Three-Greens Gratin
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
Advertisement
Ingredients
Yield:Serves 6 generously
- 2generous bunches Swiss chard (about 2 to 2¼ pounds), stemmed and washed in 2 changes of water
- Salt
- 1pound beet greens or spinach, stemmed and washed in 2 changes of water
- 3tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for oiling baking dish
- 1onion, chopped
- ½pound leeks (1 large or 2 smaller), white and light green parts only, cleaned and chopped
- 3garlic cloves, minced
- 1teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1pound cabbage (½ medium), cored and chopped
- 4eggs
- 1cup cooked rice or farro
- Nutmeg
- Freshly ground pepper
- 2ounces Gruyère, grated (½ cup)
- 1ounce Parmesan, grated (¼ cup)
- ¼cup breadcrumbs (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
326 calories; 16 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 17 grams protein; 1063 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you stem and wash the greens. When the water comes to a boil salt generously and add chard. Blanch for 1 minute, until just wilted, and using a skimmer or a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl of cold water. Drain and squeeze out excess water, taking the chard up by the handful. Chop medium-fine and set aside. You should have about 2 cups.
- Step 2
Bring the water back to a boil and blanch beet greens for 1 minute; if using spinach, blanch for 20 seconds only. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop medium-fine. You should have about 1 cup (less for spinach).
- Step 3
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 2-quart baking dish with olive oil.
- Step 4
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes, and add leeks. Cook, stirring, until leeks begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes, and add garlic and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute, and add cabbage and thyme. Cook, stirring often, until cabbage collapses in pan, about 5 minutes, and add another generous pinch of salt. Continue to cook the mixture until the cabbage is tender, sweet, and beginning to color, about 10 minutes. Stir in chopped blanched greens and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir together for about a minute and remove from the heat.
- Step 5
Beat eggs in a large bowl and add a pinch of nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in rice or farro, vegetable mixture and cheeses. Scrape into prepared baking dish. If using breadcrumbs, toss with remaining tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle over the top. If not using breadcrumbs drizzle remaining oil over the top.
- Step 6
Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until top is lightly browned. Remove from heat and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot, warm or room temperature.
Tip
- Advance preparation: The blanched greens will keep for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator. The filling can be made through Step 4 a day or 2 ahead. The gratin will keep in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days and can be frozen.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
Danielle Ivory
I sliced up the chard ribs and sauteed them with diced apples, lemon juice and basil. It provided a sweet, crisp counterpoint to the gooey gratin.
David Look
From Martha: No gasping at all; yes, you could use frozen greens. Thaw them first and make sure to squeeze out excess water.
CWN
I skipped the blanching and just sauteed chopped greens (kale, beet, chard and cabbage) with the onions and leeks. That cut the time on this dish down a lot.
FC
Easy to make and great base recipe for variations. I used radish greens, spinach, and finely chopped bok choy, since I had it on hand. I also added parsley and rosemary, as suggested, to the seasonings and substituted a sharp white cheddar for the gruyere. Loved the heft from the eggs and rice and the crispy edges from the cheese, olive oil, and breadcrumbs... will definitely make again, experimenting with different combinations of greens.
LeAnn
This is a great technique/recipe to loosely follow and use what you have. Also, this is where the washed/chopped bags of greens available in many markets is so handy (thank you Trader Joe's). I carmelized an onion while the brown rice was cooking, and used parmesan. Great way to clear out my veggie bin!
LMK
It's a lot for a weeknight, but when I buy greens, I often immediately blanch them, cut into 1-2" pieces, and freeze in plastic bags. That way assembling a dish like this is fairly quick. This works well with quinoa, emmer or other grains, and I second the use of more cheese. You can also swap out cream/milk (or a quick bechamel if you're not pressed for time or have some in your fridge) for some of the eggs which gives a different texture and flavor.
caryn
why blanche the greens???? I sauteed mine with the cabbage, spinach last.
Tracy
Loved this, but it was too much work for a weeknight! It took me an hour of blanching, chopping and sauteeing before I could get it into the oven, where it needs another 45 minutes. Also, I would use more cheese, or perhaps our veggie ratio was off -- we couldn't taste the eggs or cheese at all.
Memphis girl
I love this recipe, and it's a great way to use up a variety of greens before they go bad. I've used chard, kale, spinach, beet greens, etc and rice and farro for the binder. I've served this for breakfast, lunch and dinner. A few dashes of Crystal's Hot Sauce adds the perfect zing!
Kris Sanchez
Please don't gasp... in a bind could a busy working mom use frozen greens instead of blanched fresh greens for a weeknight dinner?
JW
More eggs, more cheese, and more breadcrumbs. Plus the other suggestions mentioned below.
DD Thexton
It was delicious and I will definitely make again but use frozen greens. Prep took me over three hours before I even put it in the oven.
Matchew
Great recipe. Thank you, Martha!
