Creamy, rich Morton’s Steakhouse Creamed Spinach Recipe that takes just a few minutes and is the perfect side for a holiday roast or prime rib.
Classic Steakhouse Creamed Spinach
Creamed Spinach, but I’ve made it cheesier! This one is a spot on copy for Morton’s Steakhouse . I serve it with my Cast Iron Ribeye, Roasted Garlic Cherry Tomatoes and Classic Easy Mashed Potatoes as our traditional Christmas Eve dinner.
Some tips for creamed spinach:
- Yes you can use whole milk instead of half and half (go any less fatty and you’re not going to like the results)
- You can also go the opposite way and use heavy cream. Your taste buds will love me, your jeans may not but hey it is the holidays!
- If you’d prefer to use frozen spinach, just defrost and squeeze out as much water as you can. – Use 1 pound of frozen spinach.
- Nutmeg may seem like a dessert spice but you’ll love the flavor in this recipe.
- Aside from the classic Morton’s recipe I’ve added cream cheese and Parmesan cheese.
Creamed Spinach Pasta Bake:
One of my favorite things to do with the leftovers if there are any is toss some cooked pasta in with it, add a bit of mozzarella and cream cheese for an easy spinach pasta bake. I usually just cook on 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, no recipe here, it is usually just whatever is left over.
In the case of this specific dinner we had, I actually added pasta back into my cast iron skillet I made the spinach in and baked it off with pasta with the leftover grape tomatoes too. It was a HUGE hit in our house. I love when leftovers can actually morph into something new and not feel like a leftover.
Looking for more side dishes?
- Ultimate Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Mushroom Rice
- Slow Cooker Creamed Corn
- Roasted Garlic Butter Mushrooms
- How To Cook Spaghetti Squash (The Ultimate Guide)
Tools Used in the making of this Morton’s Steakhouse Creamed Spinach Recipe:
Cast Iron Skillet: If you don’t have a slow cooker with a stovetop friendly insert, this is my most used pan in my kitchen, heavy, keeps heat well and gives the BEST sear ever.
Strainer: These hang next to the sink because I use them so much. No rusting and inexpensive!
Recipe
Morton's Steakhouse Creamed Spinach Recipe
- Yield: 8 Servings
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Course: Side Dish
- Cuisine: American
- Author: Sabrina
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 teaspoons Kosher salt divided
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 1/2 cups half-and-half
- 2 1/4 pounds fresh leaf spinach or one pound frozen
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese*
- 4 ounces cream cheese*
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.
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Bring a large pot of water to a boil with two teaspoons of salt.
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Add the spinach and cook just until wilted, about 1 minute.
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Drain the spinach in a strainer or colander.
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Rinse with cold water until cool and squeeze the water out of each fistful of spinach.
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Chop the spinach bundles into a 3/4 inch width.
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In a large skillet melt the butter with the garlic and onions.
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Cook on medium low for 8-10 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
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Add in the remaining kosher salt, black pepper and nutmeg.
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Add in the flour and mix with a wooden spoon over low and cook for 2-3 minutes until the aroma is a bit nutty.
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Add the half an half and cook until boiling.
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Add in the mozarella cheese and cream cheese
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Cook for 6-8 minutes or until the mixture has thickened.
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Add in the spinach and the Parmesan cheese and stir to combine.
Recipe Notes
Recipe adapted from Morton's Steak Bible.
I also added cream cheese and mozzarella cheese. For a perfect copycat, omit these.
Nutrition Information
Yield: 8 Servings, Amount per serving: 230 calories, Calories: 230g, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Cholesterol: 59mg, Sodium: 1302mg, Potassium: 149mg, Vitamin A: 12.1g, Vitamin C: 1.6g, Calcium: 18.4g, Iron: 1.7g
All images and text © for Dinner, then Dessert.
Some of the original photos when the recipe was published in 2015:
I have never had spinach like this before. I need to try it.
I hope you like it!
Can you substitute Almond Flour or Coconut Flour for the All Purpose Flour?
Also, are the nutritional values listed somewhere?
Sorry I don’t have the nutritional facts for recipes on the site but I know there are a lot of free resources on the internet from when I’ve cooked for clients with low calorie diets. I do have an additional site cookingwithpoints.com that lists nutritional facts for all of the recipes, if you’re interested in checking that out.
