Spinach bathing in a luscious creamy white cheese sauce swimming with shrimp, crab and little sweet peas. This dish is a sensuous side that delights the taste buds and makes you feel all warm and cozy inside. It can serve as a side or as a light meal on its own, especially if you add more seafood to boost the protein content.
I had several butternut squash laying around and a big bunch of fresh baby spinach on hand. So I went looking for butternut squash recipes and stumbled across this creamed spinach stuffed butternut squash recipe from Simply Delicious Food. I was stunned and intrigued by the photos … and was SO ready to try it. But something inside me couldn’t just make the recipe as is. I found myself compelled to stir in some crab meat and shrimp and then I wanted some peas as well. It just seemed like the right thing to do. My inner food voices rarely steer me in the wrong direction and oh man, were they right! SO good.
I have to say, this creamed seafood and spinach dish was absolutely amazing stuffed into winter squash. The creamy sauce soaked into the sweet squash and makes the texture beautifully rich, and the savory spinach and seafood were the perfect compliment. However, since I had so much, I found myself finding so many other ways to enjoy this scrumptious creamed spinach. I decided this decadent dish deserves its own post.
How to Serve Creamed Spinach with Seafood & Peas
- Serve as a side dish alongside chicken, pork, or fish
- Serve as a light main dish over toast, biscuits, puff pastry, brown rice or cauliflower polenta
- Scoop into a cooked winter squash for a spectacular stuffed squash
- Spoon it over eggs or an omelet
- Use in place of the hollandaise for Eggs Benedict Florentine
- Add more cheese and/or crab to thicken, then stuff into salmon or other fish
- Add broth to transform it into a creamy good soup
However you decide to serve this creamy seafood spinach dish, I think you’re going to LOVE it!
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Creamed Spinach with Seafood & Peas
Ingredients
- 1/2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 of a medium onion, peeled & chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
- 1 Tablespoon tapioca flour (or flour)
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup milk
- 2 oz. Greek cream cheese (or Neufchatel)
- 4 oz. Parmesan, Asiago, Brie or other flavorful cheese, shredded or in small chunks (feel free to mix & match!)
- 10 – 12 oz. baby spinach (or frozen, thawed & drained of excess moisture)
- 1 6-oz. can of crab meat, drained (or 6 oz. lump crab meat)
- 2.5 oz. frozen peas
- 8 oz. medium peeled shrimp, tails off, chopped
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon crumbled sage (or fresh, chopped)
Instructions
- Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the olive oil, then saute the onion and garlic until the onion is soft and translucent. Stir in the flour to coat, then add 1/2 cup of milk. Add the cream cheese in bits and stir (squishing it on the sides) until melted completely. Stir in the shredded cheese, reserving some for the top. The sauce will be thick at this point.
- Stir in the spinach and cook until it wilts, then add the crab meat and peas. Stir in the shrimp and seasonings.
- If the sauce doesn’t thin out with the juices from the veggies, add more milk as needed. If the sauce is too thin, mix 1 Tablespoon cornstarch with 2 Tablespoons milk in a small bowl or cup, then slowly add bit by bit until the sauce thickens. Cook just until the shrimp turns pink.
- Sir in the seasonings, taste then add more seasonings, salt or fresh ground pepper to your liking. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
If you want to stuff this into a butternut squash, here’s how: Preheat the oven to 400 F. Cut the squash lengthwise, then use a grapefruit spoon to remove the seeds. You can cook the squash whole or lop off the hollow bowls at the end for single serving stuffed squash. Brush lightly with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt & pepper. Set on a rimmed baking sheet lined with silicon baking mat and cook until tender. Scoop the warm creamed spinach in, sprinkle with a bit more cheese and bake a little more until the cheese melts or gets lightly browned on top.
RECIPE SOURCE: [http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/| http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/]
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