Spiced Creamy Spinach Casserole

I love when we find a new dish that is truly nothing like we've made before but is full of the familiar flavors we know and love.

This Spiced Creamy Spinach Casserole is one of those exact dishes. We crave and adore Indian food. Those aromas and flavors...truly nothing compares. One dish we love to order when we visit our favorite local Indian restaurant, Gateway to India, is Saag Paneer. Spinach with yummy melted cheese it's so good.

When we made the Indian Spiced Salmon we wanted a side dish to round out the theme of the meal. We thought this recipe was perfect. 

A bit different; it called for Farmer's cheese instead of paneer and it had cubes of naan in the casserole. Finding farmer's cheese was bit of a challenge but luckily we found it at Metropolitan Market.

But the flavors were spot on. It was great stuff. The recipe made far too much of this casserole but it was super yum. And we also cooked with a brand new ingredient to us, Fenugreek, which evidently is used in many Indian dishes and is slightly flavored like maple syrup. 

Want to make a dish like you've never made before? We suggest giving this one a try. It could even make a great veggie main dish. 

Recipe:

Spiced Creamy Spinach Casserole (from Cuisine at Home January/February 2013)

Ingredients:

3 Tblspn. unsalted butter

1/2 cup diced onion

1 Tblspn. minced fresh ginger

1 Tblspn. minced garlic

1 Tblspn. minced jalapeño

11/2 tspn ground cumin

11/2 tspn ground coriander

3/4 tspn turmeric

3/4 tspn ground fenugreek

3 Tblspn. flour

21/2 Cups whole milk

3 Cups cubed naan (or flatbread)

8 oz. diced Farmer's cheese

2 pkg. frozen, chopped spinach thawed and squeezed dry

Salt & Pepper to taste

Lime Wedges

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat 2 quart baking dish with non-stick spray. Melt butter in saute pan over medium low heat. Add onion  through fenugreek and sweat until onion in softened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in flour to coat, cook 1 minute. Whisk in milk, cook until thickened about 5-8 minutes. Add naan, cheese and spinach with gravy. Season with salt & pepper. Transfer to baking dish. Bake until heated through and bubbly. Serve with lime wedges.