Baked Spinach Rice

Yes! More baked rice! 🙂 SO so SO delicious!! This one is loaded with cheese. It is meant to be served as an indulgent side dish, but we ate it as a main dish with a green salad. I loved it. It had fabulous contrasting textures.

This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by David Tanis. This wonderful dish is an upgrade of one of his favorite family casseroles.

Yield: 6 servings

• 1 pound spinach (about 2 bunches), washed
• 1 ½ cups long-grain white rice, such as Carolina, Jasmine, or Basmati
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter, plus more to butter the baking dish
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• ½ cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup ricotta
• 1 cup grated Gruyère
• ¼ cup currants or raisins
• pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
• 1 teaspoon chopped sage

1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add spinach and wilt for 30 seconds. Remove with a wire mesh spider or tongs and rinse in a colander with cold water. Squeeze dry and chop roughly.
2. In the same pot, boil the rice for 10 minutes, keeping it slightly underdone. Drain and spread on a baking sheet to cool, then transfer to a large bowl.
3. Heat oven to 375 degrees, preferably on convection.
4. Butter a 2-quart soufflé dish (or other baking dish) and dust with about 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan.
5. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add almonds and cook, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Season lightly with salt and add contents of skillet to rice.
6. Add remaining Parmesan to rice, along with the ricotta, Gruyère, currants, nutmeg, lemon zest, thyme and sage. Season lightly with salt and add pepper to taste.
7. Add chopped spinach and gently toss rice with hands or wooden spoons to distribute ingredients evenly.
8. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. (May be prepared up to this point several hours in advance of baking.)
9. Cover and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, then uncover and bake 10 minutes more, until top is browned.

One Year Ago:

• Pasta with  Yogurt & Caramelized Onions

Two Years Ago:

• Butternut Squash Basmati Rice
• Spinach, Swiss Chard, & Sweet Potato Gratin

Three Years Ago:

• Polenta Al Forno with Spinach, Ricotta & Fontina

Four Years Ago:

• Mushroom & Leek Bread Pudding
• Collard Greens with Dumplings

About Josette@thebrookcook

I live in Stony Brook, New York on Long Island. I love garlic and baking. My hobby (and love) is to try new recipes. My favorite recipe resources include The New York Times, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, and Martha Stewart Living. Enjoy!

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