This delicious creamy spinach casserole with cheesy panko breadcrumbs is a great side dish to serve at the holidays or any occasion.
On Thanksgiving, my husband made the turkey, stuffing, gravy, and cranberry relish. The rest was up to me. Mashed potatoes were a given, and we always like having rolls and salad.
Still, I felt like we needed to serve another green vegetable, so I made a spinach casserole with cheesy panko breadcrumbs.
My daughter always loved Boston Market’s creamed spinach, and I have tried to make it, but it’s just not the same. Instead, I experimented with a little cream in the spinach and added a nice cheesy toasted breadcrumb topping.
Crunchy and Cheesy Spinach Casserole
This is similar to the Spinach Artichoke Appetizer I made a while back. There’s something about spinach and panko bread crumbs that makes them a great match.
You could use regular breadcrumbs, but I enjoy the lighter, crunchier texture of the panko.
A spinach casserole with cream, butter, cheese, and breadcrumbs is hardly low in calories but it does have good nutritional value.
Most people think of spinach as being high in iron but it’s also a great source of protein, calcium, and several other important vitamins and minerals. For example, a bag of fresh spinach, which basically cooks down to nothing, contains over 8 grams of protein and more vitamin A and C than you need for the day, according to this chart on nutritionalvalue.org.
Perhaps that will let you overlook the extra calories.
I know everyone that came to our table liked it and there was only a tiny bit leftover which was quickly eaten the next day.
P.S. Here are a few more yummy side dish recipes:
Zucchini Gratin, Easy Scalloped Potatoes, and Roasted Root Vegetables
Spinach Casserole with Cheesy Panko Bread Crumbs
Ingredients
- 2 - 1 pound bags frozen chopped spinach - thawed and drained
- 1 small onion - diced
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup cream
- 1/2 cup butter melted, 1 stick
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Saute onions and garlic in olive oil in a large pan, on medium heat for a few minutes, making sure the garlic does not burn.
- Add spinach and salt and pepper.
- Stir and continue to saute for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add cream and combine well.
- Remove from heat and pour into a baking dish, approx. 9 x 11 inches
- In a separate bowl combine melted butter, Parmesan and bread crumbs.
- Stir until combined.
- Spread over spinach.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Miz Helen says
Your recipe has been pinned to our Full Plate Thursday Featured Board and is featured on Full Plate Thursday! Thanks so much for sharing with us! Hope you have a great week and come back soon!
Miz Helen
Hil says
Yummy! and vegetarian, perfect for my family!
Thanks for sharing at Bloggers Spotlight!
Debra Needles says
Mmmm…I love spinach 🙂 Looks so yummy. Thanks for sharing with us at Funtastic Friday Blog Hop!
Theresa @DearCreatives says
I need to try making more casseroles. Yum! Thanks for sharing at the Inspiration Spotlight party. Shared. Happy Holidays!
Miz Helen says
Hi Patti,
We will love your Spinach Casserole it looks delicious with the Panko and Cheese. Hope you have a fantastic weekend and thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday!
Miz Helen
Caroline says
I like the idea of the crispy topping over the spinach, and cheese is always good! Thanks for sharing with Fiesta Friday.
Monika Dabrowski says
This sounds delicious and I love that the spinach is still quite green, not overcooked! Great pics:)
Sandra L. says
I love Creamed Spinach and this looks delicious. Funny my daughter and I were talking about what sides to have for Christmas Day Dinner and we both what about Creamed Spinach. She loved the idea but we both agreed it gets cold so quickly. I think your recipe and trick to keeping it warm are perfect and I printed out the recipe.
Beverly says
I haven’t had Boston market’s cream spinach in a long time. This sounds great.
Thanks for sharing at Over The Moon Party,
Bev
Lori says
This sounds so interesting. Spinach is so good for you! Thanks for sharing at Dishing It & Digging It!
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome says
what a great way to serve spinach! Thanks for sharing on the What’s for Dinner link up – Would love to have you give us a comment at the party!
Julie says
I used to love the spinach at Boston Market. I had forgotten all about it. I love the idea of using pandora and can’t wait to try it!
Patti Estep says
Hi Julie,
It’s not as creamy as Boston Market but my daughter really liked it. I hope you do too.
Thanks for stopping by,
Patti
Carole @ Garden Up Green says
These looks tasty and easy, can’t go wrong. I love spinach so I will definitely be giving this recipe a try. Thanks for sharing!
Donna Harvey says
Hi Patti, I am always looking for something new to make for Holiday Meals. I’m definitely going to try this one. We love Spinach, garlic and Anything with CHEESE. I think this one will be a favorite year round. Thanks
Patti Estep says
Hi Donna,
It turned out pretty good and one thing I didn’t write was that I made it a few hours ahead and kept it warm in the oven and it was not dry at all. I thought about putting a little cheese in with the cream too. Maybe next time. I hope you love it and thanks for stopping by,
Patti