Rev: Spinach-Cheese Bake 5/07

[Bawstinn]

I made the Spinach Cheese Bake from the May issue for lunch. Not sure what I think.

The article says to reduce the cholesteral they use 1 cup egg substitute for the original 3 eggs. I'm not fond of egg substitute, so I used 3 eggs.

There wasn't quite enough liquid to cover the spinach and cheese and I don't see where another 1/4 cup would make a difference. The flavor was good but there were spots without the filling. 2-6 oz bags of spinach is a lot of spinach to stick in a 9x13 and I had to work at trying to get it all covered by the milk mixture.

So, I'd be wiling to give this one another try, but would add one more egg and a bit more milk.

[cumulus]

Thanks for the review- I was leaning toward trying this one, and likely still will- but it's good to know I may need to add some more liquid.

How did it taste?

[Bawstinn]

Reheated a piece for lunch and still trying to determine what I think of it. I like it well enough to play with it a little, I just think it needs something.

Definite spinach taste. I did up the spices a little, but I think it still needs something, maybe some onion and garlic powder if one didn't want to saute. I think the sharp cheddar is a must since the jack cheese (to me) doesn't have a strong flavor.

I'm also wondering if using evaporated skim instead of the regular skim would help give the filling a boost.

Here is the recipe:

Spinach-Cheese Bake

You can assemble the casserole in less than 10 minutes by using preshredded cheeses. Pair this dish with fresh berry salad and mini muffins for a lovely Mother's Day or graduation brunch.

1 tablespoon butter, melted
Cooking spray
2 (6-ounce) packages fresh baby spinach
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (about 5 3/4 ounces)
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1 cup egg substitute
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Preheat oven to 350°.

Pour the butter into the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; tilt dish to coat. Place spinach evenly in bottom of dish; sprinkle evenly with cheeses.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk until blended. Pour milk mixture over cheese. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Yield: 12 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 157(34% from fat); FAT 6g (sat 3.7g,mono 1.7g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 10.8g; CHOLESTEROL 18mg; CALCIUM 263mg; SODIUM 494mg; FIBER 1.6g; IRON 2.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 15.1g

[Aninha]

Thanks for the review!
I have only took a quick look over my magazine but this was one of the recipes that caught my eye. I plan to try it soon, and I will report back when I make. Meanwhile it is fun to see what others think about it too!
Ana

[leebee]

I made this last night for dinner, and we LOVE it! We do love spinach and are always looking for more ways to eat it. I made as written, and the only change I think I'd make is (and I can't believe I'm saying this) to use less cheese. I do think if the few spices used are skimped on or left out, then it would really make a difference. I do grate my nutmeg - I think there's a big flavor difference in using the bottled stuff.

We will repeat, and are even thinking of ways to tweak (add mushrooms, use feta or Swiss, etc.). But it is super easy and the leftovers are good! YUM!

[Aninha]

Yay, glad to know it is good, I can't wait to try this one!
Ana

[donleyk]

Made this last night. I used 4 eggs. I used 12oz of portabellas for 1 of the bags of spinach. I didn't use half the cheese called for. I thought it had plenty of cheese. DH really enjoyed it and I liked it well enough for a light meal. Served fruit salad with it. The note says to serve immeadiately but I'm thinking a good 10 minute cooling off would work better. I brought left overs for lunch today so I'll report back about how it does reheating.

[TwinMom]

I have the last of the winter spinach from a local farm, which is thicker than baby spinach. I was planning on using this, but since it has more water than baby spinach, I'm worried about it getting watery.

Just curious, did the casserole get watery since the spinach isn't cooked beforehand? Think I should at least wilt the spinach first?

Thanks!

[Bawstinn]

My casserole didn't get watery at all.

I thought that it reheated just fine. When I got to the middle (where there was enough filling) it was a lot better than the outside pieces. It was a little mushy when reheated, but not bad at all.

[luv2cook]

I was thinking of cooking some Laura's lean and adding it to this. Any thoughts? I also thought about adding green onion and someone mentioned feta. Maybe sub feta for the monterrey???

ps. this is on the menu tonight. I need a break from my vietnamese craze I've been on -- including lunch out!

[luv2cook]

well, I nevah! thanks a lot you guys. I had to do this on my own!:p ;)

I cooked the Laura's with about a tablespoon of leftover fresh garlic and some leftover red onion.

I put the meat on top of the spinach - sort of. I started to pour and realized I forget said meat! Anyhoo, I finished pouring and and smashed down. Topped w/some leftover parmesan.

I thought it turned out well. Could have been a little spicier. I guess I didn't add enough pepper. I did sub feta for the monterrey. I couldn't really taste that, tho.

I could tinker with it some more, but I'm not sure that I want to, but it sure was pretty when I put it on the plate!

[valchemist]

I didn't have high hopes for this going into the pan. all that spinach?? not chopped or cooked??

but it turned out great. we loved it!

I used 4 eggs and all of the cheese and would do that again. I also omitted the nutmeg (do NOT like nutmeg and spinach even though most people do) and red pepper.

didn't have a problem with coverage... a little of the spinach wasn't covered going into the oven, but it baked right in while in the oven. so easy to make and reheats well (though I did like it more right out of the oven).

[HealthyinMN]

I didn't have high hopes for this going into the pan. all that spinach?? not chopped or cooked??

but it turned out great. we loved it!

I used 4 eggs and all of the cheese and would do that again. I also omitted the nutmeg (do NOT like nutmeg and spinach even though most people do) and red pepper.

didn't have a problem with coverage... a little of the spinach wasn't covered going into the oven, but it baked right in while in the oven. so easy to make and reheats well (though I did like it more right out of the oven).

I agree - I made this last week (haven't yet posted about it though!) and we really liked it! We had no coverage issues - I did include the nutmeg and we liked it well enough.

[katygirl]

I made this last night and I liked it just okay. Today's leftovers were so much better, not sure if the flavors needed more time. I made a couple changes, I didn't have BABY spinach so used regular but coarsly chopped it. I added onion powder, garlic powder, Penzey's Northwoods Fire (something like that!) seasoning and used red pepper flakes. I also omitted the nutmeg, mostly b/c my spice cabinet is a crazy mess and I was sick of looking for it! I guess I would make again, the ingredients I usually have on hand, but it wasn't knock my socks off good.

[Terrytx]

We really liked this a lot also. Will do it again.

[stacy7272]

I thought this was really, really good! I halved the recipe and made it in an 8x8 dish. I used eggs instead of egg substitute. I had some chipotle smoked cheddar to use up so I used that in place of the regular sharp cheddar. There definately was enough cheese! Even the pieces of spinach that didn't get covered tasted fine.

The only negative of this dish is that the kids didn't really go for it....:(

[zackaboo]

This was a winner in our household! I halved the recipe, but if I had known how good it turn out, I would have made the whole thing. I actually think that the portion that I had leftover for lunch the next day was even better than right out of the oven. I will definitely repeat this one often.

Stacy, don't feel bad, my DS didn't like the looks of it either...something to do with his aversion to "green stuff". I did manage to get him to eat a few bites though when I mentioned how strong spinach would make him!