Mediterranean Feta Spinach Bake

Spanikopita is one of my favorite foods. After I stopped eating gluten, I started thinking about a way to satisfy my love for spanakopita even though I had given up on filo dough. This casserole did the trick.

Ingredients

2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. butter
½ onion, chopped (about ¾ cup) or 2 tbsp. onion powder
2 crushed cloves of garlic
10 baby Portobello mushrooms (sliced)
1 lb. spinach washed and chopped (be sure to wash out all the grit)
1c. crumbled feta cheese
1 c. grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
10 eggs
3-4 tbsp. chopped oregano (fresh or dry)
¼ tsp. black pepper
salt to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°. Chop the onion and slice the mushroom. Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet until medium hot then add the onion, mushrooms, and crushed garlic. Reduce the heat, add 1 tbsp. butter and the oregano and black pepper. Gently fry the vegetables on medium-hot heat until soft, about 3 minutes. Add a little water if necessary to prevent sticking. Wash and chop the spinach. Turn the heat down very low and add the spinach. Cover the pan and steam until the spinach wilts. (You might need to add a bit of water to the skillet to prevent the other vegetables from sticking while you steam the spinach.)

Strain all the liquid out of the vegetables. Add the other 1 tbsp. of butter to the vegetables and melt it in. Beat the eggs and add them to the vegetable mixture along with the crumbled feta cheese and ½ c. of grated Parmesan. Blend the ingredients together. Add salt if desired (I don’t use salt much since it can always be added afterward and everyone has a different taste for salt, it seems). Pour the mixture into a greased oblong casserole dish and sprinkle the other ½ c. of the Parmesan cheese on top.

(Note:  for an extra flavor treat, add approximately 3-4 tbsp. each of the following fresh, chopped herbs:  cilantro, parsley, basil. Add these herbs with the spinach so they wilt when steamed.)

Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until the center seems firm.

Eat well, be well, live deliciously!