COOK: Epinards au Gratin – Creamed Spinach

• Epinards au Gratin Ingredients
• Kitchen Equipment Needed
• How to Make Classic Creamed Spinach
• Serving & Make-Ahead Tips
• Epinards au Gratin – Creamed Spinach

This creamed spinach recipe has roots in classical French cuisine, but couldn’t be simpler to whip up. But you don’t have to be Escoffier or Jacque Pepin to make your own version of this rich, delicious vegetable side dish! You don’t even have to make a roux or whisk anything.

I think this simple dish tastes best when made with freshly blanched spinach, but I’ve also provided instructions to use frozen spinach for a shortcut, or when you can’t get good fresh spinach at the market. You can use baby spinach or mature, bagged or bunch spinach.

Creamed spinach, or epinards au gratin en français (I don’t speak French, but I do speak Food), is a classic steakhouse or bistro side dish. But you don’t have to save this one for holidays or other special occasions… it’s easy enough to throw together for a decadent weeknight meal when you’re craving comfort food! This is not a low-fat dish, but hey, it’s still a vegetable, right?

You can make this creamed spinach in individual ramekins for an elegant, bistro-style presentation, or to portion and make these up to a few days ahead of time to bake off for separate meals. Or bake and serve in one big dish to serve up family-style… your choice. Either way, it’s soooo good.

Epinards au Gratin Ingredients

Spinach:

You can use fresh or frozen spinach for this dish. In season, fresh spinach is best, though you can use frozen spinach in a pinch for convenience, or when spinach is out of season.

Dairy:

This creamed spinach dish doesn’t skimp on the dairy! You’ll want unsalted butter, heavy cream, and grated Parmesan cheese. You can use salted butter but probably want to reduce the salt you add to the casserole… adjust to taste.

You can substitute Romano cheese or other hard, sharp, nutty grating cheeses for the Parmesan or use a blend, though this will change the flavor profile.

Alliums:

If possible, use both fresh shallots and garlic in this dish. Shallots are sweeter and milder than onions, but if you can’t find them, replace with one small white onion, minced and rinsed under cold running water, then squeezed dry.

Freshly minced garlic will have the best flavor, but you can substitute an equivalent volume of garlic paste.

Seasonings:

This dish has simple seasonings, so try to use good quality: Salt (flaky kosher salt or sea salt), freshly ground black pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg if you have or can get them!

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Kitchen Equipment Needed

Large pot & strainer (for fresh spinach):

If you are using fresh spinach, you’ll need a pot of salted boiling water, and a colander or wire strainer. For frozen spinach, you’ll only need a strainer or colander.

Knife & cutting board:

You’ll want a sharp knife to mince the shallot (or onion) and garlic clove, and to chop the blanched spinach, unless you’re using chopped frozen spinach.

Casserole dish or ramekins:

You can bake this creamed spinach as one large dish, or in individual heat-proof ramekins or oven-safe serving dishes.

How to Make Classic Creamed Spinach

one: blanch & drain spinach

• For frozen spinach:
  • Frozen spinach has already been blanched, so you just need to let it thaw in the refrigerator and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
  • If you are using whole leaf frozen spinach, chop it roughly now.
• For fresh spinach:
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, and wash and trim any coarse large stems from the spinach.
  • If you have a pasta pot with a strainer insert, use that, otherwise you’ll need to use a strainer to drain the blanched spinach.
  • Blanch the spinach just long enough to wilt the leaves and set the bright green color… no more than a minute or two. Baby spinach will blanch almost instantly, while tougher mature spinach will need a bit longer.
  • Immediately drain and plunge the blanched spinach into a bowl of cold water, or spray them with cold running water to stop the cooking.
• Drain and squeeze as much liquid as possible from the blanched or thawed spinach and place in a medium mixing bowl.

two: prepare baking dish(es)

• Brush or coat a one or one and a half quart baking dish or half-hotel pan (or individual ramekins) generously with most of the softened butter.
• Sprinkle the buttered pan (or ramekins) with the minced garlic.

three: mix spinach & other ingredients

• Add the minced shallots, salt, pepper, and nutmeg to the spinach.
• Stir in the heavy cream and half of the Parmesan cheese, and fold to mix well.

four: fill the casserole

• Spread the spinach mixture into an even layer in the buttered dish.
• Top with the rest of the shredded Parmesan cheese.
• You can cover and refrigerate the dish for up to 3 days at this point, or freeze.

five: bake & enjoy!

• Preheat the oven to 450℉.
• Bake until the mixture is hot and bubbly throughout and the cheese on top is light golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.
• Let cool for just a few minutes before dishing and serving.

Serving & Make-Ahead Tips

This creamed spinach is best served hot and bubbly, right from the oven. You can also bake this in restaurant-style hotel pans or foil pans and keep warm in a chafing dish. You can refrigerate and reheat any leftovers for up to four days.

You can prepare this dish ahead of time and refrigerate the unbaked spinach casserole(s) for up to three days, or freeze it for several months. This is a great way to get a head-start on holiday meal preparations, or to have an easy but delicious vegetable side dish on hand for company!

Thaw the baked casseroles in the refrigerator overnight if you used a ceramic dish, or defrost partially in the microwave on low-power before baking to avoid cracking your casserole dish. You can also start them in a cold oven to avoid thermal shock to your baking dish.

Metal or foil pans can go directly from the freezer to the oven, but cover the dish with foil so that it does not burn on top before it is hot throughout, especially if the frozen creamed spinach is not completely defrosted before baking.