This is just a wonderful recipe from Ina Garten. The mixture of flavorful white sauce, spinach, and cheeses is just amazingly rich and delicious. This lovely side dish is just perfect for a holiday meal or whenever you need a little richness to offset other menu items that have been very simply prepared. Regardless of how or when you serve this delicious veggie casserole, you and yours are going to be glad you did. Try it this Christmas for a lovely change of pace from green bean casserole.

And I suppose, if you simply can’t imagine life without those canned crunchy fried onions that are such a part of the green bean casserole tradition, by all means sprinkle some on top along with the Parmesan and Gruyere. I don’t think it will matter much to the overall taste of the casserole. And if it makes you and yours happy, I say go for it! In fact, I may try adding them this year myself. After all, what’s a few hundred more calories among friends?

• 4 T. butter
• 4 c. chopped yellow onion
• 1/4 c. flour
• 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 c. heavy cream
• 2 c. milk
• 1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 5 (10-oz.) pkgs. frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
• 1/2 c. grated Gruyère cheese

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until translucent, about 15 minutes. Whisk in the flour and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Whisk in the cream and milk and cook until thickened. Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and mix well; add salt and pepper. Squeeze as much liquid as possible from the spinach and add the spinach to the sauce. Adjust seasoning. Transfer the mixture to a lightly buttered baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and the Gruyère. Bake for about 20-30 minutes in a pre-heated 425 degree oven or until hot and bubbly. Serve hot out of the oven.