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This easy spinach casserole recipe was handed down to me by my mother-in-law’s friend during a recipe exchange at my bridal shower, and we’re still enjoying the versatile side dish 20 years later!
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If you’re looking for even more vegetable side dish casseroles, be sure to try this easy broccoli casserole, a classic green bean casserole with frozen green beans, and this Southern squash casserole recipe, too!
This was simply delicious! My family absolutely loved it. It paired really well with the steak and black eyed peas I made!
– Marlene
‘Tis the season for cozy, flavorful, and decadent side dish recipes, and this easy spinach casserole does not disappoint! The simple combination of spinach and cheese in a creamy sauce pairs well with a Thanksgiving turkey or a Christmas ham, but it also goes nicely with grilled steak, honey garlic dijon pork tenderloin, and roast chicken. The versatile veggie has been a staple on our menu for years and years, and I know that your family will love it, too!
What to Know Before You Make this Creamed Spinach Casserole
- Unlike other spinach casserole recipes that include eggs and are typically served for breakfast or brunch, this dish is egg-free, so it has a softer texture. Its consistency and flavor is exactly like classic creamed spinach that you would enjoy at a traditional steakhouse. You get the added bonus of a buttery, crunchy topping and the convenience of a make-ahead dish that bakes in the oven!
- Full-fat sour cream and whole milk or 2% milk yield the richest, creamiest, and most flavorful sauce.
- Start with room temperature milk and sour cream, and warm them gently over very low heat. This will prevent curdling or separating.
- Add a dash of nutmeg to the cream sauce if you like. This is a classic component in many cream-based dishes.
How to Make Spinach Casserole
This easy spinach casserole is an ideal make-ahead option for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or just a regular weeknight dinner. You’ll find detailed instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Cook the spinach in the microwave according to the package instructions.
- Drain the spinach and squeeze out any excess water in a dish towel to make sure that the spinach is nice and dry. This prevents the spinach from watering down the creamy sauce.
- Make the cream sauce by combining the condensed soup, milk, cheese, sour cream, melted butter, salt, and pepper in a saucepan. Stir over low heat, just until the mixture is warm. Don’t bring the mixture to a boil.
- Add the spinach to the cream sauce, transfer to a casserole dish that has been greased with cooking spray, and sprinkle buttered breadcrumbs or buttered cracker crumbs on top.
- Bake in a 350°F oven for about 30 minutes, and serve!
Serving Suggestions
This cheesy spinach casserole is delicious alongside grilled beef tenderloin, pineapple glazed ham, grilled salmon, maple-glazed roasted turkey breast, pork chops with stuffing, or this smoked turkey breast.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: Assemble the casserole up to 2 days in advance, but do not add the topping. Cover and refrigerate until ready to bake. When ready to bake the casserole, allow the dish to sit on the counter and come to room temperature for at least 30-60 minutes. Add the buttered breadcrumbs or crackers, then bake according to the recipe instructions.
- How to Store: Leftover spinach casserole will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The topping may become soggy as it sits, though. I do not recommend freezing this casserole. The spinach mixture may become watery when thawed.
- How to Reheat: Place leftovers in a small baking dish and heat in a 325°F oven just until warmed through. Cover the top loosely with foil if it starts to get too brown. Alternatively, you can reheat individual portions in the microwave for 30-60 seconds.
Absolutely Delicious! So easy to make. My husband and children loved it. And I loved finding something my whole family enjoys!
– Kelley
Spinach Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach
- ½ of a 10.5 ounce can of condensed cream of mushroom soup, (about ⅔ cup)
- ¼ cup milk, at room temperature
- 1 cup (4 ounces) grated sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons melted butter, divided
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs or coarsely crushed Ritz crackers
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 1 ½-quart baking dish; set aside. Cook the spinach in the microwave according to the package instructions. Drain thoroughly by squeezing the spinach tightly in a dish towel to wring out the extra liquid.
- In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the soup, milk, cheese, sour cream, 2 tablespoons of the melted butter, salt, and pepper. Stir until just warmed through and combined. Add the spinach; mix well.
- Transfer the spinach mixture to the prepared baking dish. In a small bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs with the remaining 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Sprinkle the buttered crumbs over the top of the casserole.
- Bake the casserole, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until it's heated through and golden brown on top.
Notes
Nutrition
Spinach Casserole Recipe Variations
- Fresh spinach casserole: if you prefer to use fresh spinach, you will need a lot of the fresh leaves since fresh spinach wilts down significantly when cooked. One package (10 ounces) of frozen spinach leaves yields about 1 ½ cups after cooking. You’ll need about 1 ½ pounds of fresh spinach to equal 1 ½ cups after cooking. Therefore, for this recipe, you would need a total of about 3 pounds of fresh spinach.
- Instead of the cheddar cheese, try using mozzarella, Monterey Jack cheese, Pepper Jack, or even Velveeta! A touch of Parmesan cheese would also be great.
- Instead of cream of mushroom soup, try cream of celery soup, cream of chicken soup, or another similar flavor.
- I like buttered Panko breadcrumbs or buttered Ritz cracker crumbs on top of this dish, but you can also substitute with buttered Corn Flakes cereal, buttered stuffing mix, or even slivered almonds.
- Add a pinch of garlic powder to the cream sauce, or make it spicy with cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes. Swap out the milk and use heavy cream for an even richer dish.
