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Painting With A Green Palate...100% Vegan & 80% Gluten-Free Cooking

Painting With A Green Palate...100% Vegan, & Gluten-Free Cooking

Creamy Corn & Spinach Toast (Vegan)

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This Creamy Corn & Spinach Toast consists of a flavorful aromatic white sauce, sweet corn, and chopped spinach mixture, spread on some bread for the perfect everyday vegan toast recipe! Pair it with another side or enjoy it as is. This vegan, gluten-free, easy recipe is perfect to serve for any meal or party appetizer!

Creamy Corn and Spinach Toast #vegan #glutenfree | www.vegetariangastronomy.com

This recipe goes way back to childhood. I was never a huge fan of creamed spinach or corn until my aunt made a version of this Creamy Corn and Spinach Toast for lunch one day. I was blown away at how delicious it was once combined together and served on some toasted bread. Of course my mom being the foodie and amazing cook that she is, started making a similar version of it at home, but with her own twist and flavors. This easy and quick dish was one of my staples in college.  Many of my friends have tried and loved it! I shared the original dairy version of the recipe in the past, but have since come up with a vegan version that I’m excited to be sharing with you today!

The base of this recipe makes use of a simple Bechamel sauce, combined with a few of my favorite spices and seasonings such as ginger and lemon, to give a flavorful, thick creamy white sauce. To make things even easier, I use frozen corn and spinach.  My favorite frozen veggies are from Trader Joe’s, especially their organic frozen corn, which is nice and sweet.

Creamy Corn and Spinach Toast #vegan #glutenfree | www.vegetariangastronomy.com

As much as I prefer and love fresh produce, I always have a bag of frozen corn and spinach ready to go in the freezer, mainly to make this Creamy Corn and Spinach Toast when I’m all out of dinner ideas.

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it’s very easy and quick to make, and perfect to serve for all occasions for the entire family. Simply prepare the creamy white sauce, defrost some corn and spinach, throw it in the mix, toast some bread, spread a layer of the hot creamy corn and spinach mixture, and serve with some freshly ground black pepper and your favorite hot sauce.  You can use slices of sourdough bread, a french baguette, or your favorite gluten-free bread and serve it for brunch, lunch, or pair it up with my Velvety Zucchini Basil Soup for dinner.

So grab your favorite bags of frozen corn and spinach and make this vegan Creamy Corn & Spinach Toast! Once you’ve had a bite, I promise you’ll join all the others who have already made this recipe a staple meal in their home. 🙂 Don’t forget to share and tag me on Facebook or Instagram, both #vegetariangastronomy @vegetariangastronomy if you try out the dish. I love seeing and sharing your re-makes!

Creamy Corn and Spinach Toast #vegan #glutenfree | www.vegetariangastronomy.com

Creamy Corn and Spinach Toast #vegan #glutenfree | www.vegetariangastronomy.com

Creamy Corn and Spinach Toast #vegan #glutenfree | www.vegetariangastronomy.com
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Creamy Corn & Spinach Toast
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 

Creamy seasoned corn and spinach slathered on toasted bread and topped with spice! It makes the perfect meal, brunch, or bite sized appetizers!

Course: Appetizer, Main Dish
Cuisine: American, Gluten-Free, Italian, Vegan
Servings: 8 corn toasts
Calories: 254 kcal
Author: Anjali Lalani
Ingredients
  • 8 oz. frozen sweet corn kernels , about 2 cups
  • 8 oz. frozen spinach , defrosted, water squeezed out
  • 8 slices sandwich size bread , see notes below
  • salt , to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • vegan cheddar or mozzarella cheese (optional) see notes below
  • hot sauce , such as Cholula
For White Sauce:
  • 1 1/2 tbsp butter , such as Earth Balance Vegan Butter
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour , for gluten-free use rice flour
  • 1 1/4 cup unsweetened cashew milk , room temperature (SILK brand or any other non-dairy milk)
  • 1 1/2 teasp fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teasp garlic powder
  • 1/2 teasp fresh ginger , finely grated
  • 1 teasp sugar , or to taste
  • 1 tbsp fresh jalapeno , (optional) finely grated
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
To Make White Sauce:
  1. Heat a medium non-stick pot to medium heat. Add the vegan butter and wait until it is just melted.
  2. Add the flour to the pot and whisk until all the butter is mixed in. You should have a paste like consistency. Cook the butter and flour for 30-40 seconds while mixing continuously (the mixture should bubble slightly from cooking) until it is light brown.
  3. Slowly add in the milk (it should be at room temperature, not cold) and mix continuously until the flour/butter mixture is completely blended into the milk. Try not to leave any butter/flour chunks.

