Delicious, silky creamed spinach makes any meal more luxurious. Unfortunately, when made with cream and butter – and as with the most revered creamed spinach, like that served at Lawry’s Prime Rib, lots of bacon — a single 1/2 cup serving of once healthy spinach can serve up over 300 unhealthy calories.

My goal when creating this recipe was to create a luscious, flavorful, silky creamed spinach – and nothing less would do. I tried lots of better-for-you recipes, but none had the rich taste and silky texture I was looking for. In the end, (after far too many trials to count!), I found the secret to creating the deliciousness was cooking the spinach first, adding a bit of light cream cheese for body, and a hint of liquid smoke to lend the smokiness of bacon. All told it gave me creamed spinach that rivals the best. Serve it with ham, lamb, steak, seafood, chicken, or seriously, anything else that suits your fancy!

Makes 6 servings

 Ingredients

2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach
2 teaspoons butter
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots or onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
3 tablespoons light cream cheese
3/4 teaspoon seasoned salt (I use Lawry’s 25% less sodium)
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Place the spinach in a large microwave-safe bowl, add 1/2 cup of water, cover, and microwave on high for 9 minutes. Move the spinach to a colander and use a small pot lid or plate to press down firmly, squeezing out the cooking liquid until the spinach is almost dry.

2. In a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the shallots and cook until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.

3. Stir the cornstarch into the milk along with the liquid smoke. Add the mixture to the pan, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Reduce heat to low and stir in the cream cheese, seasoned salt and pepper. Cook until smooth.

4. Stir in spinach and increase the heat to medium. Turn the spinach in the sauce and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until thoroughly coated and creamy (if adding the spinach creates excess water, continue cooking until the water is cooked off). Stir in Parmesan cheese and serve.

Dare to Compare: The average restaurant side order of creamed spinach serves up as much as 300 calories, over 20 grams of fat (most of it saturated), and a hefty 600 mg of sodium. With this version instead, you can focus on getting full day’s worth of vitamin A, 25% of the daily requirement for calcium and vitamin C, and a good dose of both iron and fiber.

Nutrition Information Per Serving: (1/2 cup)   Calories 100 | Carbohydrate 10g (Sugars 6g)  |  Total Fat 3g (Sat Fat 1.5g)  |  Protein 8g  |  Fiber 3g  |  Cholesterol 10mg  |  Sodium 290mg  |  Food Exchanges: 1 Vegetable, 1/2 Low-Fat Milk, 1/2 Fat |  Carbohydrate Choices: 1/2  |  Weight Watcher Smart Point Comparison: green 3, blue 3, purple 3