I haven’t tested it but my gut is telling me that almond flour would be the better substitute. Coconut flour is more absorbent and might affect the texture of the dish. I’d love to know how it turns out if you decide to try!
How many oz of uncooked fresh spinach should I use for this recipe.
I used 2 1/4 pounds of fresh leaf spinach for this recipe. Hope this helps!
My hubby is always looking for creamed spinach I can excited to find this because I am surprising him with all his favorite meals for christmas this is going to be added to it.
Wonderful I hope you both love it!
WOW! I love this recipe, I’ve never made it before. Pinning!
Thanks for the pin!
This spinach looks amazing! I’ve never actually had creamed spinach before but now I want to try it!
It’s never too late for your first time!
I’ve only had creamed spinach once- I can’t really recall how I felt about it, but I do like spinach. Maybe I’ll give your recipe a try. It certainly looks delicious!
I’m sorry your first time wasn’t a memorable one – I think this one might be the recipe that wins you over!
This spinach looks really good. This is the perfect dinner pairing, would be a great stay in date night.
If you make a nice, juicy steak along with this, you’ll have a very happy date!
My father-in-law loves to cook and I am sure he will love this recipe!
The pictures alone are making my mouth water!
I hope he likes the recipe!
Oh my goodness, creamed spincach is my weakness. It is so delicious and is actually one of the only veggies my hubby will eat. LOL. Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome! I hope you guys like it!
That meal sure looks delicious! I bet that spinach would go good with Salmon too, which we seem to eat quite often.
Thanks! I think it would go great with salmon too!
Oh wow now that is a way I could eat my spinach. That looks really tasty, and even my daughters eye widened when we looked at this. Yum
It can be difficult to get kids to eat veggies sometimes, but mine enjoyed this recipe!
I love creamed spinach! And this reminded me that I haven’t had or made it in ages so I need to get with it!
Stop depriving yourself! Creamed spinach is on regular rotation in our house!
I LOVE creamed spinach. I appreciate your tip about using milk instead of half and half.
Thanks!
This looks so good! And that steak, perfectly rare. What a meal.
Thanks Elena! I love a well cooked, red, steak.
Oh I’m liking this idea. It sounds really good and I’d love to find out how that nutmeg impacts the flavor.
The nutmeg adds a hint of warmth to the creamy, cheesy flavor!
I am a savory foods person, so I really appreciate this dish in the face of a barrage of desserts online. Perfectly cooked and stunning! And I’ve never seen creamed spinach look so sexy!
Aww thanks Kathleen!
I have never tried Creamed Spinach before. It looks so delicious and easy to make. I will have to try making this recipe on the weekend.
It’s about time you had it, then!
This is a great dish to make this weekend. My kids are going to love it.
I hope they like it!
I think I would love this. I love spinach in almost all forms. I haven’t figured out how to get my family on board with me though. Perhaps if I served it alongside prime rib or roast like you have it would be just the ticket. Yum.
Just tell them it has butter, cream and cheese in it!
What a great recipe! The spinach looks incredibly creamy, I’m bookmarking to make this for date night!
This is a great side dish for a steak dinner date night!
That creamed spinach looks heavenly. It reminds me of the way I had spinach as a kid — my mom always made it creamed like that and I always loved it.
Thanks! I wish I grew up with creamed spinach!
This looks gorgeous – and the fact that you gave us not just an idea for the spinach, but the whole meal, makes this even easier. Great photos too!
I can’t tell you how glad I am to have found this post. A few days ago my husband and I went to lunch at a local steakhouse and he chose the creamed spinach as his side. I have been thinking about it since! I want to try to re-create it at home. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Awesome, it was meant to be!
This is a dish that’s new to me. I’m not sure I’ve ever had spinach other than in maybe some dip, so I’ll have to try this and see how I like it.
If you’ve never had spinach, you’re missing out! It’s got a very strong flavor that I really enjoy working with!
I am not sure I have ever tried creamed spinach. This looks like a good side dish!
Thanks! I hope you try it!
I made this tonight and it was LUSCIOUS! So glad I found your recipe.
I’m so happy to hear that!
Thanks! Someone who actually made it.
Recipe looks great thank you!! I want to try this for the coming holiday. I think I would like to try adding the cream cheese to it. When would you add that in and roughly how much would you add? Also instead of boiling the spinach can you add the spinach to the skillet and wait for it to wilt that way? Thanks so much for you help!
