Baked Kale Gratin Recipe
This Baked Kale Gratin is delicious served as a main dish, or as a side dish for holiday entertaining. The bacon and sausage is optional, if you want to make this dish vegetarian.
Ingredients
- 10 oz. curly kale
- 6 slices bacon, chopped
- 3 5 ″sausage links, or precooked sausage of your choice, cut into one-half-inch chunks
- 3 Tbsp. butter
- 1/4 cup shallots, finely chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 Granny Smith apple, diced (skin on)
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 3 Tbsp. flour
- 2 3/4 cups half and half, or whole milk
- 1 1/4 cups Parmesan, grated, divided
- 2 cups croutons, I used Pumpkin Croutons from Trader Joe’s or bread crumbs
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Steam the kale in a covered large dutch oven or frying pan with 1/2 inch of boiling water for 7 minutes. Remove kale; drain.
- Cook the bacon and sausage in the butter in an large saute pan for 5 minutes until crisp; remove the bacon and sausage, drain, and set aside.
- In the same pan, melt the butter and sauté the shallots, peppers, and apple for 6 minutes until golden. Whisk in the flour and stir for 1 minute.
- Add the half-and-half or milk and whisk; bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low, cooking for another 3 minutes.
- Stir in the 1 cup of Parmesan cheese; add in the kale and bacon. Mix together. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.
- Sprinkle with croutons {or bread crumbs} and bake for 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.