An Ina Garten spinach gratin is a velvety creamed spinach dish baked under a layer of crispy, melted cheese.
This Ina Garten spinach gratin recipe will have you making the creamed spinach from scratch, using a combination of mostly frozen and longer life ingredients, making it easy to plan in advance and whip up last minute.
The end result looks & tastes great and goes with so many dishes.
This is a photo of my Ina Garten spinach gratin.
You can skip to the recipe and video if you like, otherwise read on for my top tips.
Article Guide – How To Make The Perfect Ina Garten Spinach Gratin
There are 3 parts to this article.
1. My top 4 tips for the perfect Ina Garten spinach gratin.
2. Serving & pairing suggestions for any spinach gratin.
3. Other Ina Garten gratin dishes to consider
Each section should only take a minute to skim through.
If you like to learn by watching, I have a 2 minute video linked below which shows how to prepare the perfect Barefoot Contessa spinach gratin.
You will see what everything looks like at each step and can follow along to make the recipe – just pause the video as you go.
Part 1 – 4 Tips For A Perfect Ina Garten Spinach Gratin
Making a Barefoot Contessa spinach gratin recipe is relatively simple.
Take a minute to skim through following tips so you know exactly how to make your perfect spinach gratin.
1. Make your own creamed spinach
You can buy creamed spinach ready made, top it with cheese, bake it and call it spinach gratin.
You could do that but honestly, don’t!
Making the creamed spinach base is so quick and easy.
The ingredients are inexpensive & readily available and will taste so much better than the ready made version.
Everything you need to make home made creamed spinach is listed with the recipe below.
2. Use frozen spinach for spinach gratin
You can use fresh spinach, but you will need buckets of fresh spinach to get the quantity you need and will need to use it within days of buying it before it goes slimy.
Frozen spinach is by far the quickest and easiest way to make either creamed spinach or spinach gratin.
It is frozen fresh so still has all of its nutrients.
Its also inexpensive and freezes for long periods making it super convenient.
3. How to prepare frozen spinach to make spinach gratin
There are 2 simple steps to preparing frozen spinach to make a spinach gratin.
1. Defrost the spinach ahead of time
Defrosting your spinach in the pan as you are making the dish will result in a pool of water - you will end up with a gratin soup!
Defrosting it in advance is best.
If you don’t have time, adding it to pot of boiling water for a few minutes should do the trick.
2. Remove excess water from the spinach
The more water you can extract from the defrosted spinach, the better.
Extracting excess water is important to avoid a watery gratin.
Use your hands and squeeze the water out.
Wrap the spinach in a tea towel and ring it out.
Place the spinach in a sieve, over a bowl and place a weight on top.
4. Preheat a cast iron pan or a heavy baking dish
Cooking spinach gratin in a hot pan an extra textural layer to the dish.
Cook spinach gratin in a preheated cast iron pan or heavy baking dish.
The gratin will sizzle when you add it to the hot pan and you will see it bubble immediately at the edges.
The hot, heavy pan will give you those perfectly crispy edges all round.
Part 2 – Serving Suggestions For Ina Garten’s Spinach Gratin
The combination of spinach, cream, milk and a touch of cheese gives Ina’s creamed spinach filling a soft velvety texture.
Toping it with cheese and baking until its crispy and golden brown adds texture to the dish and makes it even more moreish.
This Barefoot Contessa spinach gratin is particularly good to serve in cooler months and works well with many main dishes, especially anything chunky with lots of sauce or juice.
Prepare the spinach: Defrost (if using frozen) and drain the spinach thoroughly. Squeeze out any excess liquid and set the spinach aside.
Preheat the oven: 400f. Add cast iron pan to the oven (if using).
Prepare ingredients: Using a deep sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the chopped onions and garlic and cook them until they become translucent (around 15 minutes). Next, add the flour and nutmeg, and keep stirring for an additional 2 minutes. Then, add the cream and milk and continue to cook until the mixture thickens (around 7-8 minutes).
Combine ingredients: Add the spinach and half of the parmesan cheese into the creamy sauce. Fold and stir until well combined. Taste and season the mixture with salt and pepper as needed. (This is your creamed spinach base)
Bake the gratin: Transfer the creamed spinach mixture into a baking dish. If making creamed spinach: Put in the oven as is and bake for 20 minutes until it’s heated through and bubbly. If making spinach gratin: Sprinkle the remaining parmesan and the gruyere cheese on top. Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes until it’s heated through and bubbly.
Serve and Enjoy: Serve while hot with a large serving spoon.
I'm Barbara Hunt, the founder of WomenChefs.org. Being a mom of two, I understand the challenges of meal planning and the monotony it can bring.
That's why I created WomenChefs.org, a platform dedicated to showcasing the skills and delicious dishes crafted by amazing women. My goal is to provide a space where women can find delectable recipes that tantalize their taste buds and ignite their senses.
I hope you'll join me in exploring WomenChefs.org and discovering your next favorite recipe. Let's embrace culinary diversity and try something new together!