I normally throw in whatever portion of cream cheese is open in the fridge. Working with a new package I’d toss in about half of it, but if you can help it the more towards room temperature the cream cheese is the better.
If substituting creamed spinach, how much would you use for the quantities of other ingredients in the recipe? Or would it still be the same by weight (2.25 lbs of spinach)?
Thanks!
I’m guessing you meant frozen spinach? I would swap for 14-16 ounces of frozen spinach. Just be sure to drain REALLY well.
Hi there, I’d like to make this for TG dinner and was wondering about how many cups does the 2 1/4 pounds spinach come out to? And just want to verify, that is the weight pre-blanching, right? Thanks so much!
2 1/4 pounds of spinach (pre-blanching) equals to be about 22 cups. Hope this clears up any confusion. Enjoy!
Looks yummy. Can it be made ahead and how much ahead? Really don’t want to wait til Thanksgiving day to make and then serve for dinner. Thanks for any suggestions.
I’d make everything through step 9 ahead. Then 10 mins before serving add the spinach mixture to your skillet, warm gently then follow the rest of the directions. It’ll taste best when freshly cooked and it shouldn’t take much more effort than putting in the pan, lowering the heat and letting it all cook together for a final few minutes. Happy Thanksgiving!
How would you serve this if taking to a holiday dinner? Meaning would you put it in a casserole dish & then pop in the oven to warm up if traveling small distance – or could it all be fixed in a crockpot to be warmed up at your final destination ?? Ideas? I, too, was excited to read this recipe – I will never forget fixing a version of this one year for an extended family holiday / and my sister’s father in law ( who had many health problems ) – absolutely loved this!! I am pretty sure he took all the leftovers home with him !! He is gone now – and his widow will be joining us this year – I think I am meant to make it for her !!!
I am heartbroken that I missed your question 🙁 I really hope whatever you decided worked out well but for next time I’d make everything through step 9 ahead. Then 10 mins before serving add the spinach mixture to your skillet, warm gently then follow the rest of the directions. It’ll taste best when freshly cooked and it shouldn’t take much more effort than putting in the pan, lowering the heat and letting it all cook together for a final few minutes.
Awesome recipe
Just made this on a need to basis. Freezer went out had spinach on hand. Didn’t have all the ingredients but had the need ones used some different cheeses turned out great!! Glad I found this recipe. Will be a keeper for sure!!
So glad to have helped!
This was absolutely delicious!!! I used the cream cheese, but no mozzarella and it was very creamy.
It makes A lot – I halved the recipe and would easily be enough for 4-6 for a side dish.
It’s a keeper ?
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
Delicious. Very rich. However the portion was hard to understand. I tried halting everything and it was still way too much.
I tried to half it and must have not cut salt enough and couldn’t eat it as intended so I ended up putting it on my unseasoned baked potato and was delish!
Glad you were able to save it! Such a great idea as a topping!
My wife loves creamed spinach and we order it all the time at various restaurants. This recipe (with the extra cheeses) is hands down the best we have ever had and it is now added to our book of favorites we have saved!
I’m so happy to hear you both enjoyed it! Now you don’t have to go out to enjoy it!!
I made this recipe looking for something to stuff inside some boneless chicken breasts. It was so good! I had a ton left, but not for long as my husband ate the rest of it right out of the pan. Creamy and delicious just like a great restaurants would be! Definitely making again!
I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
This dish is amazing!!! I made it with the added ingredients! Definitely a family fav!!!
I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
It was yummy! It tasted like one I used to be able to get frozen but isn’t available now. I will make this again.
Looks good! Can you wilt spinach in pan instead of pre blanching?
Sure 🙂
Re: Creamed spinach recipe:
What’s the point of using UNSALTED butter, then 4 tsp. KOSHER SALT?
Why not just use salted butter?
Ken Alford
[email protected]
I like having control over how much salt I’m adding to a dish. Having it separate allows me that option.
Made this tonight and it was fabulous! I used heavy cream. Definitely will be making again!
Thanks for coming back to let me know how much you enjoyed it Maureen!
The creamed spinach was way too liquid with the cream and the cheese. Lost all spinach flavor. Might be better tomorrow reheated?
