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Spicy Spinach Medeline is a take on the classic Southern side dish. It’s spicy, creamy, and ready in 30 minutes. It pairs well with both poultry and beef, making it a lovely side for your holiday table.
This is a favorite for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. The ingredients are inexpensive and readily available. It’s easy to multiply this recipe for larger casseroles. Finally, Spicy Spinach Madeline can be made a day or two in advance, and actually improves in flavor. I like to make a double recipe so that we have leftovers to use as a dip, a topping for burgers or grilled cheese, or to toss in hot pasta.
A Southern Favorite
The recipe originated in Louisiana in the 1950s with Madeline Nevell Reymond, who developed it using up items in her refrigerator and pantry. It was eventually printed in the Junior League of Baton Rouge’s cookbook, The River Road Cookbook. It quickly became a holiday staple throughout the South.
Ingredients Needed For Spicy Spinach Madeline
- Frozen chopped spinach
- Unsalted butter – definitely use unsalted in this dish. With both garlic and celery salt, and sodium in the cheese, using salted butter could result in an overly seasoned dish.
- Onion
- All-purpose flour
- Evaporated milk – you can also use whole milk, but the evaporated milk adds additional creaminess without the extra fat.
- Canned chopped green chiles – these come in mild, medium, and hot. Pick your heat level.
- Worcestershire sauce – adds a depth of flavor and umami to the recipe.
- Garlic salt, celery salt, black pepper, cayenne, and nutmeg – all for flavor. Use a nutmeg grater and a whole nutmeg for the best flavor. The whole nutmeg pods will also last much longer in your spice cabinet.
- Pepper jack cheese – buy a block and grate your own for the smoothest, silkiest sauce. Pre-grated cheeses have an anti-caking coating that can make your sauce grainy. You could also use Monterey Jack, habanero, or even smoked cheese to vary the dish’s flavor.
Tips And Variations
- Using frozen spinach ensures that you have enough spinach liquid for the recipe. Fresh spinach may not yield enough liquid.
- Take the time to squeeze all of the liquid out of the cooked spinach. The spinach should be very dry before adding it to your sauce.
- Play with different cheeses for new and interesting flavors. Gruyere, Fontina, Provolone, and even cheddar would all be delicious.
- Add panko bread crumbs for a crunchy topping.
- Mixing crushed crackers and a bit of butter would add a salty, buttery, and slight crunch to the top of your casserole.
- Make the casserole a day or two in advance for improved flavor. Add any topping you may use just before baking.
More Vegetable Recipes
- Easy Sugar Snap Peas
- Easy Grilled Shishito Peppers
- Southern Creamy Fried Corn
- Calabacitas Squash And Corn Saute
- Cheesy Fennel Gratin
- Southern Sweet And Sour Green Beans
- Asparagus Piccata
- Catalan Spinach
- Vegetable Tempura
- Windows On The World Asparagus In Chive Holandaise Sauce
- Asian Steamed Edamame
- Garlic Chive Mashed Cauliflower
- Sauteed Green Peas
Southern Spinach Madeline
Spicy Spinach Medeline is a take on the classic Southern side dish. It’s spicy, creamy, and ready in 30 minutes. It pairs well with both poultry and beef, making it a lovely side for your holiday table.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, drained very well and reserving ⅓ cup of the spinach liquid
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 small onion, finely diced
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup evaporated milk
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, pressed and drained of liquid (I used medium heat chiles, but you can pick the heat level that your family enjoys.)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional, more or less to taste
2 cups grated pepper jack cheese, divided
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Butter a 1.5– to 2-quart baking dish and set aside.
In a microwave-safe bowl, cook the spinach until hot.
Place a fine mesh sieve over a large measuring cup or bowl.
Pour the spinach and its liquid into the sieve.
Squeeze the spinach, pressing as much liquid out as possible into the bowl.
Reserve ⅓- ½ cup of the liquid and set it aside.
Make the roux.
In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the minced onions.
Cook until softened – about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle in the flour and stir it into the butter and onions.
Cook, stirring often, until the flour is light browned and smells like baked pie crust – 8 – 9 minutes.
Gradually whisk in the evaporated milk and reserved spinach liquid.
Whisk until the mixture begins to thicken, and the roux is incorporated into the sauce.
Bring the sauce to a low simmer and reduce the heat to low.
Stir in the drained chiles, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, celery salt, black pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne.
Add the spinach and 1.5 cups of the grated cheese.
Stir until the cheese has melted completely and the spinach is fully incorporated into the sauce.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and the mixture is bubbling.
Serve hot.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 455
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 853.1 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 15.9 g
- Fiber: 2.6 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 87 mg