  4. Turn the heat to medium/low and continue to whisk. When you first start to notice the sauce thickening, add the grated ginger, grated jalapeno, garlic powder, and lemon juice.

  5. Continue to stir until the sauce has thickened into a creamy smooth white bechamel sauce (note: the thickness should be such that the sauce still pours off the spatula). Be sure to whisk or mix frequently so that the sauce does not stick to the bottom of the pan. This step could take 10-15 minutes so be patient. In the meantime, defrost the corn & spinach as indicated below.

  6. Once the white sauce seems done, turn the heat to low and add salt, sugar, and pepper to taste. Depending on the acidity of your lemons you may prefer to add more.

To Prepare Corn Spinach Toast:
  1. In the meantime, completely defrost the frozen corn and spinach in the microwave and set aside. Be sure to squeeze out all the water from the defrosted spinach otherwise the consistency of this dish will be watery and off.

  2. Next mix in the defrosted corn and spinach into the prepared white sauce. (note: be sure to drain ALL the water from the frozen spinach before adding. I usually squeeze the water out with a spoon or my hand. If this is not done, the mixture will become runny).

  3. Cook for another 5 minutes. Adjust the amount of sugar/salt/pepper if needed. Turn off the heat.

  4. Bake at 350 degrees or toast the slices of bread in the oven or toaster oven.

  5. Spoon the hot mixture on each slice of bread.

  6. (optional) Top with shredded vegan cheese and bake at 350 for another few minutes until the cheese has melted.

  7. Enjoy with your favorite hot sauce! Leftover corn and spinach mixture can be kept in the fridge in air-tight container and heated the following day!
Recipe Notes

Bread - I prefer to use sourdough slices or a fresh french baguette.

 

To serve as an appetizer, thinly spice the long french baguette into small round slices and serve bite-size portions.

 

Gluten-Free Option - use your favorite gluten-free bread and use rice flour.

 

Vegan Cheese - use your favorite vegan cheddar shreds or fresh vegan mozz by Miyoko.

 

Make Ahead Tip - Make the corn and spinach mixture the day before.

 

 

Nutrition Facts
Creamy Corn & Spinach Toast
Amount Per Serving
Calories 254 Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g 6%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 6mg 2%
Sodium 395mg 16%
Potassium 263mg 8%
Total Carbohydrates 46g 15%
Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
Sugars 2g
Protein 10g 20%
Vitamin A 67.8%
Vitamin C 5%
Calcium 6.5%
Iron 17.4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Creamy Corn and Spinach Toast #vegan #glutenfree | www.vegetariangastronomy.com

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Comments

    • anjali says

      December 23, 2013 at 9:50 PM

      This is one of my oldest recipes and it never fails to please people! So glad you all enjoyed it! And great idea - I actually took your suggestion and made these on small pieces of french bread for bit size pieces at our Holiday party this past weekend! They were a huge hit!
      Reply

  3. Sejal D. says

    November 16, 2014 at 9:27 PM

    Just made this recipe when my parents were visiting - loved it! Super easy and very healthy. I also lightly coated the sourdough bread with a bit of EVOO before toasting in the oven.The only negative is I found a bit on the bland side (even though we added our favorite hot sauce). Perhaps I should have added more black pepper?However, I'm thinking about throwing in some garlic to the bechamel sauce. Have you tried it before? I'm a firm believer that garlic can made anything better (not very Jain of me, hehe, but oh well!) I'll still be making this recipe, especially since it's such a quick and healthy recipe. I think it would make a really cute appetizer for dinner parties!
    Reply

    • anjali says

      November 16, 2014 at 11:42 PM

      So glad they liked the dish...I grew up making it and it's one of my favorites.As far as it being on the bland side, the sauce itself when tasting it plain before adding the corn/spinach should be VERY flavorful. If you need more flavor, simply add more or a combination of ginger/lemon juice/salt/black pepper/sugar. Those flavors together combined should work well. The sauce by itself should be very flavorful. Also, the corn I use is from Trader Joe which is one of my favorite brands of frozen corn...very sweet and the kernels are great. Perhaps this was also an issue? Garlic would work great...and I think garlic makes EVERYTHING better, but for some reason, I was really satisfied with this dish without garlic =)Oh and as far as dinner parties...YES! I make these all the time on a smaller scale for dinner parties. Last year at our xmas party, I simply bought a long french bagette, sliced it into small rounds, toasted the bread, topped each with filling and sauce. They were gone so fast after I pulled them out of the oven! So yes...try them out next time for a dinner party!Thanks as always for trying out my recipe and for the comment...the feedback greatly helps!
      Reply

  4. Reshana says

    February 17, 2017 at 9:37 PM

    This recipe has to be one of my favourites! I love how you combined both sweet corn and a creamed style spinach into an open sandwich! I love both veggies and anything on a crushy bread so I will definitely be trying this on the days where I dont eat meat (When we fast, fasting at the moment) and I most certainly will not skip the cheese :-) This looks scrumptious! Love this recipe!
    Reply

  6. Rashmi says

    February 17, 2017 at 10:07 PM

    OH MY GOODNESS! This looks absolutely AMAZING, I am so trying it, I have 3 cans of corn kennels that I need to use up so this recipe is definitely going to be one of them. I LOVE BREAD TOO, so I know this is going to be a winning sandwich and lets not forget the hot sauce :-)
    Reply

  7. Natalie | Feasting on Fruit says

    February 18, 2017 at 2:05 PM

    Finally a veggie-topped toast snack that doesn't involve avocado!! It sounds like a simple thing, but is surprisingly rare to see. And as much as I love avocado this sounds even better to me! Love corn, love spinach, and I love the sound of this creamy rich roux-like sauce in between. My freezer is always stocked with frozen corn and spinach too (frozen veggies are a convenience I take full advantage of haha) so this would be so simple to whip up for a snack or a meal even. I imagine this mixture would be delicious over pasta too even. Pinning because it's beautiful and because I have to try it soon :)
    Reply

    • anjali says

      February 24, 2017 at 2:48 PM

      Thanks Natalie! I'm totally an avocado toast lover also, but This corn and spinach toast has been with my family as long as I can remember and I LOVE it! The flavors go really well together! Since you mentioned the pasta, I actually mixed this creamy corn & spinach mix with some cooked spaghetti squash once and it was delicious! hoping you try it, would love to know what you think!
      Reply

  9. Veena Azmanov says

    February 20, 2017 at 2:49 AM

    I love toasting bread and making open sandwiches so I can pile them up with stuff. I love the addition of hot sauce.. totally my kinda flavor. Spinach and cream corn.. That's so totally me...!
    Reply

  11. Corina says

    February 20, 2017 at 3:45 AM

    It sounds absolutely yummy! I'd never even thought to have spinach on toast before but I'm tempted now. It's great you've been able to recreate a vegan version of an old favourite recipe too!
    Reply

  12. Ali from Home & Plate says

    February 20, 2017 at 5:02 AM

    Wow what a great idea to make a these toasts if you wanted to enjoy this with a group of friends. You could also use naan or a pizza crust if you wanted to make a larger "toast." Creamy corn and spinach are such a great flavor combo as well. Yum...delish!
    Reply

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