Spinach Rice Gratin Recipe
The varied ingredients make this a hugely popular dish every time I serve it.
The varied ingredients make this a hugely popular dish every time I serve it.
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 1/2 cups leftover/pre-cooked brown rice room temp
- 1 1/2 cups cups well finely chopped spinach
- 4 ounces firm organic tofu crumbled
- 10 black olives chopped
- 1/2 medium red onion diced
- 1/3 cup pine nuts or almonds toasted
- 1/2 cup shredded manchego cheese (or parm, or gruyere)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- Carbohydrate 2.62808125 g
- Cholesterol 396.5625 mg
- Fat 10.76645 g
- Fiber 0.36218749769032 g
- Protein 12.00545 g
- Saturated Fat 3.0996425 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (152g)
- Sodium 12372.9506386209 mg
- Sugar 2.26589375230968 g
- Trans Fat 1.62784125 g
- Calories 154 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Rack in the top third. Grease a 10-inch round baking dish (or equivalent) with a bit of olive oil.
- In a large bowl combine the rice, spinach, and tofu. Now, reserving a bit of each for garnish, stir in the olives, and red onion, pine nuts and olive oil. Now stir in 1/4 cup of the cheese.
- In a small bowl whisk together the eggs, and salt. Fold the eggs into the rice mixture, pour into the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the casserole is set, and the top toasty and golden.
- Remove from the oven, and sprinkle with remaining onions, olives, and nuts.
- Sprinkle with a bit more salt before serving - or taste and get a sense of whether you need any
Stretching leftover grains past their original meal requires careful moisture management so the starch does not turn gummy during a second thermal cycle. Pre-cooked brown rice works well here because individual grains maintain their structural integrity when combined with crumbled organic tofu and finely chopped spinach. Whisking three eggs thoroughly with sea salt before folding them into the dry ingredients ensures proper protein coagulation, creating a cohesive interior structure without requiring heavy cream. Placing the 10-inch round baking dish in the top third of a 400°F oven encourages rapid browning on the manchego cheese surface while setting the interior within thirty minutes.
Preparing this dish ahead of time allows for seamless storage in the refrigerator for up to three days, or freezing for longer periods if tightly wrapped. Reheating individual portions in a toaster oven at 350°F restores the toasty exterior crunch much better than a microwave, which tends to make the cheese rubbery and the spinach weep. Adjusting quantities for smaller or larger households requires maintaining the ratio of one large egg per cup of dry grain to guarantee proper binding.
