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Creamy Spinach Cheese Bake

Creamy Spinach Cheese Bake

Creamy Spinach Cheese Bake is fancy enough for company yet easy enough for every day. It can be made in the crock pot or a casserole dish and is Low Carb and gluten free!

Our favorite Chinese buffet has a creamed spinach that we all love.  I wanted to find a way to make it at home and came up with Creamy Spinach Cheese Bake.  

After having my this at Thanksgiving and then going to the buffet with the family, my daughter in law took some at the buffet but whispered to me, “Yours is better!”  Success! 🙂

Creamy Spinach Cheese Bake

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Does it travel well?

I made this to take to two family gatherings at Thanksgiving as a low carb side dish option for me.

Everyone raved over it!

I made a huge batch at home, put it in plastic containers in the cooler, traveled 300+ miles with it, added some to a baking dish at my Mom’s to bake in her oven for the 16 of us there, drove another 75 miles, added the rest to a crock pot to heat it at my mother-in-law’s and the 14 of us there.

It was a big hit and will be a repeat!

Can it be made ahead?

It was so easy to make ahead and warm when we needed it. I kept the cheddar cheese for the top separate and added that when I was ready to warm the spinach. It worked great!

Can it be frozen?

Yes! Freeze after cooking and in an airtight container. It can also be frozen in a baking dish if well wrapped. Cover with plastic wrap and then foil. Freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw and then rewarm.

Always a favorite!

I wrote this post in 2017 and have continued to make this dish and travel with it many times! It is still a hit everywhere I go! People love it whether they are low carb or not.

I can’t tell you how many times I have given out this recipe after people taste this! 

Creamy Spinach Cheese Bake is not just for company either. I make it for regular nights at home too. It really dresses up plainer meats like:

Grilled Marinated London Broil 

Paleo Meatloaf 

Crock Pot Garlic Herb Chicken

The Easiest Most Delicious Crock Pot Beef Ever

Ingredients:

ingredients for Creamy Spinach Cheese Bake

butter

 frozen spinach, thawed

 minced garlic (not powder, the minced that comes in a refrigerated jar or freshly minced garlic)

 onion powder

dried parsley

 heavy whipping cream

cream cheese

 grated Parmesan cheese

shredded mozzarella cheese

shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:

Gather your ingredients.

Drain the thawed spinach. You don’t want it to be watery.

Add butter, spinach, garlic, onion powder and parsley to skillet and sauté until spinach is soft.

cooking spinach in butter in skillet

Add cream and all cheeses except cheddar.

cooking spinach, cream and cheeses in skillet

Stir until blended.

Creamy Spinach Cheese Bake in cast iron skillet while cooking

If cooking in a cast iron skillet, sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350* for about 15 minutes until cheese is melted and all is heated through.

Creamy Spinach Cheese Bake in cast iron skillet

OR

Pour into greased oven safe 7×11 baking dish, sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350* for about 15 minutes until cheese is melted and all is heated through.

Creamy Spinach Cheese Bake in baking dish

OR

Put in greased crock pot and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Cook on low until warmed through and cheese is melted.

Creamy Spinach Cheese Bake in crock pot

This can be made ahead. Keep the cheese for the top separate until you are ready to warm the dish.

Add cooking time if you start with it refrigerated.

This recipe makes a 7×11 size baking dish for 8 side servings. Double for a 9×13 serving dish or 16 side servings.

Serve. Shown here with Blackened Salmon and Low Carb Jalapeno Cheese Biscuit.

Creamy Spinach Cheese Bake on plate with biscuit and fish

To make the recipe directly into slow cooker:

Thaw and drain spinach.

Spray slow cooker with non stick spray.

Add all ingredients except for cheddar cheese to slow cooker.

Stir. You will have chunks of cheeses and that is fine.

Cook on high for 1 hour.

Stir to blend all together.

Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top and cook on low another hour or so.

