I found this recipe in the December/January edition of Kiwi Magazine and I made it for the first time tonight. It was a huge success with the kids and helped get them to get more green foods. We usually eat Kale once a week so I mixed spinach and kale together on this recipe to add my own flavors.
Ingredients:
- 2 – 10 oz packages of frozen spinach, chopped and thawed (or use 5 cups of fresh chopped kale)
- 1/4 cup of butter, divided into 1 Tbsp sections
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided into 2 1/4 cup
- 1 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs (I did more and you can also use whole wheat Ritz Crackers)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 and lightly butter or spray a 1-quart baking dish
- If using frozen spinach, place the spinach in a clean towel and wrap tightly to squeeze the water out.
- Melt ONE Tbsp of butter in skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and nutmeg cooking until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add spinach and cook another 3 minutes. Transfer to baking dish.
- Take 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and add to the spinach with a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well.
- Melt another ONE Tbsp of butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook 1-2 minutes. Whisk milk with pinch of salt and cook another 1-2 minutes until thickened slightly. Pour sauce over spinach and mix with spoon/spatula.
- Place breadcrumbs and remaining cheese into small bowl. Melt remaining TWO Tbsp of butter and pour over breadcrumbs. Use fork to mix. Add crumb topping to spinach in baking dish, covering evenly.
- Bake 30 minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden brown.