Wednesday 12 May 2010

Spinach & blue cheese stuffing bake - otherwise known as making it up as you go along food #2

I had planned on soup last night. [Yes - actually last night - I finally caught up!] I was feeling a bit like a mahoosive cold was bearing down on me as the day wore on and thought soup would be the ideal solace whilst I nested on the sofa and felt generally sorry for myself. However, not getting home until 7.30 then by the time I'd faffed about I'd lost nearly another hour I was really no longer in the mood for lots of chopping and messing about so I turned my thoughts to what I could chuck together quickly and easily and then for preference, bung in the oven. This was what I came up with.

Spinach & Blue Cheese Stuffing Bake
2 lumps frozen spinach - approx 4oz frozen weight
1 pack S'bury's Basics stuffing
1-2oz Blue Cheese - I used approx 1.5oz Cornish Blue
Black Pepper

Preheat oven to Gas 6 / 200c. Butter oven dish.
Cook spinach. Meanwhile make up stuffing to pack instructions.
Drain spinach really well once done; I used a sieve and pressed the excess water out with the back of a spoon.
Mix well with the stuffing.


Roughly chop / crumble the blue cheese and mix in a little at a time until you achieve your desired taste. You may want to add more if you're a real blue cheese fiend but I just wanted it to offset the spinach nicely but not dominate; as mentioned I used 1.5 oz of a Cornish Blue, a fairly mild cheese though it has been in the fridge maturing a while.
Grind in some Black Pepper and mix thoroughly.

Tip into prepared oven dish and smooth evenly with the back of a spoon. Place in oven and bake for 30-45 mins until golden and as set as you want. Keep an eye to ensure the top isn't burning - if necessary cover with foil.

I baked mine for 30 mins as that's what the pack said for the stuffing mix but it was still pretty sloppy at the end of that time. if I did this again I'd either bake for longer or possibly add a little oats to the mix to help soak up the extra liquid from the spinach and cheese. Tasty though and not overly salty like the last time I used this mix.
I served this up with comforting yorkshire puds, sweetcorn and gravy. Very nice it was too!

6 comments:

  1. Nothing wrong in making it as you go along, sometimes that is how the best recipes come about. This looks substantial and flavourful.

    One of my fast soups (that is when I had a microwave) was butternut squash. Bake the peeled and chopped butternut squash in mocrowave until tender, throw it in a food processor with some vegetable stock, until the consistency of soup, then heat up and enjoy. But I totally understand days of not wanting to faff in the kitchen.

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  2. Forgot to add - Hope your feeling much better!

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  3. Thank you mangocheeks, feeling quite a bit better but decided on soup for tonight though. Mind you I'm a total soup addictee...
    Your butternut squash fast soup sounds good - one to remember I think. :-)

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  4. That sounds good Ruth, though I'd take issue with you for not putting more gravy in those puds.

    Get well!

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  5. :-D I did add more after the photo, never fear. Thank you for your well wishes.

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