No-Cream Creamed Spinach
Serves 6-8
For all ingredients, please consider using those that are organic.
 
2 pounds frozen spinach
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup onion, chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped (optional)
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
8 ounces cremini or white mushrooms, thinly sliced (optional)
2 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk, or other plant-based milk of choice
1/2 cup cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/8-1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4-1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  freshly ground black pepper
 
Optional Topping
1 cup whole wheat, sourdough, or gluten-free breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
pinch sea salt and freshly groud black pepper
  lemon zest
 
Drain and defrost the spinach in a colander over a bowl or in the sink. It will take a few hours for the spinach to thaw. Pull it out in the morning and go about your business while it at least comes to temperature that you can handle without freezing your hands.
Once the spinach is mostly thawed, use your hands to squeeze out the water. Do this repeatedly until it as as dry as you can get it.
Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and shallots and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If using garlic, add it in after about 5 minutes of cooking. Adding the garlic at this point will help prevent it from burning.
Once the onion mixture becomes translucent and has cooked down, add the mushrooms. It will seem like a lot of mushrooms at first, but they will shrink down quite quickly. Cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes until they have significantly reduced in size.
Once the mushrooms are cooked down, add the spinach. Stir the mixture until the spinach is thoroughly mixed in. Add the milk. Cook until the mixture is bubbly and the liquid begins to reduce.
Add the nutritional yeast, nutmeg, paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine the flavors.
Remove about 1/2 cup of the mixture, plus a few tablespoons of any liquid in the pan and put in the bowl of a blender or food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the beans to the work bowl and blend or puree until the mixture is smooth.
Return the mixture to the pan and cook for another few minutes, and taste for balance of seasonings.
Serve right away or transfer mixture to a baking dish. The spinach can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and rewarmed before serving.
If you are rewarming the casserole for a dinner party, warm it covered in foil for about 30 minutes in an oven preheated to 350 F. You can remove the foil after about 15 minutes and allow the top to brown for the last 15-20 minutes.
If you choose to top the dish with breadcrumbs, I would suggest tossing them with about a tablespoon of olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper before, and fresh lemon zest before applying them to the top. Sprinkle them on top of the spinach at the time you remove the foil. Cook for another 15-20 minutes until they are golden brown.