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Creamed Spinach Rice combines the vintage spinach recipe with delicious rice for a hearty side. It’s great with ham and lamb for Easter, but also grilled chicken or even steaks.

I’ve never made creamed spinach, but I have made creamed collard greens. Which is kind of the same thing. Just with a different green. And I didn’t believe that creamed spinach (or in that case collard greens) was really just vegetable cooked with cream.

What is creamed spinach?

It’s spinach with a cheesy cream sauce. It’s like spinach alfredo. The sauce is very much like an alfredo sauce. Simmering cream until it’s thickened and then adding Parmesan cheese is exactly how I make my alfredo sauce. I even put a little nutmeg in there because I insist that all creamy cheese sauces should have some in there. It’s a level of flavor you don’t really taste but know it’s there.

Some recipes simmer the cream until it’s thickened. And some use a beurre manié to thicken the sauce. That’s just a fancy way of saying butter mixed with flour. I’d rather let the cream do what it’s supposed to do and thicken on its own. It makes for a more delicious sauce.

What is Creamed Spinach Rice?

It’s an idea I had as I repurposed some rice pilaf the other day. For some reason, I made enough homemade rice pilaf for the whole neighborhood. And you all know how I don’t like to waste food. So, I had to find a way to use up the leftover rice. Not just reheat it and eat it again.

I combined the idea of alfredo sauce with the leftover rice. I simmered the cream and added cheese. Then I stirred in the rice after I reheated it in the microwave. That made the rice oh so creamy and delicious. It was the best way to repurpose the leftover rice pilaf.

That’s when I thought about the spinach that I had in the fridge. I made orzo with sausage and spinach. And I usually use orzo with my rice pilaf. So, it was a natural conclusion to combine the alfredo leftover rice I made with creamed spinach. And this Creamed Spinach Rice was born.

What do you need to make Creamed Spinach Rice?

• butter and oil
• rice
• shallots and garlic
• chicken bouillon
• garlic and onion powder, sage, rosemary, and crushed red pepper
• chicken broth and heavy cream
• spinach
• Parmesan cheese

There’s nothing magical in there. They are all common ingredients that you might have in your kitchen right now! And there are no complex techniques in making creamed spinach rice. If you can make rice, then you can easily make this recipe for your Easter dinner, or any dinner for that matter.

How do you make Creamed Spinach Rice?

It starts basically with rice pilaf. We rarely if ever had boxed pilaf mixes when I was growing up. We made it from scratch almost all the time. The same with the boxed mac and cheese, too. But that’s another story.

Rice pilaf starts with toasting the rice. Toasting the rice adds a depth of flavor to the pilaf. It makes the rice have a little nutty flavor. Once the rice is toasted, the garlic and shallot go into the pan. I don’t add the aromatics with the rice because I don’t want the garlic to start to overcook and turn bitter.

Then I add the herbs and spices. I let them toast in the pan a little before the chicken stock goes into the pan. It heightens the flavors of the herbs and spices if you let them heat up before the liquid is introduced to the pan.

The broth goes into the pan and let it come to a boil. Then reduce the heat and cover the pan. Simmer the rice 15 minutes and check it. If it’s al dente then you can add the spinach. I used fresh spinach. If you want to use frozen spinach, make sure you squeeze it dry. There’s a LOT of liquid in frozen spinach.

Cover the pan and let the rice finish cooking 5 to 10 minutes. That’s when you stir in the cream. Let the cream heat up and start to thicken before stirring in the Parmesan cheese. Less is more in the case of this recipe. You think 1/4 cup doesn’t seem like a lot. At least for a cheese lover like me. But it really is the perfect amount.

What does creamed spinach rice taste like?

Oh so creamy and delicious. The rice has a rich flavor with all the broth and seasoning that the rice absorbed. The spinach is tender and plays off the flavor of the rice. Then there’s the creamy Parmesan sauce. It brings this whole dish together.

You can easily scale this recipe up or down as you need. Double for large family gathering, or half it just for the two of you. That’s what I love about this recipe. It’s so customizable! And perfect for Easter dinner or any dinner for that matter.

Delicious Easter Dinner

• Creamed Spinach Rice from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Honey Mustard Glazed Ham from Jen Around the World
• Instant Pot Ham Stock from Palatable Pastime
• Kale Sweet Potato Salad from Art of Natural Living
• Rosemary Grilled Leg of Lamb from That Recipe

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