Going Green(s)!
Spring has sprung and early Spring greens are making their way to the market.
When I’m shopping, I always buy plenty of greens.
I just love the bunches of tender leaves and everything you can do with them. Different greens will cook in different lengths of time.
The more tender the green, the faster it will wilt in the pan—like spinach. The denser the leaf, like collards, mustard greens, and Swiss Chard, the longer they will take to prepare.
You can use the essence of the greens to flavor oils and sauces.
You can also add greens to your favorite casseroles, mound them on pizza, pulse them into soups, or combine greens into one super satisfying frittata.
I like to combine leaves in salads.
I buy several heads, and gather leaves like spinach and arugula.
I rinse and dry, and then pack them up in plastic bags for use during the week. You can add herbs like basil leaves or parsley and cilantro.
For weeknight suppers, I sauté greens with onion, garlic and mushrooms or beans. This makes a super side dish.
And in the morning, I sneak in some chopped spinach when I’m whipping up my scrambled eggs.
Greens are a staple on my menus….Hope they are on yours too!
Here’s a great recipe for sauteed spinach with mushrooms and heaps of cheese. It’s yummmmmmy!
Jorj Morgan participates in affiliate advertising programs. If you make a purchase from a link that you found above or on jorj.com, we may be recognized for the referral with payment.
Spinach Au Gratin With Sauteed Mushrooms
Getting greens into your dinner rotation doesn’t have to be a struggle. Try this spinach dish and let me know how it works out!
Learn how to make veggies and salads YOUR WAY in my new cookbook series, You Can Cook Any THING (Volume 2 coming this Spring)!
Servings
Serves 4 – 6
Time To Prepare
30 minutes ‘til it’s ready
Ingredients
For Mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 8 ounces mushrooms, you choose the type, sliced, or chopped, about 2 ½ cups
- ¼ cup sherry
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
For Spinach
- 1 (20-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (you can substitute with fresh spinach leaves.)
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated, about ½ cup
- 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated, about ¼ cup
Paprika
Directions
Heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms. Don’t mess with them! Let the mushrooms cook until they are golden brown on the bottom, about 4 to 5 minutes. Turn them to cook on the second side, about 2 more minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and pour in the sherry. Cook until the liquid disappears, about 3 minutes more. Season with some of the salt and pepper. Turn off the heat.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cook the spinach in the microwave. Drain in a colander and use paper towels to press out excess moisture. If you choose to use fresh spinach, 1 pound fresh spinach will cook down to about the same amount as 10 ounces cooked frozen spinach. For this recipe, you will need 2 pounds of fresh spinach, chopped which will be about 8 cups. Steam the spinach in a microwave oven or in a steamer over boiling water. Drain as directed above.)
Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a pot over medium heat until melted. Stir in the flour and cook until the mixture begins to bubble. Pour in the milk and stir until the sauce begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in the Gruyere cheese and cook until melted. Remove the sauce from the heat.
Place the spinach into a bowl. Pour in half of the sauce and stir. Pour in the remaining sauce and stir once more. Pour the spinach mixture into a casserole dish (or several smaller individual casserole dishes).
Top the spinach mixture with the mushrooms and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Dot the top with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and sprinkle with a bit of paprika. Cook until the casserole is golden on the top and bubbling, about 10 to 12 minutes (depending on the size of the casserole dish).
Jorj Morgan participates in affiliate advertising programs. If you make a purchase from a link that you found above or on jorj.com, we may be recognized for the referral with payment.
