Baked Spinach, Tomato and Goat Cheese

⏲ ~36 min total · prep 12 · cook 24 · 4 servings

By the KFI Test Kitchen · Tested & approved by Jason Lieu, KFI recipe editor

Published Sep 15, 2026 · Updated Sep 15, 2026

Ingredients

• 10 oz baby spinach
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 5-oz goat cheese log, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 3/4 tsp salt, divided

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 375°F and oil an 8x8-inch baking dish.
2. Warm the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat, add the garlic, and cook 45 seconds — pale and fragrant, never browned.
3. Add the spinach in two handfuls at a time, tossing until each batch collapses, 2-3 minutes total, then dump it into a colander and press out the liquid firmly with a spatula.
4. Return the drained spinach to the skillet off the heat and stir in the cream, Parmesan, 1/2 tsp of the salt, and the pepper flakes.
5. Spread the mixture evenly in the baking dish, scatter the tomatoes over, press them in lightly, and season with the remaining 1/4 tsp salt.
6. Lay the goat cheese rounds across the top, spacing them evenly.
7. Bake 20-22 minutes, until the edges bubble and the goat cheese rounds pick up golden spots.
8. Rest 5 minutes before serving — the cream sets enough to scoop cleanly.

Why this recipe works

• Spinach pressed hard Wilted spinach holds far more water than it looks like, and the colander-and-spatula press exists to evict it. Skip the press and the cream bakes into a thin puddle.
• Garlic stays pale Forty-five seconds in warm olive oil is enough for fragrance and never enough for browning. Browned garlic in a cream bake turns bitter somewhere around the 20-minute mark.
• Goat cheese rounds on top Sliced into 1/2-inch rounds and spaced across the surface, the log browns into golden spots while staying soft inside. Stirred in, it would vanish into the cream.

Tips for making this recipe well

Wilt in two-handed batches

The recipe adds spinach a couple of handfuls at a time, tossing until each batch collapses. A full bag dumped in steams unevenly and takes twice as long.

Press until nothing runs

Press the wilted spinach in the colander with a spatula until liquid stops dripping. This is the single step that decides whether the bake sets or soups.

Split the salt as written

Half a teaspoon seasons the cream mixture and the last quarter teaspoon lands on the raw tomatoes. Salting the tomatoes earlier would pull their juice out before the bake.

Look for bubbles at the edges

Twenty to twenty-two minutes at 375°F, and the edges are the tell. When they bubble and the goat cheese picks up gold spots, the dish is done.

Rest before you scoop

Five minutes lets the cream set enough to scoop cleanly instead of running. The goat cheese stays warm through that rest.

Serving suggestions

Thirty-five minutes, and only the first ten ask for your hands. Bring the whole 8x8 dish to the table with a big spoon and let the golden goat cheese rounds do the talking. At 5.1 net carbs a serving it sits beside roast chicken as easily as it sits beside eggs at breakfast, and it needs nothing else on the plate to feel finished. Spoon it warm; it scoops cleanest after its 5-minute rest.

Storage and meal prep

Covered, the dish keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge, and the cream sets firm enough overnight to cut into squares. Reheat portions in a covered skillet on low or in the oven until warm through. The freezer is a poor match, because the pressed spinach releases water again as it thaws and the cream separates around it. This is one to finish, not to bank.

Variations worth trying

• Kale instead of spinach Chopped kale needs a few extra minutes of wilting before it softens, and it keeps more structure through the bake.
• Sausage underneath Brown 8 oz of breakfast sausage first and spread it under the creamed spinach for a full meal in one dish.
• No heat Leave out the red pepper flakes; the garlic and goat cheese carry the flavor on their own.
• Tomatoes stirred in Fold the halved cherry tomatoes into the cream instead of scattering them, and the bake turns pinker and juicier.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use frozen spinach?

Yes, thawed and squeezed harder than you think necessary. Frozen spinach carries more water than fresh, so the pressing step matters twice as much.

Why did my bake turn watery?

The spinach never got pressed dry in the colander. Water hiding in the leaves separates from the cream in the oven and pools at the edges.

Can I assemble it ahead of time?

You can build the dish in the morning and refrigerate it, then bake it cold and add 5 minutes or so to the oven time. Add the goat cheese rounds right before it goes in.

What can replace the goat cheese?

Feta crumbles work and stay salty and crumbly rather than softening. Boursin softens more like the original, though it will not hold round shapes.

Is this a side or a main?

At 5.1 net carbs a serving it flexes either way, and the recipe files it as a side. With sausage folded in underneath, it crosses into main-dish territory without changes to the method.

Related keto recipes

Sides

Keto Brussels Sprouts Gratin

34 min · 5.0g net carbs

Sides

Antipasto Salad with Peperoncini Olive Tapenade

47 min · 8.2g net carbs

Sides

Creamy Asparagus Mash Side Dish

23 min · 3.4g net carbs

Sides

Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

37 min · 4.0g net carbs

As an Amazon Associate and affiliate partner, Keto Food Ideas earns from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. Nutritional values are estimates. Recipes are developed with AI assistance and reviewed by our editors before publishing.

← More Sides recipes · Home