Spinach and ricotta crumble
Serves: 10 as part of a spread or 6 as a main course
Prep time: 40 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Toby Scott
Spinach and ricotta crumble
Serves: 10 as part of a spread or 6 as a main course
Prep time: 40 minsTotal time: 
See more recipes
Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
776Kcal
Fat
53gr
Saturates
25gr
Carbs
37gr
Sugars
10gr
Fibre
10gr
Protein
33gr
Salt
2gr
Debora Robertson
Debora Robertson is a food writer, editor, and an inveterate kitchen botherer. She lives in London, where she is always on the hunt for new things to eat, blogs at Love and a Licked Spoon
See more of Debora Robertson’s recipes
Debora Robertson
Debora Robertson is a food writer, editor, and an inveterate kitchen botherer. She lives in London, where she is always on the hunt for new things to eat, blogs at Love and a Licked Spoon
See more of Debora Robertson’s recipes
Ingredients
For the filling
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, diced
- 2 medium leeks, trimmed and finely sliced
- 2 sprigs of thyme, tied with string
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1kg frozen spinach, defrosted and chopped
- ½ x 200g pack Parmesan cheese or vegetarian alternative, finely grated
- ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- zest of 1 small lemon
- 2 x 250g tubs ricotta
For the topping
- 125g cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 200g plain flour
- 100g blanched hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
- ½ x 200g pack Parmesan or vegetarian alternative, finely grated
- 1 tbsp lemon thyme or thyme leaves, roughly chopped, plus extra for garnish
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- ¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium egg, lightly beaten
Step by step
Get ahead
You can make the filling the day before in the gratin dish. Cover it with clingfilm and chill in the fridge until you're ready to assemble and cook it. You can also make the crumble topping – combine all of the ingredients apart from the egg. Mix in the egg just before you scatter the crumble over the spinach.
- First make the topping: in a mixing bowl, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles very coarse breadcrumbs – you want some pea-sized pieces of butter to be left in the mixture (you can also do this in a food processor to save time, and use it to chop the hazelnuts, too). Then stir in the rest of the topping ingredients, apart from the egg. Cover and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- To make the filling, warm the olive oil in a very large saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the onions, leeks, thyme and a generous pinch of salt and sauté until the onions and leeks are soft and translucent, about 15-20 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for a further couple of minutes.
- Meanwhile, tip the spinach into a separate pan. Add 2 tablespoons of water and bring to the boil, stirring frequently. Tip into a colander and press down well to extract the excess liquid, then add the spinach to the onion mixture and mix well, cooking for a couple of minutes. Tip into a large bowl, remove the thyme and mix in the Parmesan, nutmeg and zest, then season. Crumble in the ricotta, leaving some large curds intact, and gently mix through the spinach. Tip into a large baking dish (about 20cm x 30cm).
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Mix the egg into the crumble mixture with a knife, then scatter it over the spinach and bake for about 35-40 minutes until the crumble is piping hot and golden brown. Scatter over a few extra thyme leaves, if you like.
