Our Baked Spinach Casserole is loaded with cheese and bacon! It makes a decadent side dish that is easy enough for any night of the week, but special enough for holiday dinners. Only 3 net carbs per serving, too!
I have no problem sneaking spinach into salads in my house. The kids will eat it just fine without complaint.
I also sneak spinach into their smoothies most of the time. Like our keto green smoothie, made with strawberry and spinach!
But cooked spinach? They’re usually not a fan.
Enter this baked spinach recipe – it’s packed with cream cheese, monterey jack cheese, eggs, and bacon.
This baked spinach casserole is a decadent cheesy dish that is easy enough to make any night, but fancy enough for company or even a holiday dinner. Love dishes like that!
Ingredient Notes:
Spinach – We’re keeping it easy and starting with frozen spinach. If you’d like to use fresh, you’ll want to wilt it first by sautéing it in a little butter or oil for a few minutes. I’ve never tried this with canned spinach but some readers have commented that it works as well.
Cheese – We’re using a combination of Monterey Jack and cream cheese to make this rich, decadent side dish. You could use pepper jack instead of Monterey Jack if you want to add a little bit of a spicy kick to the casserole!
Bacon – Some pre-cooked, crumbled bacon adds a smoky, salty bite to this creamy casserole. If you need a quick, easy, mess free way to prepare some bacon ahead of time check out this air fryer bacon recipe!
Other – You’ll need eggs to help bind all the ingredients together, and they add a little moisture to the casserole. For flavor you’ll also be adding in some minced garlic, salt, and melted butter!
Casseroles make dinner easy! This spinach casserole is quick to put together and is finished baking in under an hour.
This is a perfectly cheesy and savory casserole but it’s also a great way to work some nutritious spinach into your diet!
We love that this is simple enough to make for any night (just stir the ingredients together and bake!), but it’s fancy enough to serve up for a holiday dinner!
How To Make Spinach Casserole:
Spinach – This recipe is super simple and starts off with a couple packs of frozen spinach. You’ll want to be sure to thaw it and drain as much liquid as you can from the spinach. To drain the spinach well, I place it in a colander and press it down to squeeze out as much liquid as I can.
Mix – Add your spinach to a mixing bowl along with some cream cheese, Monterey jack, fried bacon, whisked eggs, butter, garlic, and salt and pepper. Stir the mixture all up. It doesn’t look like much here, but man this bakes up into something tasty.
Bake – Spread the spinach soufflé mixture into a 9×9 baking dish and pop it all in the oven. This spinach casserole bakes up in about 35 minutes.
Spinach Nutrition:
I try to eat spinach often, because it is a great source of magnesium and potassium, both of which I have to watch while on a keto diet.
Keeping your electrolytes in balance while eating low carb or keto can be tricky, because the diet often acts as a diuretic (meaning you’re peeing out those electrolytes).
Spinach has 3g carbs and 2g fiber per 2 cups of raw spinach plus loads of vitamins and minerals. That’s pretty impressive!
FAQs:
I actually discovered this recipe in an old Taste of Home magazine and tweaked it just a tiny bit. It was called spinach soufflé, but it’s not at all like a traditional soufflé that puffs and rises, so I’ve renamed it. I wanted to go ahead and mention spinach soufflé here though, because that was it’s original name and readers may recognize it if they stalk Taste of Home magazines the way I do. 😉
You can keep this casserole wrapped tightly in plastic wrap in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days. I would not recommend freezing this recipe. Cream cheese doesn’t always freeze that well.
More Keto Spinach Recipes:
- Spinach Stuffed Pork Chops: This is an easy way to dress up pork chops!
- Low Carb Stuffed Peppers: These are basically filled with spinach artichoke dip!
- Stuffed Chicken Breast: The most popular recipe on my site!
- Air Fryer Stuffed Chicken Breast: Just like my popular spinach stuffed chicken recipe, but made in the air fryer!
- Tuscan Chicken: The sauce is worth dreaming about.
- Spinach Artichoke Dip: This dip is low carb and keto friendly if you dip with fresh veggies instead of chips!
- Cauliflower Salad: Loaded with things like pepperoni, salami, banana peppers, and of course, spinach!
Spinach Casserole
Ingredients
- 20 ounces frozen spinach thawed and squeezed dry
- 4 ounces cream cheese cut into small cubes
- 1 1/2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
- 6 slices bacon fried and crumbled
- 4 large eggs beaten
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir well to combine.
- Spread mixture into a 8×8 baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the edges are golden and the center is set.
- Serve immediately.
