Cauliflower, Spinach and Egg Casserole

Tonight’s meal had not been planned at all. In fact, I had to bump what was on the menu to next week because I failed to read the recipe when I made my grocery list and had not bought enough spinach. Not even remotely. I needed 3 times what I had purchased… So my daughter took a look at what we had in the fridge and came up with this idea. I thought it was absolutely brilliant. And her execution was just excellent.

This is simply steamed cauliflower florets, spinach and hard boiled eggs, brought together by a lighter version of a Bechamel sauce and dusted with, since I was all out of breadcrumbs, a light crumble of Melba toasts and hazelnuts. The result was so good, this could almost be tagged as comfort food. I guess if one was to add cheese to this recipe, then it would definitely fit the “comfort food” bill.

Try it, you’ll see!

Ingredients
(serves 4)

• 1 whole cauliflower, cut in florets
• 350g spinach
• 8 hardboiled eggs, sliced

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• ¼ cup whole wheat flour
• 1½ cup 1% milk
• 1½ cup water

• 8 whole wheat Melba toasts
• 30g whole hazelnuts

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Place the cauliflower in a steamer basket and steam over salted boiling water for about 8-10 minutes, until it starts to become tender but remains crunchy.
• Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the onion until translucent. Add the salt, oregano and flour, stir to cook the flour, 2-3 minutes.
• Add the milk and water and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat and continue whisking for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Add the spinach, steamed cauliflower and sliced eggs. Stir to combine and transfer into a baking dish.
• In the food processor, blend the hazelnuts and Melba toasts until reduced to a fine powder.
• Sprinkle on top of the casserole and cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until sauce starts to bubble and top becomes golden.