- Sautéed mushrooms or onions would also be delicious additions to the casserole.
More Spinach Casserole Recipes
Ravioli Lasagna with Ricotta and Spinach
1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Spinach Stuffed Shells
1 hour hr
Sausage and Spinach Penne Pasta Bake
50 minutes mins
This recipe was originally published in October, 2017. It was updated in November, 2024.
I often think of side dishes in relation to the holidays, too. It’s the best part of Thanksgiving! I love spinach, especially the creamed kind, but have never made my own before, as I’m picky about it! This sounds wonderful, Blair! I love the breadcrumbs on top!
Hello.
I laughed so hard when you said, ” Heck, even my three-year-old son (who acts like most vegetables might kill him) enjoyed the creamed spinach.” Lol. I too don’t like spinach. Maybe this recipe is my only hope. Thank you for sharing.
True story, Susie! Spencer makes horrified faces whenever he sees an unrecognizable veggie on his plate. 🙂 This dish passed the 3-year-old test, though!
This looks like the perfect side dish! I might have to try it out at our family dinner this weekend!
Thanks, Kristy! I hope that you’ll give it a try! It’s so perfect. 🙂
Have you by any chance tried making this recipe with fresh spinach or do you think it may work? I struggle with the taste of frozen spinach but love fresh. My boys won’t touch the stuff!
Hi, Stacy! No, I haven’t used fresh spinach in this dish. It would work fine, but it just wouldn’t be very practical (for me) because I would need SO MUCH fresh spinach wilted down in order to equal the amount of frozen spinach. The sheer volume of fresh spinach that you would have to chop and steam would be a ton, so I just go with the frozen every time.
I will say, though — even my little boys who claim that they don’t like spinach, will eat this dish! 🙂
There’s nothing like those ‘old recipes’, and this one sounds super delicious! We plan to make this as a ‘side dish’ (for company) this coming weekend. We’ll be grilling Salmon Steaks. We’ll serve it all with a huge tossed Italian salad. Our guests will surely LOVE IT, but I already know that WE WILL.
Yay! I’m so glad that you’re going to make it, Angelina! I know your guests will love it! 🙂
This looks delicious. I usually have a half container of spinach that goes to waste on any given week. Any chance you think I can sub fresh spinach somehow?
Hi, Ellyn! Yes, you can definitely add in some fresh spinach too. I just wouldn’t try to do the whole casserole with only fresh spinach, because you would need such a HUGE volume of the fresh spinach in order to equal the amount of frozen chopped spinach called for in the recipe. If you’re just trying to use up some leftover fresh spinach in your fridge, I would cook it down (by wilting it for a couple of minutes in a skillet) and then just add that to the rest of the recipe ingredients (including the frozen spinach). Again, the fresh spinach will be such a small amount once it’s wilted down that it shouldn’t impact the rest of the recipe too much. Enjoy!
This sounds so good! I was wondering if I grilled some onion and bacon could I add it to the mix(to jazz it up, plus anything with bacon is 10x’s better lol).
Hi, Lavi! Yes, the bacon and onion would be a nice addition. Bacon does make everything better! 🙂
Hi, Blair. This sounds delicious and I’m making it for Christmas dinner. Just wondering, have you ever tried putting this together the day before and then baking it the next day? If so, how did it turn out? Thanks!
Hi, Jennifer! I’m making it for our Christmas dinner too! 🙂
And yes — you can totally prepare it in advance (that’s what I’ll do). Just leave the topping off until you’re ready to bake it.
Can you use fresh spinach instead of can if so how? I have a ton of fresh spinach that I need to use
Hi, Reyva! Yes, I think that you probably can, but I’ve never tried it so I wouldn’t be able to give you an exact amount to sub with. The beauty of frozen chopped spinach is that it condenses the volume of fresh spinach into a small package. If you use fresh spinach, you’ll need a HUGE amount. I did a Google search and found this information, which should be helpful for you in doing the frozen-fresh conversion: https://www.tasteofhome.com/cooking-tips/vegetables/how-much-spinach
This was simply delicious! My family absolutely loved it. It impaired really well with the steak and black eyes peas I made!
Thank you, Marlene! We’re so happy to hear it!
I made this last night as written. It went well with pork tenderloin. I cooked it in the air fryer on the roast setting for a little less time to avoid heating up the oven. I will make it again. So good
Thank you so much, Andrea!
Very good! Quick tip: make the sauce in your casserole dish on low heat on the stove top, then mix in spinach. Saves you a dish to wash.
Such a good idea! Thanks, Baxter.
Wonderful recipe!!! I made a few changes which allowed it to become a full meal in itself. I added spicy sausage, mushroom flavored rice, onions, peppers and celery plus fresh sliced mushrooms.
I choose cheddar and gruyere cheese and cream of celery soup.
Delish!!!
I would definitely love to share a photo but I don’t have
Instagram .
Yum! We’re so glad you were able to make it work for you. Thank you for trying it out, Nicki!
Absolutely Delicious! So easy to make. My husband and children loved it. And I loved finding something my whole family enjoys!
We’re so glad it’s a hit, Kelley! Thank you for trying it out.
Can you make with already cooked chicken like a rotisserie chicken?
Hi! Yes, I think some chicken would be a delicious addition to turn this into a main course. You may need to thin the sauce with a little bit more milk, but otherwise that should work fine!