Spinach Parmesan Casserole is an easy weeknight side dish with the perfect ingredients that is made in 30 minutes and is full of flavor!
A Veggie side dish is great for any meal and this yummy, easy spinach casserole is a lighter side perfect for weeknight dinners. Try other delicious side dishes like my Garlic Shiitake Mushrooms or my Melting Sweet Potatoes with minimal prep time and bake time.
Sabrina’s Spinach Parmesan Casserole Recipe
This Parmesan Spinach Casserole is a tasty veggie side that you can feel good about serving any time of the year. It’s a low-carb, gluten-free, and vegetarian side dish packed with flavor and vitamins. Loaded with vitamin A, calcium, and potassium, this is the best cheesy casserole to give your family the nutrition they need in a yummy veggie dish they love. It is an easy recipe for busy weeknights but it’s also a beautiful spinach casserole, making a great choice for dinner parties too. You can prepare it ahead of time or put it together while your main dish is in the oven or slow cooker. This casserole also makes a lighter steak dinner side dish for special occasions too!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh baby spinach
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese , grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8×8 baking dish.
- In a large pot bring 5 cups lightly salted water to a boil.
- Add spinach and cook, covered, 1 minute or just until wilted. Drain well.
- In a small skillet, heat butter and oil over medium-low heat.
- Add garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt. Cook and stir until garlic is tender, 1-2 minutes.
- Spread spinach in baking dish. Drizzle with butter mixture and sprinkle with cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is lightly browned.
Nutrition
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Chef’s Note
The reason you cook the spinach beforehand is to remove the bitterness and it releases the excess water so you don’t have a watery casserole. You can cool the spinach in ice water before draining to stop the cooking and preserve more of the color and texture.
Table of contents
About this Recipe
Just because Parmesan Spinach Casserole is a light dish, doesn’t mean that it’s not packed with flavor! This delicious spinach casserole recipe is filled with buttery, garlicky sauce and nutty Parmesan cheese in every bite. The golden-brown Parmesan cheese crust adds a tasty crunchy texture and extra layer of flavor. Fresh spinach is a healthy, delicious veggie that makes weeknight dinners a breeze. Spinach and a handful of ingredients turn into a weeknight side dish that goes perfect with all your family’s favorite dinner recipes. This simple cheesy spinach casserole is made in less than 30 minutes so you can make it anytime you need a quick vegetable dish.
Ingredients
- Spinach: Baby spinach is perfect because it’s less bitter and you don’t have to do any trimming (and usually no cleaning) meaning way less prep time! The fresh spinach leaves need to be cooked for about a minute ahead of time so your casserole isn’t watery. You just cook them long enough to wilt and release any excess moisture but not fully cooked.
- Butter and Olive Oil: Heating butter and oil together actually increases the smoking point of the butter so it won’t burn while you cook the garlic. Plus you still get that rich buttery flavor instead of just olive oil.
- Seasonings: This delicious casserole is flavored with just a few basic seasonings. Some fresh garlic, Italian seasoning, and kosher salt are all this light and tasty spinach recipe needs.
- Parmesan Cheese: The freshly grated Parmesan cheese adds another layer of salty, nutty flavor plus it forms an amazing, cheesy crust. It makes the dish taste decadent and rich without adding tons of calories or fat!
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Baking Dish: This recipe is made in an 8 by 8 inch baking dish for a casual weeknight dinner and serves about 6 people. If you want to serve a larger crowd, double the recipe and bake it in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Oven: This recipe starts on the stove top and finishes in the oven on fairly high heat. Baking it in a 400 degree oven means a quicker cook time, just long enough to get a melty cheesy bubbly spinach casserole.
Pairing Suggestions
- Weeknight Dinner: Serve your Parmesan Spinach Casserole with all your favorite easy, weeknight main dishes like Garlic Pork Loin or Classic Meatloaf. Your Spinach Casserole can bake in the oven while your meat rests and be done by the time you set the table.
- Holiday Dinner: This light and easy casserole is perfect low-carb side for Thanksgiving, Christmas Dinner, and Easter to make more room for Baked Mac and Cheese, Mashed Potatoes, and Roast Turkey!
How to Store
- Store: Don’t leave Parmesan Spinach Casserole for more than 2 hours at room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap for up to 5 days.
- Reheat: It’s best to reheat this spinach casserole in a 350 degree oven until it’s warmed through. Cover it with foil so it doesn’t dry out or burn while it heats up.
- Freeze: This casserole can be frozen wrapped tightly with plastic wrap or in a sealed container for up to 3 months. Cool completely before freezing to keep moisture from collecting.
Frequent Questions
You can definitely use frozen spinach in place of fresh spinach in this casserole dish. Thaw your spinach and drain well. Since 1 ½ cups of fresh spinach equals about 10 ounces of frozen spinach, you will want to use about 15 ounces of frozen spinach in this recipe.
It might not look like it but fresh spinach leaves have a lot of excess water that gets released as they cook. To prevent a watery casserole, it is best to cook the spinach for a minute then drain it well before adding it to the dish.
Make this a vegan Spinach Casserole by substituting nutritional yeast and bread crumbs for the topping and replacing the butter with more olive oil or your favorite vegan butter. Nutritional yeast has a delicious nutty, Parmesan cheese taste without dairy and can be found at most natural food stores.
If you have a large dutch oven, you can easily make this a one pan dish. Just boil the spinach in the pot, then drain and wipe out any excess water before making the butter mixture. Stir the spinach into the butter, cover with cheese and bake as usual.
Variations
- Breadcrumb Topping: Add more crunch to the topping by mixing a half cup of Italian bread crumbs with the Parmesan cheese.
- Buttery Cracker Topping: Another crunchy topping you could add is buttery cracker crumbs. Toss them with the cheese and bake as usual.
- Crispy Onion Topping: If you have some French-fried onions in your cabinet, like the kind you use for other holiday casseroles, why not sprinkle those on top for a savory, crispy topping.
- Greens: Use your favorite fresh leafy greens instead of spinach like kale, mustard greens, or Swiss chard. You may need to boil them just a bit longer until they are wilted.
- Veggies: The melted butter garlic sauce and grated Parmesan topping would go great on other veggies like zucchini, summer squash, cauliflower, or broccoli.
- Cream Cheese: Make this a creamy spinach bake by melting cream cheese in with your butter, olive oil, and garlic before pouring it over the spinach.
- Cheese: Go from Italian-inspired to Greek by substituting feta cheese for the Parmesan. You can also add other shredded cheese like cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, or Swiss cheese.
- Seasoning: Give this Spinach Casserole different flavors by adding red pepper flakes, ground nutmeg, chili powder, or paprika.
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