Jalapeno Creamed Spinach – Perfectly Low Carb Keto
Creamed Spinach is a nearly perfect low carb keto side dish, but when you pair with a standing rib roast, magic happens! This is the perfect side dish for any roast beef, but for the king of roast beefs, the standing rib roast—sometimes called prime rib, it’s not simply a pair, Fluffy Chix Cook’s healthy low carb keto Jalapeno Creamed Spinach gets elevated to side-kick level. We’re not joking.
Are you sick of ordinary side dishes and want a side dish that is simply perfect, while giving you a change of pace? Then forget ordinary and go extraordinary! There’s a reason why Lawry’s-The Prime Rib has made a fortune off the sublime duo of prime rib and creamed spinach. It’s because the two go together like Batman and Robin, like peanut butter and ‘nanas, like Laurel and Hardy! We won’t lie to you, the jalapeno makes this dish and we love it with the full heat, so the seeds get left in the chile while we chop it. But, if you’re a tenderfoot, you can remove the seeds and ribs (where the capsaicin=heat lives) and still get a lot of the jalapeno flavor without as much heat. The sautéed veggies also add to the flavor.
You may wonder why we feel the need to add two kinds of garlic, it’s about layered flavor. Here are a couple of pointers: The granulated garlic reinforces the sautéed garlic and helps it stand up to the creaminess in the dish. So we didn’t just make a recipe boo-boo, we intentionally added the two different garlics. The other tip is to make sure to wring out a lot of the liquid in the spinach. We use frozen spinach because the recipe calls for so much volume; it’s a little cheaper that way. Cook it in the microwave or steam it, your choice. Then blot well with paper towels. It doesn’t have to be completely dry, just mostly dry. And if it doesn’t feel creamy enough at the end, add either more cream (count the carbs) or add a tablespoon or two of water and stir until creaminess happens.
Denny, who routinely rates our recipes on his personal scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest, is no spinach lover. In fact, he’s been known to subtract a full point for a meal being “overly green.” Code for: there’s too much spinach on my plate. But when I make healthy, low carb keto Jalapeno Creamed Spinach, his tune soon changes. No more dings to the ratings from spinach! Yeeehaaaw! Although it could be argued, how could anything with butter, cream cheese, heavy cream and jalapeno go wrong?
Try it with your Christmas roast beast this year and see if you agree. (Make sure to check out the Fluffy’s Traditional Standing Rib Roast and the TBE Standing Rib Roast). Make sure you also serve the au jus, Sherried Mushrooms, and Horseradish Sauce! Not only will you love creamed spinach after eating this flavor-packed Christmas feast (even known spinach-haters), but you will adore the Tex-Mex hat tip to heat (the jalapeno). If you are a tenderfoot, by all means, feel free to leave out the jalapeno. The creamed spinach will still taste divine. It just won’t be “packin’ heat.”
Please write back and leave a comment or, “Honk if you love Jalapeno Creamed Spinach!” and please share with your friends? Thanks!!
Jalapeno Creamed Spinach – Perfectly Low Carb Keto
Notes
Spinach...gosh! The house is split on this. Part of the Fluffys could (and do) eat spinach daily and the other half of the house of Fluffy actually subtracts rating points for the use of excess spinach in a meal. But only the creamy, dreamy, heat in this dish saves it from a poor rating. Even our known spinach-haters love this Jalapeno Creamed Spinach!
Serving Ideas Serve with your favorite protein. Fabulous with steak and prime rib.
Nutritional Information
per ½ cup serving (1/4 recipe) 244 Calories; 24g Fat (83.5% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 3g effective carbs
per 1/3 cup serving (1/6 recipe) 163 Calories; 16g Fat (83.5% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 2g effective carbs
Copyright © 2013 Fluffy Chix Cook. All rights reserved.
Ingredients
- 10 ounces frozen organic chopped spinach
- 2 tablespoons unfiltered extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup onion, chopped
- 1/8 cup red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 jalapeno chile pepper, chopped with seeds
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and pressed or chopped
- 3 ounces cream cheese
- 3 tablespoons butter, unsalted
- 1/4 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 2 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 lemon wedge
- kosher salt
- fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Defrost spinach in refrigerator, or remove from box and place in a microwave-safe bowl. (We use a Pyrex pie plate.) Cover and nuke on high for about 3-5 minutes until defrosted. When defrosted, squeeze our excess moisture using food-safe paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. (Be sure to rinse your kitchen towel or wash it right away or you may never get the green out! Don't ask how we know this.)
- In a nonstick skillet sauté onion, red bell pepper, jalapenos and garlic in olive oil over medium low heat until onions become translucent. This is called sweating the veggies. Don't let them brown. Add drained spinach, cream cheese and butter. Using the back of a spatula work in a side to side motion to break up the spinach and evenly distribute it in the pan with the veggies. When everything is evenly combined, add heavy cream and remaining ingredients. Turn heat up to medium and let mixture gently bubble until spinach is tender and the dish tastes cohesive and divine. Adjust salt and pepper as needed. Serve piping hot.
- If spinach mixture feels too dry, add a couple of tablespoons of water or additional heavy cream. Remember to add any extra carbs added in the extra liquid.
Nutrition Facts
Jalapeno Creamed Spinach – Perfectly Low Carb Keto
Serves: 4-6 servings
|
Amount Per Serving: 1/3-1/2 cup
|
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|---|---|---|
| Calories | 163 | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 16g | 24.6% | |
| Saturated Fat | 0 | |
| Trans Fat | ||
| Cholesterol | 0 | |
| Sodium | 0 | |
| Total Carbohydrate | 0 | |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 | |
| Sugars | ||
| Protein | ||
| Vitamin A | Vitamin C | |
| Calcium | Iron | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Fluffy Chix Cook
Copyright © 2014 Fluffy Chix Cook. All rights reserved.
I made this tonight and I have to say is is yummoo super delicious!! I had everything on hand and it makes a quick, wonderful side dish. This recipe is a keeper! I like more heat, so I added two jalapenos, it was perfect. Thank you thank you thank you! 5 star recipe!
Awww Dawn! Thank you so much for commenting here on your results! We are chileheads too! 😀 So we have to write for tenderfoots! 😉 😀 Thank you for commenting!!!
Thanks again, and sorry for my typos above. I got so excited I forgot to proofread. 🙂
5 STARS!!!!
YES!!! I just made this and it is super *YUM.* I had two full tubs of organic salad mix (the super green one: spinach, chard, kale, and arugula) I got from BJ’s that wasn’t as crunchy (I hate wilted salads). I used to make smoothies with it before going keto with RAW protein poweder, hemp powder, and some juice, but that’s off limits now. 🙁
I wilted all the greens in boiling water (about 2 min) and dumped them in an ice bath to cool. I formed baseball sized lumps and squeezed out the water. I weighed the final product and it was 10.4 oz. I then chopped it. Followed your recipe, but omitted the red peppers since I didn’t have them on hand. I’m making this again for my boyfriend’s birthday in a couple of weeks with an extra jalapeno like the reviewer above. I kept the seeds in, but I l want it even spicier! Super easy to make. The most time consuming part was actually wilting the greens.
Oh yum! Thanks for outlining the technique you used for making this! 🙂 Love using super greens in this too! (And shhhhh, don’t tell, but we make it super spicy too. haha…I just try to keep from blowing the socks off all the “yankies”…you know, anyone who lives north of Dallas! 😉 ha!
Love, love, love this recipe!