Creamy Spinach Cheese Bake is part of these collections:

Hundreds of Low Carb & Keto Comfort Food Recipes

79 Low Carb & Keto Vegetable Side Dish Recipes

61 Low Carb & Keto Casseroles

Over 200 Low Carb & Keto Meal Ideas

44 Low Carb Crock Pot Meals78 Dairy Free Low Carb & Keto Recipes

43 Low Carb Keto Holiday Meal Ideas

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Yield: 8 servings

Creamy Spinach Cheese Bake

Creamy Spinach Cheese Bake

Creamy Spinach Cheese Bake is fancy enough for company yet easy enough for every day. It can be made in the crock pot or a casserole dish and is Low Carb and gluten free!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 24 oz frozen spinach, thawed
  • 4 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp dried parsley
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 4 oz neufchatel cheese
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

Drain the thawed spinach. You don’t want it to be watery. Add butter, spinach, garlic, onion powder and parsley to skillet and sautee until spinach is soft.

Add cream and all cheeses except cheddar.

Stir until blended.

If cooking in a cast iron skillet, sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350* for about 15 minutes until cheese is melted and all is heated through.

OR

Pour into greased oven safe 7x11 baking dish, sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350* for about 15 minutes until cheese is melted and all is heated through.

OR

Put in greased crock pot and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Cook on low until warmed through and cheese is melted.

Notes

This can be made ahead. Keep the cheese for the top separate until you are ready to warm the dish.

Add cooking time if you start with it refrigerated.

This recipe makes a 7x11 size baking dish for 8 side servings. Double for a 9x13 serving dish or 16 side servings.

To make the recipe directly into slow cooker:

Thaw and drain spinach.

Spray slow cooker with non stick spray.

Add all ingredients except for cheddar cheese to slow cooker.

Stir. You will have chunks of cheeses and that is fine.

Cook on high for 1 hour.

Stir to blend all together.

Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top and cook on low another hour or so.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 372Total Fat 32gSaturated Fat 19gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 97mgSodium 520mgCarbohydrates 9gFiber 3gSugar 2gProtein 14g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix using unknown brands unless named in the recipe. If nutrition is important to you, I highly encourage you to verify any data you see here with your favorite nutrition calculator. Also, you can put in exactly what you used so it is the most accurate. This is just to give you an idea, as any nutrition calculation is not exactly accurate unless every single product brand used is entered. Please note also that I am not a certified nutritionist or health professional of any kind. Please consult a doctor or trained professional for medical advice.

Jessica

Tuesday 19th of November 2024

If making this in a crockpot, can all the ingredients go in & be cooked that way? Or does it need to be done on the stove first?

Cindy

Tuesday 19th of November 2024

This is a very good question! I have made this so many times but not thought to do that. I don't know why it couldn't be done that way though. We cook it in the skillet to cook the spinach and blend the cheeses and that could be done in the crock pot. I would think that if it is stirred well at the beginning and stirred again mid cooking, that it would work fine. Still drain the spinach well and keep the extra cheese for the top after the second stirring. I haven't done it yet to know for sure but I think it would work fine. I am actually going to make it for Thanksgiving and going to do it this way! Thank you for the idea. I will add my findings to the post. Let me know if you try it too! :) ~Cindy

Lane :)

Monday 6th of November 2017

Have you ever used fresh spinach?

Joy

Monday 6th of November 2017

Hi Lane, No, I have not. The frozen is so easy that I have always used that. I am sure you could though if that is what you have on hand. It would need to be cooked first so it would be the same (or close) amount of cups as the frozen. Remember how much spinach cooks down if you do this. A pound of raw spinach will be quite a few more cups than after it is cooked. My 12 oz bag of cooked spinach says it is 4 cups so this recipe calls for 8 cups of cooked spinach. I hope that helps!

Bambi

Tuesday 10th of October 2017

Do you need to thaw the spinach and squeeze the water out?

Joy

Tuesday 10th of October 2017

Hi Bambi, Yes, it needs to be thawed and any water squeezed out. I don't go to great lengths to get every drop. There isn't usually much. I will make it more clear in the directions.

Linda Mueller

Sunday 6th of August 2017

i have been looking for Houlihan's spinach dip and this one is like it. love this recipe............................

Joy

Monday 7th of August 2017

That is great, Linda! I am so glad you like it! :)

Anna L.

Monday 13th of February 2017

Love this recipe (and all others)! What a great blog!

Joy

Tuesday 14th of February 2017

Aw, thank you! I'm so glad you like it! :)

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