Why is it so difficult to get kids to eat their greens? For the longest time the only vegetable kid #2 would eat was broccoli. And it’s not like hubs and I don’t set an example of eating our veggies! In fact being on a low carb diet, one tends to take more vegetables as the carbs we take tends to come from green leafy vegetables and we avoid starchy roots and veg such as potato and carrots.
The other strange thing about kids when they are little is that they adore plebeian food – see how McDonalds and the whole fast food industry has survived by targeting kids. When the kids were growing up in the US, one of their big highlights was Sunday lunch at Boston Market. I’m not quite certain what the attraction was but the two in variable items we had to order were Mac and cheese and creamed spinach. The rotisserie chicken was just an excuse to get the sides!
So creamed spinach has always been a good excuse to get greens into them, but it was always difficult to get the right combination of flavours to replicate that Boston Market experience. And boy, kid #1 and kid #2 are pretty exacting about their creamed spinach. There have been many failed experiments in the past.
So this is precious. A low carb creamed spinach, born of many failed attempts but finally a successful recipe that replicates my kids’ taste memory of what creamed spinach ought to be. The last time I made this they wanted me to double the recipe. 😀
LOW CARB CREAMED SPINACH
Ingredients
- 1 bag of frozen chopped spinach
- 10 shallots, finely minced
- 2 tbsp arrowroot flour
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 1/2 cup light cream
- 2 tbsp heavy cream (optional; it was what I actually had on hand and I suspect it gave an extra boost of creamy goodness)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp butter
Method
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Salt the water with 1 tsp salt. When the water is on a rolling boil, put in the spinach and stir. Boil for just 1 minute or so, then drain through a wire mesh sieve. Squeeze out as much water from the spinach as you can, using a fork to press the spinach against the wire mesh (although it does not have to be bone dry).
- In a saucepan, melt 1 tbsp butter over medium heat. Sauté the shallots until translucent and fragrant.
- Add the arrowroot flour and fry, stirring frequently for another 1 minute.
- Add in the heavy cream and mix well. Control the flame so that the cream does not split. Add in the light cream and heat further. When the sauce is slightly bubbly, add in the blanched chopped spinach.
- Add 1/2 tsp of salt to taste. Grate fresh nutmeg or use a pinch of ground nutmeg and mix the spices in. Adjust the taste according to what you prefer. You can also add a dash of ground white pepper.
- Stir the spinach mixture for another minute, then take off the heat and put in a serving bowl. Serve hot.
Still Feeling Peckish 
This looks awesome! I’m a huge spinach fan, and feel like this will hit the spot in terms of a meal that feels comforting and good in my belly.
Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to more recipes!
Thanks so much! It is the ultimate comfort food. Do let me know if the recipe works for you.