Creamy Kale & Spinach Gratin

Creamy Winter Greens Gratin

   (adapted from Fine Cooking)

You can make this with your choice of spinach, kale, Swiss chard or broccoli raab or a combination of any of these.

Manicotti with pepperoni meat sauce was on the menu for dinner tonight so what should I serve with it?  I was trying to stick with the Italian theme, but I ended up with a French gratin that really did work well as a side dish to manicotti!  Being a spinach & kale lover, those are the greens that I used this time.  This recipe is a keeper.  It was tasty, healthy, and the perfect complement to my manicotti.  If you're wondering, it was most definitely more greens than cream.  The cream just sort of bound it together.  The original recipe called for heavy cream; to make it more healthy I used half & half. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 2-3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 2 cups half & half
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ cup cooked bacon pieces  
• *4 cups cooked winter greens (spinach, Swiss chard, kale, or broccoli raab)
• 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, or a combination of Parmigiano and another hard cheese like Gruyère, Emmental, or aged Gouda

DIRECTIONS: 

Prep & cook the greens:   
*To get the 4 cups of cooked greens you need for the gratin, you’ll need about 2 pounds of greens.  (I used the bagged & pre-washed greens; one 5-oz and one 10-oz of baby spinach and one 12 oz package kale… so I was a few ounces shy of the 16 ounces of each but it worked out well.)

In a large non-stick skillet, saute the onion in olive oil until soft.  Add the greens & cook, covered, until wilted and tender, about 4 minutes.  (This may need to be done in two batches). 

Remove from heat and stir in Italian seasoning and bacon pieces.  Spoon this mixture into the bottom of greased 8-cup gratin or shallow casserole dish. 

Assemble and bake the gratin:

Heat the oven to 400°F.
In a medium saucepan, bring the half & half, nutmeg, and garlic powder to a boil over medium-high heat (watch that it doesn’t boil over); immediately lower the heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cream reduces a bit, 4 to 8 min. Take the pan off the heat & season with 1/4 tsp. of salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper.

Sprinkle the greens mixture with the cheese.

Pour the seasoned cream over all, and top with seasoned Panko breadcrumbs.

Bake until the gratin is brown and bubbly, about 25 min. Let rest for 10 to 15 min. before serving.

For another presentation, you can serve these gratins individually. Just divide ingredients among eight small gratin dishes and bake as directed above.