Gruyere and Spinach Bakes

By traciesparks

I love dishes that can be served individually. This was an easy recipe, tasty meal. We ate ours for dinner, but this would also be a great brunch item since room temp is fine. My only suggestion is to omit the salt if you use pancetta. Pancetta is plenty salty on its own. It's a matter of taste, but for me pancetta provides ample salt. Another great thing about this recipe is that it can be customized to whatever you like -- vegetarian, or sausage and cheese, whatever combo you like. Will make again.

Very tasty recipe and also really easy to make. I didn't have ramekins so I used a muffin tin instead, worked out great. They smelled great while they were baking. Great as leftovers too. The recipe made A LOT more than what I needed, so I made a double batch and brought the extras to work. They did come out a little too greasy after you microwave them.. but still delicious!

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Two 1/2-to-3/4-inch-thick slices country-style bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
• 6 large eggs, beaten, at room temperature
• 2 packed cups chopped spinach
• 1 1/2 cups grated gruyere (6 ounces)
• 1/4 cup milk, at room temperature
• Special equipment: four 10-ounce ramekins

Preparation

Step 1

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Spray four 10-ounce ramekins with vegetable oil cooking spray.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a medium skillet. Add the pancetta and cook until browned, about 6 minutes. Remove the pancetta using a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Add the shallots, salt and pepper in the same skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until soft, about 3 minutes.

In a medium bowl, mix together the cooked pancetta, shallots, bread, eggs, spinach, gruyere and milk until all the ingredients are moistened.

Spoon the mixture into the ramekins. Place the ramekins on a small baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Cool the ramekins for 20 minutes. Using a paring knife, loosen the edges of the ramekins and unmold onto serving plates. Serve warm or at room temperature.