Provencal Spinach Gratin
Even without dairy, this is a wonderful, creamy gratin that is perfect for vegans and non-vegans alike. If you like spinach, this is sure to become a favorite.
Even without dairy, this is a wonderful, creamy gratin that is perfect for vegans and non-vegans alike. If you like spinach, this is sure to become a favorite.
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup vegetable broth
- 20 oz bagged ready-washed spinach leaves (2 bags)
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbps unseasoned dry bread crumbs (i use panko crumbs, and that works fine)
- extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
- Carbohydrate 4.0052484375 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 3.399803125 g
- Fiber 0.0791718744114041 g
- Protein 0.2777890625 g
- Saturated Fat 0.47009171875 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (317g)
- Sodium 714.7408125 mg
- Sugar 3.9260765630886 g
- Trans Fat 0.0993982812500005 g
- Calories 47 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 C). Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil. Lightly oil a 10-inch pie plate and set aside.
- Put the spinach in a large colander. Pour the boiling water over the spinach. Toss the leaves until they are all wilted. Press the spinach down in the colander until most of the liquid has been extracted. If your colander is not large enough, you may want to wilt half the spinach at a time.
- Transfer the spinach to a cutting board and coarsely chop it. Put the spinach in a bowl and sprinkle the flour over it. Stir well to combine. Stir in the broth, parsley, 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Transfer the spinach mixture to the prepared pie plate. Sprinkle it with the bread crumbs and drizzle it with olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and the mixture is sizzling. Serve hot.
Spinach demands rigorous moisture control because twenty ounces of raw leaves release a staggering volume of water upon thermal collapse, threatening to turn any baking dish into a soup rather than a gratin. Pouring boiling water directly over the leaves in a colander initiates an instantaneous blanch that shrinks the greens uniformly before they hit the cutting board, yet manual extraction remains paramount. Squeezing the wilted mass forcefully eliminates trapped liquid that would otherwise dilute the binding properties of the all-purpose flour. Scaling this formulation upward requires careful geometric adjustments rather than simple multiplication, since doubling the volume in a single standard pie plate increases the depth of the mixture and exponentially extends the internal heating time required to achieve proper evaporation. When multiplying batches, divide the mixture across multiple ten-inch vessels to maintain the shallow profile necessary for the convection heat of a 425 degree Fahrenheit oven to penetrate fully and crisp the breadcrumb topping within twenty minutes. If panko is substituted for standard unseasoned dry bread crumbs, expect a coarser, crunchier surface texture because larger Japanese bread flakes trap pockets of air and resist the immediate saturation of the olive oil drizzle. Conversely, fine bread crumbs yield a dense, uniform crust that seals the spinach layer entirely, holding steam beneath the surface and altering the final mouthfeel of the dish. Preparation can pause up to twenty-four hours in the refrigerator before baking, provided the dish remains tightly covered to prevent the dry bread crumbs from absorbing ambient moisture and losing their ability to brown properly.
