This keto creamed spinach is thickened with cream cheese instead of a flour roux, with mushrooms and toasted pine nuts folded in and a broiled parmesan top, at about 4 grams of net carb a serving. One step keeps it from going watery, and it is the side I bring so there is always something on the holiday table I can eat.
With the holidays quickly approaching I felt it was time to start sharing some low carb options worth bringing to the family get together. Living a low carb lifestyle can get very tricky when you are at a family dinner with sides like mashed potatoes, candied yams, and cream of corn staring at you across the table. I always recommend bringing at least one side that you know you can eat. That way the temptation to be bad is taken out of the equation. One of my favorite sides to bring is my low carb cream of spinach. Along with the traditional ingredients I add cream cheese to thicken the sauce instead of using flour. I also got creative and added mushrooms and pine nuts.
Squeeze the spinach dry, skip the flour
Steakhouse creamed spinach gets its body from a flour bechamel, which is exactly the part a low carb version drops. Cream cheese and heavy cream thicken the sauce just as well, with no grain. The one move that makes or breaks it is drying the spinach: thawed frozen spinach holds a startling amount of water, and if it goes in wet it thins the sauce into a puddle. Squeeze it bone-dry in a towel first, and the creamed spinach stays thick and glossy instead of weeping on the plate.
Mushrooms and pine nuts make it a side worth bringing
Plain creamed spinach is fine, but I fold in sliced mushrooms and toasted pine nuts to give it some texture and turn it into a composed side rather than a soft scoop. A layer of parmesan broiled golden on top finishes it like a gratin. It sits well next to almost any roast, and there are more options in my low carb side dishes guide.
Sources:
USDA FoodData Central, nutrient reference for spinach, cream cheese, cream, and pine nuts
Sugarfreechic test kitchen, flourless creamed spinach notes