Made this as a side to bring for Thanksgiving. As it was the first time making a gratin, I followed the recipe closely (although I couldn't resist using a bit more gruyère than was called for). It was delicious.
Peter
Quite tasty, but the prep took me over 2 hours, and then there's the baking/resting time on top of that. Won't make it again until I'm retired.
Wavy
I could eat this everyday - and would except it's quite a lot of work. I use kale instead of spinach and blanch it one minute longer.
amy
Part 1 Start with aromatics. I sautéed a bunch (6-8 sprigs )of slightly wilted green onions I needed to use. I also used two small shallots and a quarter of a red onion. Again, feel free to use any aromatic that you have on hand . I sautéed all of these for couple of minutes in olive oil plus I added 2 teaspoons dried thyme.
amy
I made an absolutely incredible meal an under half an hour by taking some shortcuts. I used prepackaged mixed greens and precooked jasmine rice and did not blanch the greens. I sautéed aromatics then added the greens into Dutch oven. Added water covered until they were softened then crumbled a package of precooked jasmine rice directly into the greens. Next the cheese and eggs and top with breadcrumbs. Clean out fridge w/this recipe 1) aromatics 2) greens 3) cheese 4) grains
amy
AMAZING! This is a great foundation recipe for cleaning out your crisper drawer. The variations are endless! I did super fast version ONE POT MEAL in under 30 minutes by using prewashed pre-chopped greens in precooked packaged jasmine rice . The basic building blocks that you need are: 1) aromatics 2) greens 3) Cheese 4) grains AMAZING! This is a great foundation recipe for cleaning out your crisper drawer. The variations are endless! I did super fast version ONE POT MEAL in under 30 minute
Rebecca Torres
Cooked the cabbage in bacon fat. Did not regret.
Ella
This was pretty good but a lot of fuss. Very veggie heavy, in a really nice way. It turned out under seasoned, which surprised me after tasting it before cooking, even though I salted a few times and increased the thyme. Next time would try increasing the garlic, adding a tablespoon or so of mustard to the egg mix, and maybe adding crumbled feta (very different culinary profile that way, but I kept imagining it with feta while I ate).
Sally F
I made this with beet greens, lacinato kale and red cabbage with no other substitutions other than using panko for the breadcrumbs. It is definitely greens forward, but a very nice dish warm or room temperature. Nice for summer, if you don't mind turning on the oven. We enjoyed it thoroughly
judys
I made this by about half, and like others, used what I had. A large bunch of rainbow chard (I thinly sliced the stems and cooked with the onion and half a sliced fennel bulb), and red veined sorrel from the garden. Didn’t have leeks or cabbage. Like others, I sautéed instead of blanching. Tomorrow I’ll mix up the eggs and cheese and bake it. Stay tuned.
Alexandra
My new favorite way to use up the piles of brassica from our CSA box. Any combo of greens seems to work beautifully; most recently used 1lb baby spinach + 1/2 lb baby kale, + a large bunch of "sprouting broccoli" (leafy with slimmer, more tender stems), which I blanched for about a minute after the greens. Cabbage sautéed w/ mixed dried herbs, seasoned liberally. I keep steamer packets of brown+wild rice on hand (fuss-free!). No leeks available; big red onion worked great. Went fast with 2 cooks
ArtEdna
This is basically a low egg crustless quiche. I used rainbow chard, radish greens and arugula. I omitted the cabbage and included the chard ribs. I sautéed the greens, but otherwise followed the instructions. Other than the chopping, it came together quickly and easily; boxed greens would make it quicker. It’s not a spectacular recipe, but it’s solid and I would love to add more veggies (artichokes, bell peppers and/or mushrooms) if I make it again. Perhaps the best part is that it’s adaptable.
Sara
The flavor on this was good, but I found it to be a bit dry. I will add more eggs and cheese as other people suggested next time around.
Betsy
a lot of work but a great pay off.
vic
Go back to following recipe exactly , except less salt. 2/18/22
leie
I made this as written on a weeknight. It was just ok. Prep took an hour. Could use more cheese and breadcrumbs and less salt imo. If I made again would chop everything finely, but I probably won’t. Could make a good, festive, tho labor-intensive side dish. As a main I like Diana Henry’s baked rice better - I add greens to mine.
vic
Try some lemon zest.
Sandy
I’m honestly amazed how great this is. I followed another commenter and included the chard ribs, cooking them with the onions. I also skipped boiling the greens and added chard leaves and baby spinach after the cabbage was cooked. I cooked all the vegetables in a Dutch oven. Then I thought, why not bake it in the same Dutch oven? It became a one pot meal. I removed about 1/3 cup of watery liquid from the bottom before adding the egg mixture. I used 6 eggs, 2 oz cheddar, 2 oz feta, 2 oz Parm.
Private notes are only visible to you.
Advertisement
