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Easy Spinach Gratin Recipe - Ispanak Graten

This spinach gratin recipe (ıspanak graten) is a delicious side dish that goes perfectly with grilled meats and fish. It also makes a great dip or spread for hot toasted bread or potato wedges. We make our spinach gratin with a cheesy bechamel sauce and top it with a strong tasty Turkish cheese - Kars gravyer peynir. You can use gruyere cheese or other flavour-packed cheeses that melt easily.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 256 kcal
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Turkish

Ingredients

  • 700 grams spinach leaves (thoroughly washed & roughly chopped)
  • 1 large onion (finely chopped)
  • 100 grams gruyere cheese (grated)
  • 60 grams Parmesan Cheese (finely grated)
  • 300 millilitres milk (approximately)
  • 30 grams butter (approximately)
  • 30 grams plain (all purpose) flour (approximately)
  • 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon hot chilli flakes (optional, to garnish)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • salt (to season)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Fırst of all, set your oven to preheat to 200 °C.
  2. Meanwhile, over a medium heat, gently heat your olive oil in your large frying pan and add your chopped onion.
  3. After a few minutes, once your onion begins to soften, add your butter and allow to melt.
  4. Now start to load your chopped spinach leaves into the pan. Keep stirring them so that they begin to wilt and you can fit the rest of them in the pan.
  5. Stir them around for a few minutes and then cover the pan and reduce the heat to low so that your spinach leaves and onion and cook.
  6. Once you are happy that your spinach leaves are wilted and cooked - after around 5 minutes - remove the lid and add your seasoning, paprika and garlic powder and stir them in.
  7. Now sprinkle your flour into the pan and stir it in so that it soaks up your butter and oil.
  8. Increase the heat to medium and add your milk a splash at a time. Keep stirring so that your white sauce remains smooth and thickens as you go.
  9. Keep adding the milk, stirring as you go, until you are happy with the consistency.
  10. Now add your grated parmesan and stir that in before pouring your spinach mixture into your shallow casserole dish.
  11. If you are serving immediately, top the spinach mixture with your grated gruyere (gravyer peynir) and place in the oven to bake until bubbling and your cheese topping has melted (around 15 minutes).
  12. If you are making your spinach gratin recipe ahead, leave your spinach mixture to cool and store, covered, in the fridge for up to three days. When you are ready to eat it, top with grated cheese and bake in the oven at 200 °C for 20-25 minutes until bubbling.
  13. Sprinkle hot chilli flakes over the top of your spinach gratin before serving, if you like.

Notes

  • Nutritional information is intended as a rough guide only and is calculated by a 3rd party API. Please do your on due diligence if you have any special dietary requirements.
  • Values will differ depending on your preferred weights and measures and ingredients.
  • If you are using frozen spinach, make sure you squeeze the excess water from the leaves once they have defrosted/cooked. You don't want a watery gratin!
  • We used fresh spinach leaves which we thoroughly washed before drying them in a salad spinner. 
  • If you like, you can cook your spinach gratin in separate, smaller, individual ovenproof dishes rather than one large casserole dish. This can be a good idea for dinner parties so that everyone can have their own mini gratin. We used two of the dishes shown in our photos for our gratin so that we could eat one the following day. 

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 Calories 256kcal (13%) Carbohydrates 14g (5%) Protein 15g (30%) Fat 17g (26%) Saturated Fat 9g (45%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 6g Trans Fat 0.2g Cholesterol 42mg (14%) Sodium 431mg (18%) Potassium 826mg (24%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 4g (8%) Vitamin A 11814IU (236%) Vitamin C 35mg (39%) Calcium 478mg (48%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 256

% Daily Value*

Serving 1
Calories 256kcal 13%
Carbohydrates 14g 5%
Protein 15g 30%
Fat 17g 26%
Saturated Fat 9g 45%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 6g 30%
Trans Fat 0.2g 10%
Cholesterol 42mg 14%
Sodium 431mg 18%
Potassium 826mg 18%
Fiber 4g 16%
Sugar 4g 8%
Vitamin A 11814IU 236%
Vitamin C 35mg 39%
Calcium 478mg 48%
Iron 4mg 22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.