Scalloped Spinach

I like spinach. When I eat out I order spinach salads. I'll have spinach on pizzas. I order creamed spinach as I love it with a good steak. But when it comes to making spinach at home as a side dish, it's usually just served plain with maybe a bit of lemon juice or vinegar. I figured maybe it was time to put a little pizazz into my home cooked spinach. I was actually looking for a creamed spinach recipe when I came across this Scalloped Spinach recipe in the Lost Recipes cookbook. Not quite creamed spinach but it sounded interesting so I thought I'd give it a try.

This Scalloped Spinach is actually a pretty simple and easy recipe. And though it's not as creamy as  standard creamed spinach, it satisfied the craving I had to do something a bit different with some fresh spinach. I liked the taste and the nice crunch of the cracker top.  I did cut the recipe in half, but I left the full amount of bacon (come on folks, it's me here). I also added almost all the original requirement of cracker crumbs and butter on top as I thought it would give the dish a wonderful crunch (which it did). This would be a perfect side dish with some roasted chicken too.

This was nice enough to serve to company. Though there was some juice swimming around the bottom of the casserole dish, it didn't seem to effect the dish as a whole. Mr. L really liked it and told me I could make it again (a sure sign he approves of a dish!)

SCALLOPED SPINACH

4 slices bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 eggs
2 cups cooked chopped spinach (2 bunches fresh or two 10-ounce boxes frozen-SEE NOTE)
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup cracker crumbs, such as saltines
2 Tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 by 3-inch casserole.

Cook the chopped bacon in the skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Add the onion and fry until tender but not browned, about 3 minutes.

Beat the eggs in a large bowl, then add the cooked spinach, flour, and milk; stir until well mixed. Add the cooked bacon and onion and mix together. Pour into the casserole and cover the top with the cracker crumbs. Dot with butter and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until browned. Serves 4

Note: I cut the recipe in half, except for the bacon (I used the full four slices), the cracker crumbs (I used about 1/2 a cup) and the butter (I used 2 Tablespoons).

Note: I used two 5-oz containers of fresh baby spinach from the produce section. I cooked the spinach using the same method given in the Baked Eggs With Spinach and Mushrooms recipe which resulted in about a cup of cooked spinach. Both Mr. L and I agreed, it just wouldn't taste very good using frozen spinach.

Note: I used regular saltine crackers.

Really enjoyed this dish. It looked nice in it's little casserole dish when I brought it to the table and it looked pretty once it was plated next to the main entree.

Comments

[Arch]

k i love crumbly stuff, but there's just waaaaaaay to much spinach going on here :p Could I just quadruple the bacon instead??

[Jan]

This looks really good. I am going to give it a try.

[Chris]

Bacon and spinach? Yes please!

[Livin Local]

Glad you didn't get all weird on us and cut that bacon in half, tool. Never heard of this before, but looks like something the family would welcome. :-)

[foodhoe]

that sounds decadent and delicious!

[grace]

i don't really like cooked spinach--it feels like a massive wad of hair in my mouth, which isn't what i'd call pleasant. that said, i think i'd actually like this--bacond and butter cure many ills. :)

[Cassaendra]

Wow, that sounds and looks delicious!! I have a lot of spinach at home that I use for everything. Looks like I'll be checking this out soon. Thanks! :)

[Carolyn Jung]

I sometimes feel like Popeye because I love spinach so much, especially the simplest way -- just sauteed with good olive oil, chopped garlic, black pepper and sea salt.