This is delicious! My 3 year old, who hates veggies, will eat this. Thanks so much for the recipe!!
Yay!! I’d call that a winner!!
Delicious!??
Made this tonight and it was amazing! I added a cup of marinated chopped artichoke. Oh so good!
That sounds amazing!
I made this recipe without the cream cheese and motzerella, it was good but made a very large amount. I would suggest cutting the recipe in half and upping the amount of spinach 25%.Quick note, the only change I made was I wilted the spinach by sautéing it. This made the entire dish taste “chalky”. However a few teaspoons of lemon juice and the chalky taste disappeared.
Thanks for the feedback, Julie!
I am going to try this one soon
Amazing! My family raved over this recipe and said it would make a perfect appetizer dip for tortilla chips.
Made this recipe this evening. So delicious! Thanks for posting!!
You’re welcome, Laura!
I was wondering what the stars beside the cream cheese and mozarella cheese meant?
I put a note at the bottom of the recipe to explain but it just means that I added those two ingredients but if you want a true copycat to Morton’s, you can omit them.
I just made this (without the nutmeg since I didn’t have any) for Friendsgiving tomorrow and omg…THIS IS SO FREAKING DELICIOUS! Stop what you’re doing and make this right now, you will not be disappointed.
YAY!! So glad you enjoyed it, Alissa!
This recipe is delicious! I made it with frozen spinach and purchased 20 ounces (the recipe calls for one pound). The result was way too creamy without enough spinach so I went back and got another 20 ounces. Fabulous results. I would just make sure to have enough frozen spinach on hand (if you go that route) to adjust the amount to your liking.
Wow, that was delicious! First time I’ve tried creamed spinach. It’s a great recipe if you’re on a keto diet. (I added almond flour instead of regular flour and it worked fine).
So glad you enjoyed it, David!
I made this using frozen spinach and I don’t think I used enough. The taste was delicious but it was more like a cheesy white sauce with some spinach in it. I put it over pasta and it was fabulous! I am remaking this for thanksgiving and will add a lot more spinach this time. It should be wonderful! A nice change from the same old green bean casserole!
Can I skip the first step of wilting the spinach? I feel like if I just throw the chopped fresh spinach in the finished cream sauce, the heat of the sauce would wilt it and cook it sufficiently. Seems like an extra step- making the spinach wet then drying it lol
The reason you need this step is to lower the volume of the spinach down in the pan. It takes just a minute. I hope you enjoy it!
what do you do if youre using frozen spinach?
Just defrost and squeeze out as much water as you can. – Use 1 pound of frozen spinach. I hope you enjoy it!
This was the best I have tried. The cream cheese is an amazing addition!
Thanks, Nicole! So glad you enjoyed it!
Just made this for Thanksgiving as I usually make creamed spinach every year but always with different recipes. This is the best recipe yet. I used half of the heavy cream, half of the butter, and half of the flour. No mozzarella cheese but I had Gouda on hand so used that along with a little pepper jack. It was great and I’ll use this recipe again! Thank you.
So glad you enjoyed it, Christy!
I made this as a side for our Thanksgiving pot luck. Many of my hubby’s family members have never had creamed spinach until now. Let’s just say this was requested at next year’s gathering by EVERYONE… even the self proclaimed spinach haters lol! Perfect consistency! I used 4- 10oz boxes of frozen spinach … Put in a casserole dish after done and topped with italian blend instead of just parmesan… So amazing!! Thank you for this fantastic recipe ?
I love seeing this, Tassie! Thanks so much for the 5 stars!
like so few of the people who commented, I actually made this recipe. The flavor of the sauce was good, but it was a bit to thick and the proportion of sauce to spinach was way off. I weighed out my spinach at the grocery store, and again after blanching and squeezing out the water. It was 3lbs at the store, 1lb after blanching. it was basically all cheese sauce. ill make it again, but cut the sauce to 1/3 of the recipe and less roux. it was way too thick, not creamy at all because is was so congealed by the roux.
This looks incredible. I want to make it for Christmas. Can I make it earlier and reheat it?
You *can* but here is the thing. Reheated cheese will never be as amazing as first melted cheese. My best advice would be to cook through step #8. Then on Christmas day add a tab of extra butter to start the engine back up, melt it and get everything loosened up then add in the flour and continue. The freshly added dairy will make a big difference. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!
