Tex Mex Jalapeno Creamed Spinach
If you love the creamed spinach side dish at your favorite Texas steakhouse, then you can have this same great side dish in your own home! Fresh spinach, seasoned in a fresh jalapeno-infused cream cheese sauce nestled with fresh parmesan cheese.
This recipe is a Tex Mex spin on traditional steakhouse creamed spinach and inspired by Texas Chef Jon Bonnell.
This steakhouse creamed spinach recipe uses simple ingredients: fresh spinach leaves, rich heavy cream, and the perfect blend of seasonings. What sets it apart from other steakhouse creamed spinach recipes is the addition of fresh jalapeno peppers and a hint of cayenne pepper.
These bold ingredients give traditional creamed Spinach a spicy kick and a savory depth that you won’t find anywhere else. Serve this zesty Tex Mex cream spinach as a side to your beef fajitas or as a topping for your cheese enchiladas or tamales.
Why this recipe works
Most steakhouses offer an array of side dishes including roasted asparagus, steakhouse baked potatoes and creamed spinach. The flavors of this creamed spinach sauce pair beautifully with a traditional steak or spicier Tex-Mex dishes like carne asada, enchiladas and tamales.
- Blanching the fresh spinach first allows the spinach to retain its nutrients and bright green color
- Easy stovetop creamed spinach recipe – you can use frozen spinach as well, just make sure it’s well-drained and there’s no excess liquid
- Quick and easy – a great low-carb side dish
Ingredients
Most cream spinach recipes call for a pound of fresh baby spinach, but my store didn’t have any “fresh spinach,” so I used the bagged variety. This makes about 4 cups so if you’re feeding a big group, you might want to double the recipe.
- 2 pounds fresh baby spinach – fresh or use the bagged variety; you can use baby spinach or mature spinach; just be sure to remove the stems
- Butter-I use unsalted
- All-purpose flour
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Jalapeno – fresh jalapeno; finely diced; get 2 big jalapenos; you’ll need 1/2 cup of chopped jalapenos for the recipe
- Heavy cream
- Cream cheese – I like the Aloquette brand of Smoked Jalapeno Cream Cheese; it’s usually in the deli section of the grocer near the “fancy” cheeses
- Cayenne pepper (optional)
- Parmesan cheese
- Salt
- Pepper
How to make Jalapeno creamed spinach
This is an overview. For exact ingredient measurements and instructions, see recipe card below.
Creamed spinach doesn’t take long to make, especially if you do your meal prep first: Seed and finely dice the jalapenos; set aside
Next, bring a large stockpot of water to high heat; add baby spinach leaves to hot water for 3 minutes; use a strainer, slotted spoon or spider and transfer the spinach to a bowl of cold ice water (ice water bath); drain and set aside
In a large skillet on medium to medium-high heat, add in butter; melt butter, sprinkle in the flour; stir this roux with a wooden spoon; add in half of the diced jalapenos and cook 3-5 minutes;
Turn heat to low and add the Aloquette jalapeno cream cheese, room temperature heavy cream, onion powder, garlic powder and cayenne pepper; combine well
Add drained fresh spinach to the creamy sauce and combine; add remaining chopped jalapenos, add parmesan cheese; season to taste with salt and black pepper
Recipe tips
Don’t skip the blanching and cold water steps; this keeps the wilted spinach fresh and bright green and also ensures the spinach is clean
If you want a thinner sauce, add a little more heavy cream
For a thicker creamed spinach, add a little cream cheese -this will provide a creamy consistency
This recipe makes about 3 1/2 – 4 cups of creamed spinach
Storage and reheating
You can make this Tex Mex Jalapeno creamed spinach recipe up to 3 days in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, transfer to a microwave safe baking dish and reheat on low until warm throughout.
This classic steakhouse side dish is a staple at many great American steakhouses and for good reason! It pairs beautifully with not only with a steak dinner, but with pork chops and fish dishes as well.
Tex-Mex Jalapeno Creamed Spinach
Ingredients
- 20 ounces raw spinach See Recipe notes below
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large jalapenos (½ cup chopped and divided)
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- ⅓ cup Aloquette smoked jalapeno cream cheese See Recipe notes below
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
Prep
- Seed and finely dice the jalapenos; set aside2 large jalapenos
- Take the heavy cream out of the fridge and let it warm to room temperature
- Bring a large pot of water to high heat; in the meantime, fill a big bowl full of ice water and set it next to the pot of hot water
- Working in batches, submerge the spinach leaves into the hot water for 2 minutes; remove using a spider or tongs and place the spinach in the cold water bath; repeat until all spinach leaves are blanched; remove any big stems from the spinach while it's in the cold water; drain and set aside20 ounces raw spinach
- In a large skillet on medium heat, add butter; once butter is melted sprinkle in flour and combine using a wooden spoon; stir this up real good then add half of the chopped jalapenos; cook another 2-3 minutes until you can smell the jalapenos4 tablespoons unsalted butter, ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- Add heavy cream, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne powder and the smoked jalapeno cream cheese; combine on medium heat until the cream cheese is melted; add in the spinach1½ cups heavy cream, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ⅓ cup Aloquette smoked jalapeno cream cheese
- Combine the spinach in the skillet until it's well coated and cook it for about 5-8 more minutes until the spinach begins to shrink
- Add parmesan cheese; stir well; add salt and black pepper if needed; transfer to serving bowl and enjoy2 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese
