smittenkitchen
The Best Baked Spinach
Think spinach gratins must be rich and leaden with cheese, cream and butter? Not when Julia Child shows us the way.
👥 6 Servings⏱️ Prep & Cook: 1h👤 deb📖 smittenkitchen
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●baking dish
- ●oven
- ●pot
- ●colander
- ●pan
📝 Preparation Steps
1
Heat your oven: To 375°F (190°C). If you’d like, cut the garlic clove in half and rub it over the bottom and sides of a shallow 1-quart baking dish. Lightly butter the dish.
2
To prepare fresh spinach: Stem and wash your spinach (see Tips below) well but no need to spin or pat it dry. Place spinach in a large pot over high heat. Cook, covered, with just the water clinging to leaves, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 2 to ⏱️ 4 minutes for baby spinach and 4 to ⏱️ 6 minutes for regular spinach. Transfer to a colander and rinse with very cold water (to stop the cooking). In small fistfuls, squeeze your spinach to extract as much excess water as possible. [If you have a potato ricer, it works great to press water out of handfuls of spinach too.] Chop the spinach coarsely. You should have about just shy of 3 cups of chopped spinach.
(1.3 kg) fresh spinach or 3 10-ounce (283-gram) packages frozen spinach, defrosted3 poundscup (85 grams) grated swiss, gruyère, or comté cheese, divided3/4
3
To prepare frozen spinach: In small fistfuls, squeeze your spinach to extract as much excess water as possible. [If you have a potato ricer, it works great to press water out of handfuls of spinach too.] If your frozen spinach wasn’t already chopped, chop it coarsely now. You should have about 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups of chopped spinach.
(1.3 kg) fresh spinach or 3 10-ounce (283-gram) packages frozen spinach, defrosted3 poundscup (85 grams) grated swiss, gruyère, or comté cheese, divided3/4
4
Prepare the filling: Wipe out the pot then melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over moderately high heat and stir in the spinach. Cook for 2 to ⏱️ 3 minutes or until all of the moisture from the spinach has boiled off — you’ll know you’re done when the spinach begins to stick to the pan.
5
Lower the heat and sprinkle with flour and stir for ⏱️ 2 minutes to cook the flour. Add the stock, scraping up any stuck spinach as you do. Once the liquid is added, simmer for another minute, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. I like to add another 1 tablespoon of butter here, but it’s optional. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and several grinds of black pepper. Stir 1/2 cup of the grated cheese into the spinach and pour it into the prepared baking dish.
(1.3 kg) fresh spinach or 3 10-ounce (283-gram) packages frozen spinach, defrosted3 poundscup (85 grams) grated swiss, gruyère, or comté cheese, divided3/4
6
Assemble and bake: Mix the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese with breadcrumbs and sprinkle on spinach. Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons remaining butter and pour it over the top. Season the crumbs with another pinch or two of salt and black pepper. Bake until heated through and slightly brown on the top, about ⏱️ 30 minutes.
(1.3 kg) fresh spinach or 3 10-ounce (283-gram) packages frozen spinach, defrosted3 poundscup (85 grams) grated swiss, gruyère, or comté cheese, divided3/4
7
Right away, with steaks, chops, veal, chicken, broiled fish or, if you’re us, eggs, glorious eggs.
8
Spinach can be blanched and chopped several hours or a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate until needed. This baked spinach can be fully assembled and, ⏱️ 30 minutes before needed, placed in a preheated 375 degree oven to bake, then served.
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