty creamed spinach is a definite no-go!
- Mind the Heat: When working with cream sauces, lower heat is always your friend. Boiling cream too vigorously can cause it to separate or “break,” resulting in an oily, unappealing sauce. A gentle simmer is all you need for the mascarpone to melt and the flavors to combine.
- Customize the Creaminess: Prefer an even more decadent and rich dish? Feel free to add an extra tablespoon or two of mascarpone during step 4. This will boost both the creaminess and the overall richness of the sauce to your liking.
- Add a Spicy Kick: For those who enjoy a little heat, a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes stirred in before serving can add a wonderful warmth and subtle spice that beautifully contrasts the creamy texture.
- Don’t Overcook the Spinach: Once the spinach has wilted and the liquid has evaporated, you’re ready to add the cream. Overcooking spinach can make it mushy and diminish its vibrant color and nutritional value.
- Adjust Seasoning at the End: Always taste and adjust your salt and pepper right before serving. The flavors will concentrate as the sauce simmers, so a final seasoning ensures perfect balance.
Recommended Pairings: Beyond the Steakhouse
Creamed spinach is a remarkably versatile side dish, and while it’s a legendary companion to steak, its rich flavor and smooth texture mean it pairs beautifully with an array of main courses. Consider serving it with:
Make It A Meal: Perfect Main Course Companions
Wondering what to serve alongside this magnificent Creamed Spinach with Mascarpone? Its versatility is one of its greatest assets. While it’s a match made in heaven for prime cuts of beef, don’t limit yourself!
- Steak and Beef Dishes: This is the classic pairing for a reason. Whether it’s a perfectly grilled ribeye, a seared filet mignon, or a delicious picanha, the rich creaminess of the spinach beautifully cuts through the richness of the meat. Explore options like steaks on a Blackstone griddle for a fantastic sear.
- Pork Chops: The mild sweetness of mascarpone creamed spinach complements the savory notes of pan-seared or grilled pork chops. Try it with woodfire grilled pork chops with pineapple salsa for a delightful contrast.
- Chicken Dishes: Transform a simple chicken dinner into a feast. Roasted chicken, pan-fried chicken breasts, or even oven-baked chicken thighs with creamy onion gravy will find a wonderful partner in this spinach dish.
- Salmon and Other Fish: The delicate flavors of baked or pan-seared salmon are surprisingly enhanced by the creamy spinach, adding a luxurious layer without overpowering the fish.
- Vegetarian Options: For a hearty vegetarian meal, serve it alongside roasted portobello mushrooms, grilled halloumi, or a lentil loaf.
Storage and Reheating Best Practices
If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers (it’s hard to resist eating it all!), proper storage is key to enjoying this delicious dish later. Refrigerate any remaining creamed spinach promptly in an airtight container. It will keep well in the fridge for 2-3 days.
To reheat, transfer the creamed spinach to a skillet or saucepan and warm gently over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. You might need to add a splash of milk or extra heavy cream to restore its original creamy consistency, as it tends to thicken in the refrigerator. Avoid overheating, which can cause the sauce to separate. Microwave reheating is also possible, but use short bursts and stir frequently.
Step-by-Step Visual Process
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Creamed Spinach with Mascarpone
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword creamed spinach, mascarpone, spinach
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Servings
4 servings
Calories
191kcal
Author Chef Jenn
Ingredients
- 12 ounces spinach washed
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon dehydrated onion
- 1 teaspoon dehydrated garlic
- 1/4 cup mascarpone or cream cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare your spinach – thoroughly wash and remove any tough stems. Shake it dry. You want some water clinging to the leaves.
- Add the washed spinach to a large skillet and cook it over medium-low heat; it will wilt down significantly. Sauté until all the spinach is wilted and any excess liquid has evaporated.
- Pour in the heavy whipping cream, dehydrated onion, and dehydrated garlic, stirring continuously. Allow the mixture to simmer for 1-2 minutes.
- Add in the mascarpone cheese and continue to stir until it melts into the spinach and cream, creating a creamy sauce.
- Stir the mixture until all the ingredients are well combined, and the spinach is fully coated in the creamy sauce. Allow it to simmer for 1-2 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reaches your desired thickness.
- Season the creamed spinach with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Additional Tips for Perfection
- Wash the spinach carefully under cold running water. Nobody likes gritty creamed spinach. Ensure all sandy residue is gone.
- Keep the heat down – cream sauces don’t like to be boiled too hard. You’ll risk breaking the sauce, making it separate and oily. A gentle simmer is ideal.
- Like it creamier? Don’t hesitate to add a bit more mascarpone at the end. It will only enhance the luxurious texture.
- Like it spicy? A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes stirred in right before serving can add a delightful kick.
- For an extra layer of flavor, consider adding a tiny grating of fresh nutmeg. It’s a classic pairing with spinach and cream.
Nutrition
Calories: 191kcal
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Carbohydrates: 6g
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Protein: 5g
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Fat: 17g
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Saturated Fat: 11g
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Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g
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Monounsaturated Fat: 3g
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Cholesterol: 48mg
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Sodium: 84mg
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Potassium: 532mg
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Fiber: 2g
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Sugar: 2g
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Vitamin A: 8609IU
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Vitamin C: 25mg
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Calcium: 127mg
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Iron: 2mg
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
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