Spinach Gratin
ほうれん草のグラタン
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Gratin is a well-loved dish on Japanese school lunch menus, and this spinach version is one that children happily dig into. Tender chicken, sweet slow-cooked onion and soft macaroni are folded into a gentle, mild white sauce, and the spinach disappears right into the creaminess, so even children who usually push greens aside tend to eat it without a second thought. The best part for the cook is that the sauce is built in the same pot as the filling: you simply stir the flour into the sautéed onion and chicken, then add the milk, so there is no separate white sauce to make.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 30 gchicken thigh
- 30 gonion
- 27 gspinach
- 7.5 gmacaroni
- 63 gwater
Seasonings
- 3.8 gunsalted butter
- 4.5 gflour
- 7.5 gskim milk powderMilk with the fat and water removed. Substitute: No skim milk powder? Leave it out and use milk in place of the water it is dissolved in, in the same amount (for example, 30 g skim milk powder + 130 g water becomes 130 g milk). Milk still contains milk, so this swap is not for a milk allergy.
- 0.2 gsalt
- 0.2 gconsommé bouillon (granules or cube)Japanese-style Western soup stock powder or cubes, similar to chicken or vegetable bouillon. Substitute: Chicken or vegetable bouillon granules or a bouillon cube.
- 1.5 ggrated Parmesan cheese
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- skim milk powder (スキムミルク)
- Milk with the fat and water removed. Substitute: No skim milk powder? Leave it out and use milk in place of the water it is dissolved in, in the same amount (for example, 30 g skim milk powder + 130 g water becomes 130 g milk). Milk still contains milk, so this swap is not for a milk allergy.
- consommé bouillon (granules or cube) (コンソメ)
- Japanese-style Western soup stock powder or cubes, similar to chicken or vegetable bouillon. Substitute: Chicken or vegetable bouillon granules or a bouillon cube.
Directions
- 1
Cut the chicken into 1 cm cubes. Thinly slice the onion, then cut the slices in half so they are half the length.
- 2
Cut the spinach into 2 cm pieces and boil in boiling water for 3 minutes. Rinse under running water, then squeeze out the excess water. Cook the macaroni for the time indicated on the package.
- 3
Melt the butter in a pot, add the onion, and sauté over low heat for 15 minutes. Add the chicken and sauté until it changes color.
- 4
Turn off the heat and sprinkle in the flour. Once no dry flour remains, return the pot to low heat and stir in the skim milk powder dissolved in lukewarm water.
- 5
Once the sauce starts to thicken, turn off the heat and stir in the macaroni and spinach. Add the salt and consommé.
- 6
Pour the mixture into a heatproof baking dish. Sprinkle the grated Parmesan cheese over the top and bake in a toaster oven (or an oven preheated to 200°C / 400°F) for about 15 minutes.
Since you don't make the white sauce separately, this gratin comes together very easily. Flour turns lumpy when it hits a hot pan, so be sure to turn off the heat before you add it.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 172.5 kcal | 345 kcal | 172.5 kcal |
| Protein | 10.2 g | 20.4 g | 10.2 g |
| Fat | 8.3 g | 16.5 g | 8.3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 16.5 g | 33 g | 16.5 g |
| Fiber | 1.8 g | 3.6 g | 1.8 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.3 g | 0.6 g | 0.3 g |
| Calcium | 124.5 mg | 249 mg | 124.5 mg |
| Iron | 1 mg | 2.1 mg | 1 mg |
| Potassium | 475.5 mg | 951 mg | 475.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 172.5 kcal | 10.2 g | 8.3 g | 16.5 g | 1.8 g | 0.3 g | 124.5 mg | 1 mg | 475.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 345 kcal | 20.4 g | 16.5 g | 33 g | 3.6 g | 0.6 g | 249 mg | 2.1 mg | 951 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