Amazing cheesy creamy spinach recipe! never cooked it before, but tried on the weekend with my gf, all went well until the lactose took effect and we started to fart non stopping!.
anyways, worth to try!
Congratulations for submitting the most unexpected comment in a food blog ever. Not being sarcastic. I think the novelty of your comment can be confirmed by the fact that the blogger replied to or acknowledged each and every comment submitted on this recipe but one so far 😉
Agreed, Paul! I’m also really glad to see they didn’t dock stars from the recipe just because of a personal issue!
Can I put this in a small crock pot after cooking to keep warm?
Yes, just make sure to stir it occasionally. Enjoy!
Can this be made ahead?
I’d make everything through step 9 ahead. Then 10 mins before serving add the spinach mixture to your skillet, warm gently then follow the rest of the directions. It’ll taste best when freshly cooked and it shouldn’t take much more effort than putting in the pan, lowering the heat and letting it all cook together for a final few minutes. Hope this helps!
Great recipe! Best Cream Spinach ever!
Thanks, Sunni!
Delicious
Made it on Christmas to go with a standing rib roast. I’d been hunting for a recipe incorporating cream cheese but others failed to balance that with the classic bechamel and other cheeses. This recipe was the perfect balance. I used two ten-ounce packages instead of just a pound and it was just right — not too thin, not over-saucedt. I also doubled the recipe and stuffed both boneless chicken breasts and perch filets for chicken and fish Florentines with part of the second half and chopped up frozen baby artickokes to add to the rest for a dip that was great with freshly fried tortilla chips. Thanks for creating such a delicious, versatile recipe!
P.S. I’m going to try this with fresh, undrained spinach added directly to the sauce between steps 12 and 13, then thinning with chicken bone stock to desired consistency after that, then putting in the bowls and garnishing with the parm and a wee sprinkling of nutmeg, finally flash toasting the top with a torch just before serving.
This was perfect for Christmas dinner accompanying Beef Wellington. Had no cream or half and half in the house so substituted 3/4c buttermilk and the rest nonfat milk. Improvisation was still great! Froze half the recipe for later.
Sounds like a delicious meal! So glad you all enjoyed it!
I love creamed spinach and This recipe was amazing! I made it for Christmas and at first it was mistaken for the most delicious dip ever. We all enjoyed some dip and then it was the best side at dinner. It turned back into dip later that evening and the following day with the leftovers.
I did not use the cream cheese or the other addition so it stayed true to the Morton’s original recipe. I will be making this a lot and thinking about adding artichokes and crab to turn it to the ultimate dip. Thank you for the recipe!!
The recipe is fail proof! I have made it six times, perfect for those on keto diet. I replace the half and half with heavy cream and flour with almond flour and it tastes absolutely amazing. It’s a rich dish but truly easy to make. Btw I use frozen chopped spinach, 4 packs for this recipe.
Thanks for the 5 star rating, Mark! So glad you’re enjoying the recipe.
I just tried this recipe. Mine ended up a little bit creamy, but it was delicious!! Poured it over some baked chicken breast =P yum!!
Made this for my husband’s birthday and it was the biggest hit!!! Served it with seared duck breast with cherries and port sauce and a brown rice medley. My family said I have to bring this to every dinner from now on. One thing that happened while I was making it: I discovered I didn’t have enough 1/2 and 1/2 and the flour was browning. So I added 1.5 cups of chicken stock to give me 3.5 c liquid and went ahead making the sauce. It turned out fine. I think the cream cheese makes it rich and creamy, so it was pretty forgiving. I will probably do this from now on.
Sounds delicious!
Delicious! I used heavy cream and almond flour to keep it Keto! This is an amazing side! Thank you for the recipe!
This is by FAR the best spinach recipe ever. Tastes just like Morton’s… the code has surely been cracked in regards to their secret ingredient (nutmeg). ??
Made it. Loved it! Saved the recipe. I halved the recipe since I only cook for two and I used bagged frozen spinach. Paired it with some baked cod. I scooped out some of the cream sauce, before adding the spinach, and poured it over some cooked rice to eat later. ? I give this recipe 10 stars!!
So sweet of you to say, Janet! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I found it too rich for a stand alone veggie with The mozzarella. I think it would be best to use as a stuffing or topping for a lean fish, chicken or pork instead as a vegetable.