Creamed kale plus a crispy gratin topping - Creamed Kale Gratin is a fun indulgent way to eat kale!
Day two of Thanksgiving Week - woot woot! Thanksgiving is just NINE days away (how?!) and I hope you're getting your menu set or figuring out what you're bringing to your inlaws.
But you have to admit, it IS exciting. I love the holiday season and to be honest, the countdown to Thanksgiving is really just the countdown to when I can start playing Christmas music. I have a strict no-Christmas-music-before-Thanksgiving rule.
While the holidays are exciting, I'm not sure anyone has really been excited about creamed spinach (anyone? anyone?). However, I think this Creamed Kale Gratin is definitely something worth saving room for on your plate.
To be fair, I don't think I've ever even had creamed spinach. But I guess that makes my point. It's not a popular side dish. Unlike spinach, kale does a really good job at not completely wilting when it's cooked. As a result, the creamed kale isn't a mixture of limpy greens.
If you're looking for something you can make mostly ahead of time, this Creamed Kale Gratin is it! You can make the creamed kale mixture, along with the buttery bread crumb topping the day before Thanksgiving. Then on the day of, just pop it in the oven and bake until the cream mixture is all nice and bubbly and the breadcrumb topping is golden brown.
When I was testing these recipes, this dish was definitely one that people were surprised at how delicious it was. I think the secret is in the pancetta. I fried up some delicious salty pancetta in the cream sauce, and it added a hint of smokiness which I absolutely loved. Oh and that crispy breadcrumb topping doesn't hurt, either.
Between the pancetta and the breadcrumb topping, you'll have all the kale haters going back for seconds!
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Click here or on the image below to pin this Creamed Kale Gratin recipe for later!