Classic Spinach Gratin
This Creamy, Cheesy Spinach Gratin is full-on flavor! Fresh spinach in a creamy, cheesy sauce baked until bubbly and golden.
Ingredients
For the spinach:
- 2 lbs stemmed fresh spinach OR baby spinach from about 2 ½ pounds spinach with stems
- OR
- 14 oz frozen chopped spinach that has been squeezed dry *see note
For the sauce:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 bouillon cube chicken or vegetable
- Few scrapings of fresh nutmeg or a pinch of ground nutmeg
- 1.5 oz grated gruyere cheese about ⅔ cup (*see note)
- Salt and pepper to taste
To bake:
- 2 oz grated gruyere cheese about 1 cup (*see note)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Prepare the spinach:
- In a pan of boiling water, blanch 2 lbs. fresh, stemmed spinach for 2 minutes. Drain and submerge in a bowl of cold water until cool to preserve the fresh green color. Drain thoroughly.
- Taking small handfuls, squeeze out as much excess water as you can. I do this in about 10 small handfuls. The resulting weight should be about 14oz.
- Chop the spinach.
Make the sauce:
- Sauté chopped onion in butter until soft.
- Add flour and whisk to combine.
- Whisk in milk and bouillon cube, cooking until it thickens and starts to bubble.
- Add 1.5oz grated cheese and whisk in until melted. Turn off heat.
- Add a few scrapings of fresh nutmeg.
- Salt and pepper to taste. I use about 1 teaspoon salt.
To finish and bake:
- Stir the chopped, squeezed spinach into the cheese sauce.
- Spread in a baking dish. Top with 2oz grated gruyere cheese.
- Bake in a 400 degree F oven until bubbly and cheese on top is golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.
Notes
- This recipe was made using 2 lbs. of fresh, stemmed spinach. The weight of the spinach before stemming was about 2 ½ pounds. After blanching, chopping, and squeezing dry, the weight was 14oz. If you prefer to use frozen chopped spinach, use 14oz after thawing and squeezing out as much water as you can. This will require buying more than 14oz frozen spinach.
- I measure my cheese by weight because the volume will be different depending on the grating method. I use a fine grater that makes long, fine strands and takes up more space than cheese that has been grated in a food processor.
Nutrition
Calories: 217kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 12gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 474mgPotassium: 1003mgFiber: 4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 14641IUVitamin C: 43mgCalcium: 422mgIron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!