Cheesy Spinach Bake

Think of this as creamed spinach dressed up for a holiday table, with sweet onion and garlic, two sharp cheeses and a crunchy crumb top. It goes well with turkey, steak or a pot of white beans.

Serves 6 to 8 · 1 hour, plus thawing

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large yellow onion or 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• ½ cup panko or fresh coarse bread crumbs
• 1 cup (3 ounces) finely grated Parmesan, divided
• 5 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 2 cups (1 pint) half-and-half
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
• ½ cup (1½ ounces) grated Gruyère or extra-sharp cheddar

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Melt the butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat, then spoon 1 tablespoon of it into a medium bowl.
2. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring now and then, until soft but not browned, 7 to 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, stir the bread crumbs into the butter in the bowl, season with salt and pepper and mix in half the Parmesan.
4. Add the spinach to the skillet and stir until it's hot and dry, even starting to stick, 2 to 4 minutes. Turn off the heat.
5. Stir in the half-and-half, the rest of the Parmesan and the nutmeg, if using. Taste and season. To bake in a 2½-quart or larger casserole dish instead of the skillet, transfer it now.
6. Scatter the Gruyère over the top, then the crumb mixture. Bake until golden on top and bubbling at the edges, 20 to 25 minutes.

Tips

• To get ahead, refrigerate the spinach mixture and crumb topping separately for up to 24 hours. Add 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time if they go straight from the fridge into the oven.

Adapted from NYT Cooking.