Baked Spinach

This quick side dish was an idea I got from a steakhouse we went to recently.  It is basically a take on creamed spinach, but I chopped the spinach into bigger pieces for texture.  The end result is more soupy than thick.

 I began by cooking garlic, onion and red chili flakes in butter for a couple of minutes before adding about a pound of chopped spinach.  I tossed everything to coat and cooked untilt he spinach wilted.

I added a bit of half and half to the pan and mixed in some crumbled aged cheddar.  I topped with additional cheese before baking.

After baking at 400 for 20 minutes the cop was browned and some of the spinach on top crisped up slightly.  The end result was delicious, the cheese worked great with the spinach and the bit of broth that formed was quite flavorful. I would probably cut back on some butter and cream next time as this was just for a meal at home, though I can see a large tray of this being a hit at a holiday party.