Simple and Creamy Asiago Creamed Spinach Recipe: The Rebel Way

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Please, add Asiago creamed spinach to your recipe box. This is an easy creamed spinach recipe. I have broken every rule for you, hence, the rebel way. I am a huge fan of creamed spinach; it is one of my favorite sides. After having the best mouth-watering creamed spinach at a local steakhouse, I started searching for a recipe. I’m a busy mom. I was so discouraged by the multitude of steps. Clean, wash, boil, strain, blanch, squeeze, and dry the spinach; that, my friend, is just preparing the fresh spinach. Thus, I give you the busy mom’s rebellious recipe of Asiago creamed spinach.

Jump to Asiago Creamed Spinach Recipe

The Rebel Way

I am a rule follower that is until I started cooking multiple daily meals from scratch. Honestly, a recipe is a blueprint. Season it and make it your own. Professional bakers do not come at me. I love chemistry. Chemistry is cooking. I digress.

One week I overestimated the amount of spinach my little family could consume. I needed a way to use up a ton of spinach. So, I created this recipe. This recipe quickly ranked as one of my family’s favorite recipes.

In creating the recipe, I added Asiago cheese to the recipe because I like its sweet, nutty, and tangy flavor. Parmesan cheese because of its bold taste. I provide ranges in my recipe because if you have not tried Asiago, then go lightly and just use half of a cup accompanied with equal or more Parmesan.

It’s Pure Goodness Right Out of Your Own Kitchen!

Asiago creamed spinach is a healthy delicious vegetable side dish packed with leafy greens and garlic.

Ingredient Breakdown/ Nutrition Facts

• Spinach is filled with magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, biotin, Vitamin C, folate, and Vitamin A. It also contains about 2 grams of protein per serving and is rich in fiber. There are plenty of health benefits. Spinach is part of our daily diet.
• Garlic is filled with selenium and vitamin C. It is great for immune support and alleviating inflammation. When I cook for my family, I want to optimize the nutrition of each meal; that’s why I use garlic cloves rather than garlic powder.
• Asiago and Parmesan cheese are two great sources of calcium, protein, and Vitamin A.

Do you have picky eaters?

Offer Little Dippers

This recipe is kid approved. However, if you have picky eaters, try serving creamed spinach as a dip. Offer them dippers like pretzels, tortilla chips, veggie slices, or crackers.

Limit textures

Use baby spinach which has smaller leaves and stems. If using spinach with large stems, remove the stems. Chop the spinach leaves into smaller pieces to limit the texture and provide a smoother consistency.

Introduce new foods with favorite foods

If you offer the creamed spinach and your child doesn’t touch it even with little dippers and the spinach chopped small, offer the creamed spinach with their favorite food. Set aside a small portion of the creamed spinach in the refrigerator in an airtight container and then add it to their favorite pasta dish for their next meal. I succeed by adding it to their favorite Mac ‘n’ Cheese.

Get them involved

Kids are more likely to eat the food when they assist in the preparation.

How to Get Kids Involved in the Kitchen?

Are you nervous about getting your kids involved in the kitchen? Then, this recipe, in all of its glorious rebellion, is the perfect opportunity to start.

There are just a few steps that require a grown-up to complete. *If your kid is not ready for knife skills, please have a grown-up perform all chopping. Always supervise your kid in the kitchen.

Kids’ Jobs for Making Asiago Creamed Spinach Recipe

Kids Can:

• Plan the meal including the main dish
• Read the recipe and gather the ingredients
• Wash all produce
• Chop or cut spinach into smaller pieces*
• Add ingredients to the skillet like the chopped spinach (with supervision and if appropriate for age)
• Spoon out servings into individual containers to serve to friends and family
• Wash dishes

Lessons in the Kitchen

Teaching kids to cook is a life skill and a way to make memories.

Memories that involve smell make powerful connections in the brain!

My paraphrase

Here are some teaching ideas for making Asiago creamed spinach:

• Discuss the senses: textures, colors, smells, and tastes
• Count the ingredients
• Measure out and weigh the ingredients to teach about weight and volume
• Use scissors to cut spinach leaves to practice scissor skills
• Pour ingredients to practice pouring skills
• Follow one-step or multiple step directions
• Self-care by learning to cook healthy meals
• Safely work and serve in the kitchen
• Clean the kitchen properly

Now a bit of science!

