Monterey Jack | NancyC

This Cheesy Spinach Bake casserole is a great way to enjoy spinach! I like it because it’s made with fresh baby spinach, not frozen, and two kinds of cheese–Sharp Cheddar and Monterey Jack. I found this recipe at MyRecipes and changed it a little by using spicy mustard instead of Dijon mustard, and adding extra cheese, like I usually do! 🙂 I also used real eggs instead of egg substitute, but you can use egg substitute if you prefer.

I really liked this! When it comes out of the oven, it’s puffy, and the puffiness settles down after a few minutes… and then you have this tender spinach filling with a cheesy crust-like layer on top. Very yummy. Great for brunch or as a side dish for lunch or dinner. If you like spinach and cheese, you’ll want to try this recipe!

Cheesy Spinach Bake

Servings: 12
Time: 1hr
Difficulty: easy
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CHEESY SPINACH BAKE by NancyC, adapted from Myrecipes.com

Makes 12 servings in a 9 x 13 pan or baking dish

1 Tablespoon butter, melted
Cooking spray
2 (6-ounce) packages fresh baby spinach
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese (regular or reduced-fat)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/3 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1 1/2 cups milk (whole, low-fat, or fat-free)
4 large eggs, lightly beaten (or 1 cup egg substitute)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons spicy mustard (or Dijon mustard)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Pour melted butter into the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish or pan coated with cooking spray; tilt dish or pan to coat. Place spinach evenly in bottom of dish or pan and sprinkle evenly with the cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses.

Cheesy Spinach Bake2 @ NancyC In a medium size bowl, combine flour and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk until blended. Pour this mixture over spinach and cheese in pan. (Note: As you are making this, it may seem like there’s too much spinach and cheese, because it definitely fills up the pan–but put all of it in there! Because when you mix the egg-milk mixture and pour it over the spinach and cheese, that will weigh it down. Before you put this Cheesy Spinach bake in the oven, it will look like what is shown in the picture to the left.)

Bake at 350˚F for 40 minutes or until lightly browned. Let set for about 5 minutes, then cut and serve.

Recipe from NancyC | nancy-c.com

Here’s what this bake looks like after it’s been out of the oven and settled for a few minutes…It’s always nice to find great-tasting recipes with veggies–do you have a favorite veggie side dish recipe?

Sharing at Thursday Favorite Things, Full Plate Thursday, Tuesday Turn About, Tasty Tuesdays, Wonderful Wednesday, Hearth & Soul, Silver Pennies Sundays, Inspire Me Monday, Happiness is Homemade, Weekend Potluck, Meal Plan Monday, Fiesta Friday.

Father’s Day just seems like a good day to post a burger recipe, since lots of dads love grilling burgers in the summer months! This Stuffed Cheeseburger is healthier than most because it’s made with Laura’s Lean Beef, which is low in fat and cholesterol, and free of hormones and antibiotics. It’s available at most Wal-Mart Supercenters, Super Target, Krogers, Safeway, and other national grocery chains.

I received some complimentary beef to make this recipe from Laura’s Lean Beef, and I thought they were great-tasting burgers! I liked the freshness and quality of the Laura’s Lean Beef brand, so I would definitely cook with this beef again. For this burger recipe, fresh parsley and minced onion are mixed into the ground beef and they’re stuffed with reduced fat Monterey Jack cheese. The original recipe says to serve the burgers on a slice of reduced-calorie oatmeal bread, which is a great idea, but I decided to use hard rolls as my burger buns. I also added a little extra minced onion. The next time you’re in the mood for a burger, keep this recipe in mind!

STUFFED CHEESEBURGERS adapted from Laura’s Lean Beef

Makes 4 burgers

1 pound Laura’s Lean Beef (96% Lean Ground Sirloin)
1/4 to 1/3 cup finely minced onion
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 ounces reduced fat Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 4 even 1/2-ounce pieces
4 slices reduced calorie oatmeal bread (or 4 of your favorite burger buns)
4 large tomato slices (1 large tomato should be enough)
4 lettuce leaves
Optional: mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, pickles

Mix beef with onion and parsley and divide beef into 4 equal portions. Divide each individual portion in half, so you have 8 equal portions.

Flatten 4 portions into rounds. Place a 1/2-ounce piece of cheese on top of each round. Flatten the remaining 4 portions of beef into rounds, place on top of cheese, and then seal the edges of the rounds together, sealing the cheese in (be sure to seal the edges well, or the cheese may ooze out when the burger is cooking).

Grill (covered with grill lid) at 400-450˚F for about 5-7 minutes on each side, or to desired degree of doneness (you can also cook these in a frying pan on your stove if you don’t have a grill.)

To serve, place each burger on top of a slice of bread–or on the bottom bun, if you’re using buns. Top each burger with lettuce and sliced tomatoes (and mayo, ketchup, mustard, and pickles, if desired). If using a bun, cover with the top bun and serve immediately.

Note: If you make this cheeseburger served on one slice of reduced-calorie bread and just top with a lettuce leaf and tomato slice, it just comes to about 244 calories, which isn’t bad for a cheeseburger!

Do you grill often, and did you happen to grill any burgers today for Father’s Day?

Linked to Inspire Me Monday.