Spinach, Cheddar, and Millet Egg Casserole

What to feed a crowd. This challenge is two-fold in my case: beyond the task of finding a recipe to please all palates, I must fight my fondness for creating fussy dishes—handheld pastries, ravioli, poached eggs on toast. This tendency doesn't translate so well to satisfying a large dinner party, where individually plating each dish means I'd never leave the kitchen to join the dinner myself. Such was my dilemma last week, when I cooked a meal for a table of five. In addition, one of our party did not eat gluten, which nixed the options of big-pot pasta or pizza (I've yet to find solid gluten-free alternatives for these recipes). So I landed on quiche, which I find both delicious and delicate, with its silky yet fork-sturdy filling and crunch of crust. The crust, of course, made for a gluten component that I would need to avoid. A brief bout of research revealed a not-quite quiche:  a millet and spinach egg bake. Funny enough, the recipe made two pretty, ramekin-sized portions—just the sort of dainty dish I meant to avoid. No matter, however: the recipe's simplicity made it easy to supersize. 

The casserole starts with a warming layer of millet and spinach that is blanketed by the egg mixture. Cheddar cheese adds a sharp and salty depth and also helps the casserole develop its golden brown exterior. A spike of thyme gives earthiness as well as a jolt of green speckles. You'll want to give it a generous amount of time in the oven; that's a whole carton of eggs you're cooking. But it's quite worth the time; once made, you're set for the week, even after guests have devoured all they can. Eat it a second and third time cold, reheated, or dolloped with tomato sauce.

Adapted from Naturally Ella's Spinach Millet Egg Bake 

Spinach, Cheddar, and Millet Egg Casserole

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked millet

6 cups water

2 tsp. salt

4 cups spinach, chopped (I used thawed out, frozen spinach)

12 eggs

4 cups milk

2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or your cheese of choice)

Directions:

--Toast millet in a large skillet for 2-3 minutes, removing from heat before the grains begin to brown.  In a large pot, combine water, salt, and millet. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, cooking for 15-20 minutes or until water is absorbed.

--Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

--Add chopped spinach to the millet and stir. Place in a 2-quart casserole, flattening into an even layer with a spoon or spatula.

--In a large bowl, whisk eggs to break up the yolks. Add milk, thyme, and cheese, and stir to combine. Pour over millet mixture.

--Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove from oven when top is golden brown and the center barely jiggles when the casserole is moved. Let rest 15 minutes before serving.