Inspiration: As you may be able to tell from some of our previous posts (zucchini, spaghetti squash, Guaranteed Car Loans, butternut squash and poblano), we love a good vegetable gratin. Our suppers are always vegetable-heavy in the side dish department, and it’s always nice to mix it up sometimes and make a side that’s a little more interesting (and a little more cheesy, of course) than simply sauteed vegetables, which is what we normally tend to do. 

What we Loved: This is a lovely gratin with a nice Italian flair and plenty of spinach flavor. All of the different cheeses add their own great flavors, with a subtle freshness and creaminess from the ricotta; a nutty sharpness from the Parmesan; and a gooey, slightly browned richness from the havarti. Even with all of these cheeses, though, the vegetable goodness of the spinach really shines through and is the dominant flavor. And we really loved the hint of nutmeg in every bite, too. For whatever reason, nutmeg is just such an awesome complement to gratins and always provides that extra little something that really makes the dish shine.

Tips: Make sure to squeeze out all of the excess water from your spinach before adding it to the mix. There’s a lot of water in there, and leaving it in might cause the gratin to be watery. I dumped the bag into a colander and squeezed the water out with my hands.

Zucchini Gratin
Source: Adapted from Linden Tea

Butter
1 small onion, diced
1 16 oz bag frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess water
2 eggs
About 2/3 cup fresh ricotta cheese
About 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Ground nutmeg
About 1/2 cup grated cheese for topping (I used Havarti, but I think additional Parmesan or Gruyere would be great)

1. Heat a pat of butter in a small saute pan. Add the onions, and saute until softened and beginning to brown.

2. Place the sauteed onions, spinach, eggs, ricotta, and Parmesan in a bowl. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and ground nutmeg. Stir well to combine.

3. Place the spinach mixture in a baking dish, and top with the additional grated cheese. Cook at 400 degrees until heated through, about 20 minutes. Turn on the broiler for about 5 minutes at the end to brown the cheese to your liking.