The spinach Béchamel is a delightful spring side dish made with spinach stirred into a thick and luscious white sauce.
This Spinach Béchamel is one of my favorite side dishes. It is tasty and has that comfort feature that we all love in food.
My aunt Geta often cooks spinach in white sauce, and it was in her house that I tasted it for the first time, and I loved it so much. Another favorite or her recipes is this crispy and flaky Romanian Apple Pie.
Jump to recipe
Ingredients
Frozen spinach: I use frozen spinach to make this recipe most of the time. Fresh spinach will be fine as well, but buy the larger, mature sort, not baby spinach. If using fresh, you will need about double the amount. Try this Frozen Spinach Pasta recipe, too.
Bechamel or white sauce: Butter, all-purpose flour, milk, vegetable broth, garlic, and some fresh lemon juice.
Make more recipes with sauce Béchamel: Vegetable Lasagna with White Sauce, Italian Polenta and Spinach Bake, or Thermomix Lasagna.
How to make spinach Béchamel?
Spinach
Frozen Spinach: If using frozen spinach, let it thaw first. If you forget, place it in a saucepan and thaw on low heat, stirring often. Once defrosted, cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, then drain in a colander.
Fresh Spinach: If using fresh spinach, remove the stems and roughly chop the leaves. Wash them and place them in a large pot without draining them too thoroughly. Cook for a few minutes until the leaves are soft, then drain well in a colander.
Sauce
Heat the milk until lukewarm in a jug pan. Alternatively, heat it in a regular pan and pour it into a jug.
Melt the butter in a non-stick pan. Sprinkle the flour on top and let it get slightly golden, stirring constantly, about 1 minute.
Slowly and gradually, whisk in the milk very well to avoid clumps. Slowly add the stock as well.
Bring to a boil, then let the sauce thicken on very low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring very often.
If the bechamel sauce coats the back of a wooden spoon, it's ready. If you still have a few clumps, you can blend the white sauce with an immersion blender.
Mix with the spinach. Add nutmeg, salt, pepper, grated garlic, and lemon juice to taste. Fresh garlic and lemon juice are very important for the flavor, so don't leave them out.
How to serve?
You can serve as a main dish with pasta, for instance. In this case, it will serve 2 or 3. Check out Spaghetti with Frozen Spinach, too.
I most commonly serve it as a side dish. In this case, it will be enough for four servings.
It is perfect with fried or poached eggs and boiled potatoes, but it also makes a great side dish for lamb, fish, or chicken dishes.
Creamy Spinach Béchamel
Ingredients
- 1 lb frozen spinach Note
- 1 cup full-fat milk
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup vegetable broth or use only milk
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice more or less to taste
- some nutmeg
- fine sea salt and pepper
Instructions
Spinach:
- Defrost spinach: If using frozen spinach, place it in a pot, add about ¼ cups water, and let it thaw slowly on low heat. Or you can leave the spinach to thaw before you start cooking. Stir from time to time. When thawed, continue cooking for about 5 minutes or until the spinach is soft. Let it drain in a colander.1 lb frozen spinach
- If using fresh spinach, remove the stems and chop the spinach very roughly. Wash it and place it in a large pot, let it wilt, and cook for a few minutes until soft. Let drain in a colander.
Béchamel sauce:
- Heat milk: In the meantime, make the Béchamel sauce. Heat the milk slightly in a heatproof jug (or heat in a saucepan and pour in a jug).1 cup full-fat milk
- Melt the butter in a non-stick saucepan. Sprinkle the flour on top and let it get slightly golden while stirring all the time, about 1-2 minutes. 2 tablespoons butter + 2 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Slowly start adding the milk, while whisking continuously. Add the vegetable broth slowly as well, and keep whisking.1 cup vegetable broth
- Simmer Bechamel: Bring to a simmer and let the sauce thicken on low heat; this will take about 5 minutes; continue to stir. The sauce should be thick and coat the back of a wooden spoon. Add some nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.some nutmeg + fine sea salt and pepper
- Add spinach to sauce: Mix the drained spinach and the Béchamel sauce together. Add the lemon juice and the finely grated garlic cloves. Stir well and adjust the taste again with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Serve hot as suggested above.2 large garlic cloves + 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
burneggroll says
What is a "jug pan"?
Adina says
Hi. A smaller, rather taller pan with a handle and a small beak. It makes pouring easier, especially when you have to use the other hand to stir something.
Kathryn @ Family Food on the Table says
My husband and I both love spinach, so I need to make this for us one night - it's just gorgeous and looks so creamy and yummy! So cool that you have so many great family recipes to turn to 🙂
KR says
You story about your grandmother was so cute 🙂 thank you for sharing 🙂 I do not eat too much dairy products, but I can not imagine life without cheese or sour cream or ice cream ... 🙂 🙂
And this "white" is strange. I can not eat blue and neon food :)But white ?!:) This is life without so good food...:) 🙂
Brie says
Oh my, your Grandmother sounds like quite the character and a pretty unique woman. Perhaps you may have been able to sway her (like your mother-in-law) with your delicious cooking and especially this spinach! It looks so creamy and rich, I just want to smother a baked potato with it and dig in!
Adina says
She was one of a kind... 🙂 Sometimes I feel I am using this blog as some kind of therapy tool. 🙂 🙂 And I never could have persuaded her to try something else, I cooked chili con carne for her the first time I went home after starting to cook myself and she refused to taste it, she said I didn't cut the peppers like one should and did not add the ingredients to the pan in the right order. Not to mention all the weird spices I used. Needless to say she had no idea what chili con carne actually was, what it contains or how it is supposed to be cooked, but she knew better.
Monica says
That looks so good! It's one of those side dishes that becomes the center of attention. I want to make a steak dinner just so I can cook and enjoy this. : )
Anca says
Aww, it looks delicious. I usually make Spinach with onions, but I like this version better.