The Best Spinach Gratin Recipe Ever - Everyday Dishes (2024)

FAQs

Can you make Ina Garten's spinach gratin ahead of time? ›

This spinach gratin, from her fabulous 2001 “Barefoot Contessa Parties!” cookbook (Clarkson Potter), is perfect for the Thanksgiving table. Make it a day ahead, cover, refrigerate and bake while the turkey is resting. Garten told me she keeps Thanksgiving as traditional as possible.

I don't recommend soaking the potatoes in water ahead of time for our potatoes au gratin (as some recipes call for). Soaking them will cause them to lose some of their starch, which helps to keep this dish creamy. The dish will still get a nice, crisp top without soaking the potatoes.

High oven temperatures can make the milk's components break apart, again leaving the proteins free to clump together. To prevent curdling, cook your scalloped potatoes at a lower temperature and across a longer period of time.

Spinach is rich in iron, vitamin C and E, potassium, and magnesium. As part of a nutritious diet, it can help support immune function, aid the digestive system, may even have anticancer properties. However, certain individuals may need to eat this vegetable in moderation.

Spinach, like beetroot, is naturally rich in compounds called nitrates; these help improve blood flow and lower pressure by relaxing the blood vessels, reducing arterial stiffness and promoting dilation. A reduction in blood pressure may help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Avoid spinach, as it contains oxalate, which binds with calcium and makes it unable to be synthesized by your reptile.

BAD COMBO #2: Spinach and Dairy Products

If you're on a vegetarian diet or are a menopausal woman or just want to make sure you're absorbing calcium well, you'll want to avoid mixing dairy with oxalate-dense foods like spinach, beets, collards, leeks and parsley.

Tips for Consuming Spinach

Try to eat one cup (about the size of a tennis ball) of some type of spinach per day. Here are some ways to eat more spinach: Blend spinach into anything from a fruit smoothie to pancakes to hummus, and add it to soups, vegetable chili, and tacos.

Can you freeze spinach? You definitely can, and the result serves fabulous flavor when you start with freshly picked leaves. You won't be able to serve the thawed product in fresh salads, but frozen spinach is versatile in the kitchen. Learn how to freeze spinach, along with easy ways to use the final product.

Can you make Ina Garten potato gratin ahead of time? ›

Ina Garten Is Ditching Mashed Potatoes for This 5-Ingredient, Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Recipe. The best part (well, besides all the cheese)? You can prep it a day in advance.

It is possible to pre-prepare the gratin up to 2 days ahead by simmering the potatoes and transferring them to the buttered baking dish, then refrigerating them until needed. You should cool and refrigerate the mixture as quickly as possible, and within 2 hours of cooking.

Try a sophisticated spin on stuffing or a hearty grain salad, or keep things classic with roasted veggies and cornbread. From spicy roasted butternut squash to a creamy Swiss chard casserole, these are our best make-ahead holiday side dishes.

Make ahead Mac & Cheese Recipe

But if needed, prepare the recipe entirely the day in advance and refrigerate until ready to heat. Take it out of the fridge for about 30 -45 minutes before you are ready to take the chill off and then bake according to directions.