Spinach Madeline is an easy creamed spinach side dish that's kicked up a notch with Pepper Jack Cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and spices.
This recipe can be ready to serve in about 30 minutes if you use an oven-safe dish for the stovetop portion of the recipe. It's a perfect dish for a family or a dinner party as it can also be made ahead and reheated before serving.
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Anytime I see creamed spinach on the menu, I order it. It's one of my favorite comfort side dishes and never disappoints. But THIS creamed spinach dish is The Best. It's called Spinach Madeline, sometimes spelled Spinach Madeleine. The original recipe hails from south Louisiana. Think of it as a kicked-up creamy spinach with Pepper Jack cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and spices.
It's an excellent comfort food side dish with almost any meal. Served Spinach Madeline with butternut squash steaks or cauliflower steaks with lentils for a satisfying meal.
The only trick to this irresistible dish is the roux.
🤷♀️ What is a roux?
A roux is common in French cuisine as a thickening agent for sauces and is often seen in Cajan recipes as well. At its most basic, a roux is equal parts of flour and fat (either butter or oil) that are cooked over low heat until the flour is lightly browned.
A liquid is then whisked in, over heat, until thickened. The liquid can be milk, cream, or broth, depending on how the roux will be used.
👩🍳 How to make a perfect silky roux
- Melt butter over medium heat, and gently whisk in an equal amount of flour until the mixture completely clumps up. The photo above on the far left looks clumpy since it includes sautéed onions.
- Gently nudge the moistened flour around the pan until it's lightly browned before adding the liquid. It will smell a little like biscuits or have a nutty aroma. This can take 3 - 4 minutes.
- Lower the heat to low.
- Gradually whisk in the liquid, starting with only ¼ cup, constantly whisking to ensure a smooth sauce. After the first addition of liquid is incorporated, like in the middle photo above, add additional liquid. Once it's incorporated, whisk in the remaining liquid.
- Increase to medium heat to keep the sauce thickening, and continue whisking to ensure a smooth, silky sauce. As the liquid gently simmers, it quickly thickens. Dip a spoon into the roux. Once it coats the back of the spoon, it's ready.
If the roux is too thick, whisk in a little more liquid. If it's too thin, add a little more flour. But remember, a little flour goes a long way once the roux simmers.
🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes
The secret to faster and easier meals often lies in the ingredients. For example, store-bought items and ingredients you make ahead and store in the refrigerator (or freezer) can turn a 60-minute recipe into a 30-minute meal or less.
For all of the ingredients, measurements, and directions, go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.
- Frozen spinach - Don't substitute fresh spinach. You want the spinach juices that are easily captured in the bags. Fresh spinach makes this dish too dry.
- Milk - Whole milk is best, but you can lighten it with 2% milk or make it richer with half-and-half.
- Annie's Worcestershire sauce - Annie's is vegetarian. The standard versions use anchovies as an ingredient.
- Spices - Celery salt, garlic salt, and black pepper.
- Pepper Jack Cheese or Monterey Jack Cheese
📝 Instructions Overview
Detailed instructions for making this spinach madeleine recipe are in the Recipe Card below, but here's an overview in photos!
👩🍳 Can I bake this casserole in the skillet?
Yes. There are two equally great ways to make this Spinach Madeline:
1 - Start the dish on the stovetop, transfer it to a baking dish, top with cheese and bake; or
2 - Start the casserole on the stovetop using an oven-safe skillet, top with cheese, and slide the skillet into the oven to bake. Since the pan is already hot, you only need to bake the casserole for 10 minutes in the oven once you top it with cheese.
💡Ideas for Possible Variations
- Experiment with different cheeses.
- Sprinkle some bread crumbs over the top of the cheese before baking in the oven.
- Add a couple of dashes of hot sauce or red pepper flakes for more spice to the dish.
- For a richer dish, substitute half or all of the whole milk with half-and-half or heavy cream.
