Skip to Main Content
Test Kitchen Approved

Creamy Spinach Bake

Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

About

Creamy Spinach Bake saw your favorite spinach dip and thought "But what if we did this on a grander scale?" It's definitely creamy and herbaceous and loaded with rich garlic flavor, all of which accents the tender, garden-fresh spinach. There are succulent and savory bacon crumbles mixed in, with smoky Gruyère and even a little lemon flavor to keep things zesty! In fact, there are so many dimensions to Creamy Spinach Bake's flavor, you'll wonder why it's just a side dish... it tastes like it should be the main course!

Recommended Articles

Ingredients

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup cream
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 5 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 1/2 pounds fresh spinach leaves
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup onions, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup Gruyère cheese, grated
  • 2 tablespoons lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Step 1 -Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 2 -In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the milk, the cream, the cloves, the bay leaf, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and cook, while stirring, until it comes to a boil.

Step 3 -Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the milk mixture for 10 minutes.

Step 4 -Transfer the saucepan from the heat and strain the milk mixture into a clean saucepan, discarding the cloves and the bay leaf.

Step 5 -Cover the saucepan to keep the milk mixture warm and set it aside.

Step 6 -In a large skillet over medium heat, add the bacon and cook until browned and crisp, about 5-7 minutes.

Step 7 -Reserve 3 tablespoons of the fat in a small bowl and drain and discard the remainder.

Step 8 -In the same skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the reserved bacon drippings.

Step 9 -Add 1/3 of the spinach to the hot bacon drippings and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes.

Step 10 -Transfer the wilted spinach to a bowl and season it with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt.

Step 11 -Repeat the wilting process in two batches with the remaining bacon fat, the remaining spinach, and the remaining salt.

Step 12 -Squeeze the liquid out of the spinach and finely chop it.

Step 13 -In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt the butter.

Step 14 -Add the onions and the garlic to the melted butter and cook until very softened, about 10 minutes.

Step 15 -Add the flour to the onion-garlic mixture and cook, while stirring, until lightly golden, about 2 minutes.

Step 16 -Add the hot milk mixture to the flour mixture and bring it to a boil.

Step 17 -Add the cheese, the lemon zest, the lemon juice, the pepper, and the bacon to the cream sauce mixture and whisk until smooth.

Step 18 -Pour the cream sauce over the spinach and stir to combine.

Step 19 -Transfer the mixture to an 11-inch round baking dish.

Step 20 -Bake until the top is lightly browned, about 35 minutes.

Step 21 -Serve immediately.

Explore More Favorites