This creamed fresh spinach gratin recipe is heavy and rich and so dang good, especially with the crunchy panko bread crumb topping.

Fresh spinach is baked with nutmeg, heavy whipping cream, Parmesan cheese, and lots of butter to take it over the top.

Spinach Gratin with a Crunchy breaded topping in a copper baking pan on a wood floor.

Creamy Spinach Gratin Indulgence

I don't indulge much, but spinach gratin is one thing that hits the spot. Creamed spinach gratin is perfect for the holidays or the occasional rich dish. You will not have leftovers.

This gratin recipe calls for boiling the spinach but you can also use a steaming basket to cook the spinach. The spinach still needs to have excess water "wrung out" with either cooking method before continuing with the rest of the recipe.

Use Frozen Spinach Instead of Fresh

Want to use frozen spinach instead of fresh for spinach gratin? Cool - use ~ 8-10 oz frozen per pound of fresh spinach. Defrost completely and wring any excess water out.

Don't skip the buttery panko breadcrumb topping. It ties together the creaminess and richness of spinach gratin.

Top view of Spinach Gratin (uncooked) with a Crunchy breaded topping in a copper baking pan on a brick floor. — *Getting ready to go in the oven.*

Things In My Kitchen:

Over the sink colander - For when you don't want your colander sitting in your dirty sink.

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Creamed Fresh Spinach Gratin

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EatSimpleFood.com

This creamed fresh spinach gratin recipe is heavy and rich and so dang good, especially with the crunchy panko bread crumb topping. Fresh spinach is baked with nutmeg, heavy whipping cream, Parmesan cheese, and lots of butter to take it over the top.

Author: beckie
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 8
Category: Side Dish
Method: Stovetop / Oven
Cuisine: International
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

5 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2lb fresh spinach
1 ¼ cup onion, diced
2 tablespoon flour
1 cup heavy whipping cream
¾ cup milk
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
⅔ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F.
Bring a pan to medium heat, melt 3 tablespoon butter, and add the bread crumbs to coat. Remove from heat and set aside. The purpose is to coat the bread crumbs with the melted butter, not to brown them.
Fill a large pot with 2 inches of water, bring to a boil and add spinach to simmering water until wilted (a couple minutes). Work with a couple handfuls at a time unless you have a huge pot. Tongs work well to move the spinach around and get it to the colander.
Transfer cooked spinach to a colander and drain.
Run cool water over spinach and wring out most of the excess liquid. You can break apart the cooked spinach with your hands at this point unless you would rather chop it. Set Spinach aside.
Bring a large pan to medium heat and add 2 tablespoon butter and onions. Reduce heat and cook covered ("sweat") ~ 5-7 minutes or until translucent.
Stir in flour and cook for ~ 1-2 minutes.
Stir in nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
Slowly add cream and milk and bring to a simmer (stirring constantly). Reduce heat and stir in Parmesan cheese.
Remove from heat and add spinach to sauce and transfer to a ~ 9x9x2 baking dish.
Top with buttered panko bread crumbs.
Cook uncovered ~ 20 minutes or until bubbling. Place a piece of foil over the breadcrumbs if they start to turn brown or burn.
Cool before serving. Add salt to taste. Happy Eating! Beckie

Notes

You can also use a steaming basket to cook the spinach but will still need to wring out excess water.
You can also use 20 oz defrosted frozen spinach (any water squeezed out) and skip this step if you prefer.