- If you want to take this creamed spinach in a vegan direction, I recommend this creamed spinach casserole, which uses butter, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses that are all plant-based and a vegan bechamel made from ground walnuts, nutritional yeast, and garlic powder.
Best Ever Spinach Madeline (So Creamy!)
Ingredients
- 18 ounces frozen spinach either chopped spinach or unchopped
- ⅓ cup reserved spinach liquid from the frozen spinach
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
- ¾ cup finely diced yellow onion about ¾ of a small onion
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce see Ingredient Notes
- ¾ teaspoon garlic salt
- ¾ teaspoon celery salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ cups grated Pepper Jack cheese divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Butter a 1-quart baking dish and set aside.
- Cook spinach. Cook the frozen spinach according to the package directions. You will need some of the spinach juices so be sure to cook it in its plastic bag. I puncture the bag, place it in a microwave-safe bowl, and follow the microwave directions. Cool until the bag is easily handled with your hands, and drain the spinach in a strainer or colander nested over a bowl to reserve the juices. Place a small plate over the spinach and press down to squeeze out most of the juices. Or use a large spoon to press the spinach. Reserve ⅓ cup of the spinach juice and set aside. Reserve the remaining juice for another purpose.
- Make roux. Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the finely diced onion and sauté until softened, about 4 minutes.Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir into the butter using a wooden spoon. Cook until the flour is lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Lower the heat to medium-low or low heat.Gradually whisk in the milk and reserved spinach juice. Continually whisk until the sauce thickens. Once a smooth sauce forms, increase the heat to bring the sauce to a very low simmer. (See How to Make Roux in the post for more details and photos.)
- Pro Tip: The flour must be cooked, before adding the liquid in the next step. It will smell a little like biscuits, and not at all like raw flour. (See the notes for more details.)
- Finish. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and spices using a wooden spoon. Add the drained spinach and fold in 1 cup of the grated cheese.
- Bake. Transfer the spinach mixture to the prepared baking dish, and top it with the remaining cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, until the casserole is lightly bubbling and the cheese is melted and golden brown. If you prefer to bake the dish in the skillet, you only need to bake the spinach madeline for 10 minutes or until the casserole is lightly bubbling. This is because the pan is already hot.
- Serve warm.
- Make Ahead Pro-Tips: If making this in advance, bake, cool, and tightly cover the casserole. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Rewarm before serving. Or follow the steps up to sliding it into the oven. Cool, cover tightly and slide into the refrigerator for up to 2 days. When ready to serve, bring the casserole to room temperature, sprinkle with the remaining cheese, and bake.
Nutrition
What, you may wonder, is Freaky Friday??
For starters, it's how I found this fabulous recipe that I guarantee you will love.
It's a group of food bloggers who are secretly assigned to one another’s blogs to make a recipe from. Then we all reveal who we had and what we made on the same Friday. And that's TODAY!
Many thanks to Michaela from An Affair from the Heart, who created and hosts this blog hop. At the bottom of this post, you'll see a list of all of the other recipes our group cooked up - that's what makes it a blog hop :-).
This dish of warm comfort comes from Erin at The Speckled Palate blog.
🎉 What Did Everyone Else Make??
Now it’s time to see what all of the other participating bloggers made! Seriously, go check them out!
