Baked Spinach and Zucchini

It’s finally here! We are so excited that Cook Like A Pro is finally out in the world. We love the concept of this book because really, don't we all want to cook like Ina Garten! We’re thrilled to be able to share one of the new Cook Like A Pro recipes with you. Baked Spinach and Zucchini is a delicious dish, perfect for fall and the added touch of the mini skillets make it extra special! 

It's actually a great weeknight dish. The recipe is pretty easy and I already had cooked rice in the fridge - I love it when that happens! At first, I wasn’t sure about the addition of the rice - but it added an interesting texture that I really enjoyed.  

In the recipe, Ina recommends using an oval baking dish (find it here). Even though I used the cast iron skillets instead of a baking dish, I kept the baking time the same and used the same knife method to test The skillets looked really pretty when they came out of the oven and they smelled delicious! 

I'm so happy with this dish and I can't wait to try the rest of the Cook Like A Pro recipes!

--Cindy

Baked Spinach & Zucchini - Cook Like A Pro

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, divided
Good olive oil
6 scallions, white and green parts, sliced 1/4 inch across
1 pound small zucchini, sliced in 1/4-inch-thick rounds (4 zucchini)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
1 cup cooked rice
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 extra-large eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup freshly grated Italian Parmesan cheese, plus extra
2 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated

Directions

Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 14 x 2-inch oval baking dish with 2 tablespoons of the melted butter and set aside. (For our dish we used mini 5-inch skillets, as especially recommended in Cook Like A Pro). 

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large (12-inch) sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the scallions and zucchini, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Lightly press most of the water out of the spinach and add it to the pan. Add the rice, basil, parsley, nutmeg, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and toss well. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. 

In a medium bowl, which together the eggs, cream, the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter, and the 1/4 cup Parmesan. Pour the mixture of the spinach and zucchini and smooth the top. Sprinkle with some extra Parmesan and the Gruyere. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.