Swiss Chard, Spinach and Quinoa Gratin

Adapted from The New York Times Recipes for Health Series

This delicious dinner also makes a great protein-packed lunch. Since I wasn’t sure my kids would eat it straight up, I broke it down into components and served quinoa, greens, eggs and a little cheese. For them, I also rounded out the meal with a piece of simply poached fish and a baked sweet potato. It was a perfectly satisfying main dish for me.

  • 1 large bunch Swiss chard
  • 1/2 pound spinach
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 shallots, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
  • Kosher salt
  • Black pepper
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup grated gruyere
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Wash the greens well and remove and save chard stems. Dice the reserved chard stalks and set aside. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice and water to create an ice bath for blanching the greens. Add the chard to the boiling water and cook until just tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from the pot using a slotted spoon and plunge into the ice bath. Add the spinach to the water and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from the pot and plunge into the ice bath with the chard. Allow greens to sit in the cold water for a few minutes, then drain, squeeze dry and roughly chop.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the diced chard stalks, thyme, rosemary and a generous pinch of salt. Continue cooking until the vegetables are tender. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add the greens and stir to combine. Remove from heat and sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper.
  • Beat the eggs in a bowl, then stir in the vegetables, cheese and quinoa. Place a little olive oil in the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish and coat the bottom and sides lightly with the oil. Pour the egg and vegetable mixture into the dish and distribute it evenly along the bottom. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil on top.
  • Bake for 25 minutes, or until the top is browned and the sides are bubbling gently. Serve.

Preparation time: 20 minute(s)

Cooking time: 40 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 4


5 responses to “Swiss Chard, Spinach and Quinoa Gratin”

  1. Nicole Nokes says:
    November 5, 2011 at 3:35 am

    Amazing! Love this recipe, love this site! I am a busy mom with 4 kids. This is heaven sent! Wish there were full menu suggestions (sides too) for every day. I would use them.

    Reply
    • Alicia says:
      November 7, 2011 at 1:22 am

      Thank you, Nicole! I’m thrilled to hear you are enjoying the site. Hats off to you – sounds like you are a very busy lady! You can find my collection of full weekly menus (some with sides) here: http://www.weeklygreens.com/archives/ Just go to archives by ingredient and click the ingredient you want. The full menus will appear with the shopping lists, too.

      Reply
  2. Kerry Lake says:
    January 7, 2012 at 3:27 am

    LOVE this recipe! We tried it tonight. We used red quinoa and smoked gruyere which really added a baconish flavor (love bacon!) we liked a lot. Our 2 year old scarfed it down! I added another egg to the mix since it seemed kind of dry with just three. I am really liking all the suggested menus and the recipes. Thanks so much for this wonderful resource to help me make healthy eating easier for busy folks like us!

    Reply
  3. Anna Mackay says:
    February 23, 2012 at 3:54 pm

    I made this with arugula instead of spinach and it turned out well. The kids picked out the greens but ate the quinoa, but that was no surprise! I will say that by the time i pulled out the 3rd pot/skillet I regretted having jumped into this at 5pm on a Wednesday night. By 545 my munchkins were standing at counter eating all the grated gruyere and I hadn’t even put the dish in the oven yet. Next time i will either prep the ingredients ahead of time or save it for the weekend :)

    Reply
  4. Alex says:
    February 3, 2013 at 12:21 am

    Just finished this and LOVING IT!

    Reply

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