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Creamed Spinach Gratin

A baked spinach casserole with cream, cheeses, and panko topping.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 13 ingredients
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Why it works: Clove and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,686 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Creamed Spinach Gratin

Oven450°F
Time15 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Preheat oven to 450°F.

  2. Lightly grease a glass or ceramic loaf pan.

  3. Mix together all of the different cheeses then set aside.

  4. Heat a large pan over medium heat.

  5. Add the butter and olive oil.

  6. Once the butter has melted and the oils are hot add the shallot and garlic to the pan.

  7. Sweat the shallot and garlic for 5 minutes.

  8. Add the heavy cream and nutmeg to the pan and raise the heat to medium high.

  9. Allow mixture to reduce for 5 minutes.

  10. While cream is reducing place thawed spinach into a clean dish towel and ring out as much of the water as you can.

Assemble and bake

  1. Add the spinach, nutmeg and ½ of cheese mixture to the reduced cream.

  2. Stir to combine then season with salt and pepper.

  3. Pour the creamed spinach into the greased loaf pan.

  4. Sprinkle remaining cheese mixture evenly over the top of the spinach then do the same with the panko.

  5. Bake at 450°F for 15 minutes.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

763Calories
15 gProtein
33 gFat
102 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 10 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Cream1 tbsp (15ml) heavy51
Nutmeg1 tsp ground (2.2g)12
Spinach1 cup raw (30g)7
Shallot1 tbsp minced (10g)7
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Clove + nutmegtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together8,686 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Spinach + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,435 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  3. Spinach + shallottop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together198 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).

  4. Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together25,665 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  5. Spinach + nutmegtop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together603 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Frozen spinach
Supplies the bulk of the filling; wringing out its water keeps the gratin from turning soggy.
Heavy cream
Reduces into a rich, thick sauce that coats the spinach and carries the flavor.
Parmigiano reggiano
Adds salty, savory depth and helps the top brown as it melts and crisps.
Fontina
Melts smoothly into the sauce, adding creaminess and a mild, nutty flavor.
Panko
Forms a crisp, golden crust on top that contrasts with the creamy filling.
Butter
Adds richness and flavor to the base where the shallot and garlic cook.

The step that matters

Wring out the spinach thoroughly. Frozen spinach holds a lot of water. If it is not squeezed dry, that water releases into the cream during baking, thinning the sauce and making the gratin soggy instead of thick and creamy.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (spinach, butter, olive, shallot, garlic, cream, nutmeg):

  1. Capersfits better
  2. Parsleyfits better
  3. Thymefits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against spinach, butter, olive, shallot, garlic, cream, nutmeg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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