Creamed Spinach With Caramelized Pearl Onions
If you’ve ever been to one of those steak houses that serve Creamed Spinach, just know that you too can make a delicious creamed spinach recipe at home!
It’s much simpler than you make think and add in some carmelized pearl onions for an added touch? Well, it’s more than I can describe to you.
Now, let’s talk about pearl onions. If you like or love onions (like I do), these little darlings will be a wonder to you. And in this dish, cooked until they’re browned and ultra-sweet? SO good! If you’re lucky, you can find them in the freezer section of your market. They will not need any preparation other than to thaw out. If not so fortunate? Never fear, you can find them in the produce section of your market – usually in little mesh bags.
It’s a tricky little thing to get the skins off of these little onions, but I’ll show you a simple way to do so. Simply just cut an X across the end of each (opposite the stem end).
Fill a small pot with some water and bring it to a boil.
Toss them all at once into the boiling water.
Leave them in the boiling water for one minute.
Then toss them into a colander to drain quickly.
Then just as quickly, plunge them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
Then remove them one at a time and just squeeze them right out of their skins with your fingers.
Peel the whole batch.
And if those little brown ends bother you like they do me, just slice them off with a paring knife.
Now over medium heat in a large skillet, melt two tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
When the butter begins to bubble up, add in the onions.
Stir these around often in the butter/olive oil mixture for about 10 minutes or until they get good and browned and caramelized.
Now add in one entire box of fresh organic baby spinach (I believe it’s 14 ounces found in the fresh produce section of the market).
It looks like a lot, but you won’t believe how much this will cook down. Saute this around for about 5 minutes or until the spinach wilts almost entirely.
Stir in one-half teaspoon of salt and one-fourth teaspoon of cracked black pepper. Also grate in a little nutmeg.
Nutmeg is just the right thing to do with leafy greens. Trust me.
Now if you don’t like creamed spinach, you could stop right here and this would be a fabulous side dish. And errr, maybe a healthy one as well. But if you love creamed spinach?
Then stir in one cup of heavy cream.
Simmer this for another 2 or 3 minutes or until the cream browns a little and reduces and thickens up.
Then spoon it all into a nice serving bowl.
And enjoy it immediately.
And immensely.
Make sure you have it with steak. It’s a favorite with steak.
And the good news is, you don’t have to go out…you can have it at home.
- 1 10 oz. bag pearl onions
- 2 T. butter
- 2 T. olive oil
- 1 14 oz. box fresh baby spinach leaves
- ½ t. salt
- ¼ t. pepper
- ⅛ t. nutmeg
- 1 c. heavy cream
- If using frozen onions, thaw according to instructions. If using fresh, to peel - cut slits in the opposite end from the stem end in the shape of an X.
- Drop into boiling pot of water for one minute, then remove to an ice bath.
- Squeeze onions out of skins.
- Melt butter and olive oil in large skillet and add onions. Cook over medium heat, stirring often until browned and caramelized about 10 minutes.
- Add in all of spinach and saute until spinach has wilted about 3-4 minutes.
- Add in salt, pepper and grate in nutmeg.
- Add in cream and cook until cream reduces and thickens a bit about 3 minutes more.
- Serve immediately!