Ellen Shinn says
I wanted to love this casserole as I love spinach and cheese but I didn’t. I think squeezing all the water out of the spinach made it too dry. Disappointed
Karly Campbell says
I’m sorry to hear this one didn’t suit your tastes.
Monique says
I love this recipe, but made some changes. I use 8 bags of frozen spinach and 2 packs of cream cheese and I add boiled chicken. So I have a full meal.
Suzanne G. says
Can this be made ahead and frozen? Thanks!
Karly Campbell says
I haven’t tested this one in the freeze. Not sure how it would do.
Justine L Carlson says
I will make this tonight with no garlic since my son is allergic to all root veggies. Has anyone tried this in the crockpot? Thanks!
Wolzen Brandy says
Sounds yummy
Kathleen says
Yummy yummy yummy! So good, thank you!
Jas says
Should I cover with foil before baking
Karly Campbell says
We don’t. We like the edges to get a bit browned.
Stan says
Do I pre cook frozen spinach before this recipe
Karly Campbell says
Nope.
Kat says
Could I use fresh spinach?
Karly Campbell says
Yes, but you’d want to wilt it first.
Lauren says
how do you wilt spinach?!!
Karly Campbell says
Just sauté in a bit of butter or oil for a few minutes.
Mary says
Can this recipe be doubled or is it best to make two?
Karly Campbell says
Hi Mary! I think this recipe would double just fine.
EmmaLyn says
Absolutely LOVE the spinach casserole, no problem getting hubby to chow down on this and he says he doesn’t like spinach… ha ha
Karly Campbell says
Love to hear that! 🙂
NEL FASTENAU says
Do you think I could use canned spinach, I know it is not as good, but I have several cans on hand.
Karly Campbell says
I’ve only made this with fresh spinach, so I’m really not sure. I don’t think I’ve ever cooked with canned spinach before.
Helen says
it works, just rinse the canned spinach very well then drain and squeeze dry
Wen says
I swapped the bacon from pork with shiitake mushroom bacon and left out the salt but everything else stayed the same and it was amazing!! Thank you for this recipe!!
Debra says
Would this work with Kale?
Karly Campbell says
I’ve never tried, so I really can’t say.
Johnny Vee says
I think I’ll make this with a good Keto crust. What do you think?
Karly Campbell says
I’m not sure what you mean by a crust? Some sort of crunchy topping would be good, if that’s what you’re thinking. 🙂
Diane says
Can I make this a day ahead and refrigerate before baking?
Karly Campbell says
Yes, I think that would be fine.
Patricia Clayton says
Could you follow this recipe but use cauliflower or broccoli? I have a bunch of frozen bags to use up. I would steam the veggies first.
Karly Campbell says
You could definitely try it! I have a broccoli cheese casserole though, if you don’t want to experiment. 🙂
Heather Nalette says
I make your amazing broccoli & cheese casserole. To change it up because it’s so good I keep wanting to make it, I do half & half, cauliflower & broccoli sometimes and it’s just as delicious!
Karly Campbell says
Sounds like a great idea to add cauliflower! 🙂
Patricia Clayton says
Thanks Karly for the response. I’m new to your site and so happy I accidentally discovered you.
Felicia Malmquist says
Great recipes
Amy says
I so wish I could eat dairy. ☹ Makes this diet super hard with delicious looking recipes like this one!
Feral Fox says
Can I freeze the leftovers?
Karly Campbell says
I’m not sure how this one would freeze…sometimes cream cheese gets a little funky in the freezer.
Jae says
Yummee !!!! I made this w/out the bacon and was delicious! Thanks so much for your great recipes : )
Karen says
Made this tonight…loved it!!
Minor changes…
– 2 bags Wegmans frozen organic spinach which is in 12 oz bags
– I used 8 strips of bacon (just because)
– shredded Mexican blend cheese instead of the Monterey Jack (no spices or seasonings in it. It’s just a blend of Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Asadero & Quesadilla Cheeses. A wonderful melty blend of cheeses)
Pretty sure none of these additions would make it better than the original recipe, it’s just what I had on hand.
Oh…I used unsalted butter and didn’t add the additional salt. Just thought there would be enough salt with the cheeses and the bacon. It was excellent.
Great recipe..thank you!!
Karly Campbell says
Sounds like delicious swaps! Glad you gave it a try! 🙂
Janet says
How much spinach, if made with fresh spinach
Karly Campbell says
I’ve only ever made this with frozen spinach, so I really can’t say.
Peggy Ressler says
Hi Janet. A 10 oz package of frozen spinach is the equivalent about a 1 pound bunch of fresh spinach. Hope this helps you. I plan to make this with fresh spinach, too.