- An Affair from the Heart - Homemade German Chocolate Cake
- Aunt Bee's Recipes - Cafe Rio Sweet Pork
- Devour Dinner - Sweetie Pie's Mac and Cheese
- Family Around the Table - Easy Garlic Knots
- Feast + West - Chocolate Cake with Irish Buttercream
- Fresh April Flours - Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits
- The Fresh Cooky - Easy Mini King Cake Recipe with Crescent Rolls
- Hostess at Heart - Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Blondies
- House of Nash Eats - Pizza Casserole
- Kathryn's Kitchen Blog - Cheesy Garlic Bread
- Lemoine Family Kitchen - Breakfast Chorizo Enchilada Bake
- Life, Love & Good Food - Cheddar Cheese Popcorn
- The Speckled Palate - Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Sue Bee Homemaker - Cornbread Tamale Pie
- Take Two Tapas - Whipped Feta Dip
- The Wimpy Vegetarian - Spinach Madeline
🌱
Author: Susan Pridmore
Owner, The Wimpy Vegetarian
Professional Recipe Developer
Read my story
Michaela Kenkel
This looks incredible! What a delightful side dish recipe! I just added it to my ideas for my Easter menu! So happy to have you be a part of our group!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much! It's seriously one of my favorites now. I've made it several times, and it's perfect for taking to pot luck dinners we go to. I love this group you've created! Thanks for letting me join in all the fun!!
Sheila Thigpen
One of our local restaurants has a similar dish, Spinach Maria, and it's a little spicy, too. Can't wait to try Erin's recipe with the roux — yummy!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
It's absolutely delicious! Erin's recipe is a winner!
Jules
This recipe was absolutely amazing! So creamy and delicious!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm so excited you made it! Erin's recipe is so easy and so delicious!
Amy Nash
This sounds incredible. I'm adding it to our menu plan for next week for our Meatless Monday meal.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
It does not disappoint!! I hope you and your family like it 🙂
Lynn @ Fresh April Flours
Ohhhh, I would totally add quinoa to mine. This sounds delish!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
That's exactly what I'm doing with my next batch!
Jennifer
I love creamed spinach and this is top notch!! Your tips for the silky roux (which is the key I agree) are awesome. My roux has never been better!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thank you so much!!
Ellen
We love creamed spinach and I think adding pepper jack cheese is brilliant! A great addition of flavor.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much! It's really such a great dish for any occasion!
Sue Ringsdorf
I love incorporating meatless meals into my routine, and honestly, my boys all loved it! It's pretty simple to make and the flavors were outstanding. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
My husband, a big meat eater, LOVED this dish!!
Erin
I love, love, love that you made this dish because it is one of our all-time favorites to serve with basically anything! It's so special and so delicious and so perfect for any occasion. I love that you loved it, too, and hope that you and yours can make it for years to come!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I had so much fun visiting your blog through the month, and have pinned several other dishes I want to make. This one will be a favorite for a long time to come!
Angela
Absolutely loved this creamed spinach! SO easy to make and full of flavor! Thanks for sharing.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
It's one of my favorite things I've made lately. Thank you so much!
Kathryn
I love creamed spinach so I know I'll LOVE this. Adding this to the menu tomorrow and I love the cheesy pepper jack on top, so delicious! I have all the ingredients so I can't wait!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
One of the things I love about this recipe is I usually have all the ingredients on hand. I hope you and your family enjoy it too!!
Kathleen Pope
Making this next week, love the idea of adding quinoa to make it a bit heartier! Can't wait to try it!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Yes! I'm always looking for ways to turn a great side dish into a protein packed main dish for me! I hope you and your family enjoy it!!
Aditi Bhardwaj
This Creamed Spinach is just amazing just hoping to make it soon and want to get praised by my family. thaks for sharing the recipe.
Susannah
Oh I've always loved this dish! I haven't made it in ages but I can't wait to do so again soon.
Rebecca
I've saved this recipe to give it a try. I think it will be so perfect when the family comes to dinner.
Brandi Burgess
This was absolutely epic! We love spinach and this may be our new favorite way to cook it!
Sally
This looks so good and I really want to make it. Just wondering how to do it in the instant pot? Any ideas? (I just seem to cook everything in the instant pot now)
Ceallaigh Mac
OK, my first EVER, online review. This recipe is AMAZING! I used King Arthur Gluten Free flour for the roux for our gluten free fans and this was the favorite dish of the Day! Thank you @thewimpyvegetarian!!!!
Susan Pridmore
That makes me sooooo happy!!!! Yay!!! Thank you for letting me know!