Spinach gratin is a baked casserole dish made with spinach, vegetables, sauce, and herbs, topped with buttered breadcrumbs or grated cheese. The excess liquid from spinach can make the dish broody instead of creamy, and cooks can add spices, vegetables, and cheese to enhance the flavor. Breadcrumbs can be homemade or prepackaged, and the dish is cooked in a gratin dish or ovenproof casserole dish.
Spinach gratin is a variation on the classic French gratin cooking technique, most commonly seen with potato dishes. One tops a gratin with buttered breadcrumbs or grated cheese. This vegetable dish is a baked casserole in which the cooks combine spinach and other vegetables, sauce and selected herbs.
A classic gratin dish has a cream or milk-based sauce that holds the ingredients together. When preparing a classic au gratin, simply toss the breadcrumbs into the casserole seasoning. Variations that have appeared include adding grated or chopped cheese to cream sauce and dressing. One can also add manufactured or real bacon bits to the topping.
Spinach is a watery vegetable that needs to be cooked and drained before adding it to a gratin sauce. Undiluted spinach will dilute the sauce used in the gratin and make the dish broody instead of creamy. The excess liquid from the watery spinach makes the breadcrumbs in the topping soggy instead of crunchy.
Cooks may include spices such as garlic, pepper and savory herbs to enhance the flavor of a spinach gratin. They also add vegetables like onions and mushrooms. These picks provide textures that contrast with the softer spinach. People who like spicy foods can add sliced or diced peppers, such as chiles or jalapenos. Inventive spinach gratin recipes can include sweet potatoes, smoked fish, white potatoes, quinoa, or pumpkin.
You can choose any cheese for the spinach gratin. Fresh Parmesan is a classic gratin option. Hard cheeses like cheddar and Colt also tend to work well with gratin toppings. Softer cheeses like Brie and Camembert complement the flavor of spinach and cream sauces. Goat cheese, feta, smoked gouda, and bleu are also used as gratin ingredients or toppings.
The breadcrumbs for a spinach gratin can be homemade or prepackaged. Day-old bread, which has less moisture than fresh bread, is a better choice when making breadcrumbs to garnish a casserole. Panko breadcrumbs, available in some Asian grocery stores and food retailers, create a uniform crust on spinach gratin, with finely mashed and crunchy crumbs. Crackers, crushed and ground in a food processor, are also good substitutes for seasoned breadcrumbs.
After assembling the ingredients, cook or broil the spinach in a gratin dish or ovenproof casserole dish. Materials used for gratin dishes include cast iron, tempered glass, earthenware, and ceramic. Classic styles are oval or oblong and shallow. Pot depth typically remains constant, even as the total pot volume increases.
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