Ruth's Chris Steak House Creamed Spinach
By Addie
"Love their steaks, and I love their version of this classic side dish to a thick, juicy steak. Sometimes I cheat and use 2 10 ounce packages of frozen, chopped spinach which I thaw and drain."
Ingredients
- 1 stick salted butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk or half & half
- 2 Tablespoons chopped onion
- 1 bay leaf (size of a dime)
- 1 whole clove
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 lb fresh spinach, well cleaned and stemmed
- 2 Tablespoons salted soft butter
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
Preparation
Step 1
PROCESS FOR THE BECHAMEL SAUCE:
1. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat until foamy, add flour and stir until light brown in color.
2. Add onion and seasonings and then whisk in milk, stirring until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens.
3. Reduce the heat and cook for five minutes, then pass through a fine strainer and reserve. The sauce will be very thick.
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PROCESS FOR THE SPINACH:
1. Cook spinach immersed in boiling water for one minute. Remove and refresh in iced water to cool it off.
2. Squeeze it until it is very dry and then purée it in a food processor. Set aside.
3. Just before serving, combine the sauce with the puréed spinach and cook on low heat, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Finish by stirring in 2 tablespoons of soft butter.
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REVIEWS:
Yessir, this is just about as good as it gets if you like spinach. We thoroughly enjoyed this dish. The bay leaf and the clove gave just hints of seasoning which were tantalizing. Nice and creamy, and a beautiful color if you use fresh spinach. Just remember to rinse those bags of "prewashed" spinach anyway, because sometimes they don't always get the sand out. This dish was just wonderful for us. Thanks for posting and sharing.
Sshh, don't tell... I cheated and used frozen spinach! Actually, you should shout this one from a hilltop because the flavor is fabulous! I always wondered what it was about Ruth's Chris Steak House recipe that I couldn't duplicate... bay and clove! Never would have guessed it. I added 1 minced shallot to the recipe on my second try and really enjoyed the little extra flavor, but the recipe is great with onion alone. I paired this with pan seared tofu for a dish that hints of paleek paneer(one of my favorite indian dishes). Remember that just because it's a steak house recipe doesn't mean it can't be used for vegetarian purposes! All in all, a savoury dish that was greatly enjoyed.
My family wasn't thrilled with this recipe, I think they may just prefer cooked spinach without the sauce. I think it's important that it is seasoned well with salt & pepper and kept hot when served, it really makes a difference. It would probably also be improved with the addition of some minced garlic.
This was okay - I've never had it in the Steak House, but if I were to do it again, I'd add some nutmeg and some Parmesan cheese. But I probably wouldn't make this recipe again.
I love this dish. it is grrreat. when we go to Ruths Chris I don't care if I have a steak or not...as long as I get creamed spinach and the sweet potato casserole. Very good. I used the raw approach and this dish came great.
I can't remember the last time I had this at Ruth's Chris, but I sure did like it your way! :) Thanks, very good!
This was great! I steamed my spinach and then added ice cubes to chill it down. I also hand chopped on a cutting board after drying. Came out perfect.
Having never been to Ruth's Chris, but LOVING Creamed Spinach, I had to try this recipe!! I was not disappointed, it is wonderful! I think I may change my 'Zaar name to the Shortcutter, because, if there is a short cut, I will find it. Instead of cooking the spinach first (and cooling, draining and drying) I put the raw spinach in the food processor and gave it a whirl. I added the raw minced spinach to the thick cream sauce and let it cook for the 5+/- minutes as recommended. I did that for two reasons: the time as I've said, but also the nutrition. If you boil it first, your vitamins (if they don't die in the boiling water) get leached out and go down the drain. This way, cooking on low heat for the 5 minutes softens the spinach and retains the nutrition. I also pumped up the clove and added nutmeg as a personal preference. Dinner was wonderful!
I made this with chopped beet greens and it was delicious! I had everything but the clove, so I am looking forward to trying it with that addition in the future, but even without it, the dish was terrific. Thanks!
Very, very good recipe! Even better the second day! A little more trouble than I usually take for a side dish, but so worth it with a nice steak dinner. The bay leave and clove definitely added to the flavor. Thanks!
Excellent recipe - the sauce was divine! I wound up with what seemed like twice as much sauce as I needed, but that's okay as I served it with penne pasta as a sauce - yummy! I also added a bit of nutmeg, and cut some of the fat by using 3 TBSP of butter and a bit of olive oil in the first step, fat-free half and half instead aof milk, and Butter Buds instead of butter at the end. Tasted great to me!
I've had it. It is to die for!
Very good. This is my favorite thing to order there. I'm vegan since the last time I ordered this a the restaurant. I used soy milk and earth balance butter here and to me it tasted just like RC's. Good eats, there were no leftovers.
Delicious! So easy to make (I cheated and used frozen spinach), and this still managed to upstage the steak that it went with. 0 people found this review Helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No By CookGordon on March 12, 2008 This was really good. I cooked the spinach in a microwave steam bag for 2 minutes (in batches) and I only had 2% milk, but this was still creamy and full of flavor.
Wowwwzer!! this is decadent - not exactly a healthy way to eat veggies. however,delicious!
Now I know the secret! Bay leaf and clove! Add a hint of nutmeg to that and you have yourself a winner! Have been testing spinach recipes for the residents here at the home ~ hoping that some combination will whet their appetites enough for them to eat a vegetable! I know this was eaten by a few ~ but we don't make too large a batch and only try it with a few of the most adventurous(sp?)eaters. Thanks so much for sharing this delightful recipe.
I used this in a spinach dip instead of buying frozen creamed spinach and it was perfect! Really a very good dish. Thank you. I'm sorry I'm only giving this 3 stars, but it didn't come out as I expected. I'm not sure if I did something wrong, but the final result had a burnt taste. I think I may have had the heat on a bit too high for the roux or perhaps 7 minutes is too long to cook it. I also cooked the onion in the butter first before adding the flour. I will attempt this again as we love spinach, but will make a few slight changes. I used frozen spinach as well.
I had to make this for myself, as I am the only spinach lover in the house. They don't know what they are missing! I didn't and wouldn't change a thing! The only thing that would have made it better; a piece of Ruths Chris Carmelized Banana Cream Pie, for dessert!
I served this on Christmas Eve and everyone loved it. I decided to make it exactly the way it says, and I don't regret the extra time that it took to use fresh spinach. It was well worth it. For once I have a side dish that is as memorable as the main course. Thanks!
Good recipe...I cut an onion in half and then sliced.
I didn't have whole cloves, so I substituted a healthy pinch of ground cloves. I don't think I need to look any further for the perfect creamed spinach. Thank you for posting.
Ohhh this is so good. I can'timagine using another recipe for creamed spinach again. I used the 10 oz packs of frozen chopped spinach and it came out great. Even used lower fat milk and I don't think you could tell the difference....if you like creamed spinach...this is the recipe for you.