If you cook with kids, be prepared for questions ranging from biology to chemistry.

Why do vegetables turn bright green when cooked?

Do you remember making a cake that resembled a plant cell in biology? Yeah. We are going to make that information useful now.

Chloroplasts are little and important organelles within the plant cell that contain chlorophyll. They have many jobs: such as helping the plant harvest energy from the sun. Also, they help the plant acclimate to the stresses of their world.

When the spinach leaves are heated, it causes stress and the rigid cell walls of the plant begin to break down and the green pigmented gases, chlorophyll, become visible. This is very simplified. I provided links for a deeper dive into plant biology.

How to make Creamy Asiago Creamed Spinach Recipe: The Rebel Way

Serving Size: 2-3 Adults

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Equipment

• Cast iron skillet (size depends on servings)
• Wooden spatula
• Whisk
• Optional: sharp knife or scissors to chop spinach

Ingredient List

• 1/2 pound fresh, washed, and dried baby spinach
• 2 tbsp olive oil or butter to sauté spinach
• 4-6 tbsp butter (I use salted, adjust salt accordingly)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic (peeled and finely chopped)
• 1/2-1 tsp red pepper flakes (adjust for desired spiciness)
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• salt and pepper to taste (I use approximately 1/4 tsp of black pepper and 1 teaspoon salt)
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 -3/4 cup shredded Asiago cheese
• 1/4-1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Note these instructions are for a small portion, a serving size for 2-3 adults. It feeds my little family of four: my husband, my two little girls, and me. If I have guests, I will grab the large skillet. And I will triple the recipe.

Step by Step Instructions for Creamy Asiago Creamed Spinach Recipe

1. First, gather all your ingredients. I always cheat and buy a container of fresh baby spinach that is already washed and dried (I cannot get spinach to grow successfully in my garden). Roughly chop your spinach. I use scissors because it’s faster for me. You do not have to chop it. I have toddlers, and it makes it easier for them to eat and decreases the likelihood of them choking. If not using baby spinach, you might want to remove the stems.
2. Next, heat your skillet on medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, adjust to medium heat. Pack the spinach into the skillet. Add 2 tbsp olive oil to sauté the spinach. Once the spinach starts to reduce and turns bright green, push the clumps of spinach to the sides of the skillet to make a wreath. This will happen quite fast.
3. Now, melt your butter in the center of the spinach wreath and add your garlic and seasonings. Cook for 2 minutes (the smell should be lovely).
4. Then, whisk in 2 tbsp of flour to the melted butter and make a roux. Sop up all the melted butter with the flour. The texture will be smooth and thick. Now, pour in 1 cup of heavy cream. Combine the spinach with the cream mixture. Stir the mixture frequently until it has thickened. The mixture will coat the wooden spoon when finished.
5. Now, stir and melt the shredded Asiago and Parmesan cheese into the cream mixture. * I always have a few tortilla chips nearby to taste test the creamed spinach. Adjust your spices and salt accordingly.
6. Finally, ENJOY! Eat this yummy Asiago creamed spinach as a side with your main course or as an appetizer served with tortilla chips.

Notes for Asiago Creamed Spinach

• Serve warm and fresh. This creamed spinach recipe has never had the opportunity to cool off to room temperature. I recommend eating it warm. Do not let it set out for longer than 2 hours.
• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat leftovers on the stovetop and add a splash or two of whole milk to adjust the texture. The texture will be different.
• Use leftovers as a dip or add to pasta. If I had leftovers, I would make homemade Alfredo the next night or offer the creamed spinach dip with pretzels or chips as a snack.
• Do not use pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is coated with cellulose, an anti-caking agent. Cellulose is a raw fiber that is chemically treated to make gum and prevent the cheese from sticking together. This will mess up the texture of your creamed spinach.

Thanks for Stopping By!

Finally, I want to thank you for stopping by! Please say Hi in the comment section and share with me your favorite spinach dish. If you make this delicious creamy Asiago creamed spinach, please leave a comment and give this recipe a rating.

– With Great Joy, Katie

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