Creamed Spinach

We love creamed spinach but I usually only make it on special occasions. This version is actually not super-heavy though since I use milk (no cream) and not a ton of butter. It would make a great Thanksgiving side dish if you still haven't finalized your menu yet! The recipe comes from Smitten Kitchen.

Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 2 bunches of fresh spinach (or 1 box of frozen spinach, thawed)
• 1 cup of milk
• 1/2 of a small onion
• 1/2 of a small garlic clove (optional)
• 1 generous TBSP butter
• 1 heaping TBSP flour
• dash of nutmeg, salt and pepper to season

Prep

1. If you're using fresh spinach, fill up your sink with water and clean the spinach. Remove the stems from the spinach after you clean it but no need to dry it. If you're using frozen spinach, make sure its thawed and skip to step 5.
2. Add your washed spinach to a large pot and place over high heat with a lid on top.

3. Cook for a couple of minutes, then stir it and cook for a couple of minutes more until all of the spinach is wilted.
4. Drain the spinach in a colander and rinse with cold water so it's cool enough to handle.

5. Use an old kitchen towel to squeeze the liquid from the spinach, then chop it up.

6. Peel and finely chop your onion (and garlic if you're using it).
7. Warm your milk in the microwave for 45 seconds or so and set aside.

Cook

1. Wipe out your large pot you used to cook the spinach and melt your butter over medium-low heat.
2. Once butter melts, add your onion and garlic and cook until it's softened - 3-4 minutes.
3. Add your flour to the butter mixture and stir or whisk it so it clumps together. Stir and cook this for a couple of minutes until it's foamy and toasty.

4. Keep stirring or whisking while you slowly add in your warmed milk.
5. Turn up your heat to medium-high and stir and simmer your milk mixture for 3-4 minutes until it thickens.

6. Add your dash of nutmeg, salt and pepper and taste the mixture to make sure it's seasoned well.
7. Stir in your spinach. You can either serve it right away if you're ready or transfer it to a casserole dish and let it crisp up on top in a 400° oven. If you're so inclined, you could also grate some parmesan cheese on top before you bake it. Enjoy!