Light, fluffy, savory, cheesy spinach soufflé is so easy to make and creates such a wow factor for any meal whether it's just you or you're entertaining guests.
Spinach soufflé is a dish that will forever be engraved in my mind and taste buds. My mom always kept a package of Stouffer's spinach soufflé in the freezer for emergencies. Let's just say, I ate it a lot. Stouffer's is good, but I much prefer my homemade Lectin Free Gourmet version. It's easy to make and everyone seems to love it.
Now, if the thought of making a soufflé freaks you out, don't let it. It won't collapse if you sneeze and it will turn out. I promise. If you can make a basic bechamel sauce and separate an egg, YOU GOT THIS! Even if you can't, I'll show you how.
Béchamel sauce is the foundation for soufflés, cheese sauces and many other recipes. I've found that arrowroot flour makes a divine roux and is a great replacement for the usual wheat flour in béchamel sauce. So let's do this!
The Recipe
Grain Free Spinach Soufflé
1 Bunch Fresh Spinach
4 T French Butter plus some for buttering the soufflé dish(es) 2 T Arrowroot Flour (starch)
1/2 t Kosher Salt
1 C Whole a2 Milk
1/4 t White Pepper
1/8 t Ground Nutmeg
3 Eggs
1/4 C Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese plus more for serving
Instructions:
Preheat Oven to 400 degrees. Butter the inside of a 1 1/2 quart casserole or soufflé dish or use individual six, one-cup baking ramekins, whichever you prefer for serving.
Wash and de-stem the spinach leaves. Lightly chop the spinach. In a large pan on medium heat, wilt the spinach until it shrinks in size and loses some of its moisture. Make sure you stir the spinach while you wilt it so it doesn't burn.
Generously butter the soufflé dish(es). In a medium sauce pan, melt 4 T butter. Whisk in arrowroot flour for about one minute to make a roux. Next add milk and continue to whisk until it turns into a very thick, gooey sauce. Yay! You made béchamel! Remove from heat and set aside.
Next, separate the eggs. The best method I've found is to crack the egg over a small bowl, then transfer the yolk back and forth between the shell halves and let the egg white fall into the bowl. Then put the yolks into a separate bowl so you have one bowl of whites and one bowl of yolks.
Next, take about 2 T béchamel sauce and add it to the yolks. Whisk the egg yolks vigorously until well incorporated. This will prevent the yolk from cooking when you add them to the béchamel. Next, add the yolk mixture slowly to the rest of the béchamel sauce. Add the spinach and stir until well blended. Now add salt, white pepper and nutmeg.
Next, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. Stir about one-third of the eggs whites into the spinach mixture. Then stir the parmesan cheese into the spinach mixture. Finally, lightly fold in the rest of the whites. Don't worry if you can still see some egg white that isn't mixed thoroughly, this adds to the loft of the dish. Pour into the soufflé dish(es) about 1/2 to 3/4 full and bake. The soufflé will rise in the oven so allow room in your dish for this.
For one large soufflé, bake for 30 minutes. For the individual soufflés bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown and crackly.
Top with more parmesan cheese to serve. Pairs great with Champagne. Bon Apetit!