This preparation is classic for a reason. Obviously, spinach is the usual green recruited for this dish, but I love using tender kale in its place. You can make in advance, then simply warm with the breadcrumbs and top with lemon juice just before serving. This should have a baked feeling, so the oven time is important to achieve the classic “steakhouse side dish” effect.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 45 min |
| Active: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for drizzling
- 1 pound fresh lacinato, Tuscan or Red Russian kale, coarsely chopped
- Kosher salt
- One 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup finely grated Parmesan
- 1/2 cup grated Gruyere
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Zest and juice from 1 small lemon
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs, toasted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large braiser over high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, add half the kale to the pan. Season with salt and cook, stirring, until the leaves take on a deep green hue and lose 50 to 75 percent of their volume, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the kale to a large bowl with the spinach. Repeat with the remaining oil and kale, adding it to the bowl as done.
- Return the braiser to high heat and add the cream. Simmer the cream until it reduces to about 1 3/4 cups, about 5 minutes. Add the cream to the greens and stir to combine. Add the Parmesan, Gruyere, Worcestershire, chile flakes, nutmeg, lemon zest and juice and salt to taste. Return the greens to the braiser and top with the panko and a drizzle of oil. Bake until warmed, 12 to 15 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 544 |
| Total Fat | 45 g |
| Saturated Fat | 25 g |
| Carbohydrates | 20 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Protein | 19 g |
| Cholesterol | 138 mg |
| Sodium | 611 mg |
Reviews
Soooo… ICAG says 3 cups of heavy cream, recipe calls for 2…? which is it : (
This is fantastic! Be sure to chop the kale to make it easier to eat, my mistake. I used melted butter with a mashed clove of fresh garlic to drizzle over the panko before baking. Simply delicious!
Loved this! I’ve made kale with cream in many recipes and this was great! Idk what others are saying about the lemon unless they didn’t stir it enough. It all blends so well together. Definitely a keeper in my repertoire!
I tried this out on the family for Thanksgiving and it was the hit of the party! I had so many people ask for the recipe. I absolutely loved it! I was feeding a lot of people so I added extra kale and kind of winged it. I suggest definitely following the recipe as is and just doubling if you need to because you need that extra cheese and cream to make it decadent. Also get your kale picked and cleaned well before you start cooking because the sauté process goes really fast. Even the bagged Kale needed some help. Thanks Alex for this new addition to my “show off’ meals!
We used gouda instead of gruyere, and it was amazing! (I have no doubt it’s awesome with gruyere too.)
This was amazing! Sometimes kale can be too crunchy for me, but it was yummy in this recipe. I left out the nutmeg and lemon rind, since we don’t care for that flavor. It will be in our regular side dish menu from now on. Thanks Alex! Well done!
I love Alex, I love kale and creamed spinach, but I did not love this dish. I felt like the lemon didn’t belong. It look it from a cheesy, creamy yummy creamed kale to something I didn’t recognize – it took over. I will make it again without the lemon though!
Excellent