Heritage Florida Jewish News - Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

Spinach jibn is a traditional Syrian way to prepare vegetables, akin to a crustless quiche. It’s most common to find it with spinach, but you can also make it with zucchini or other vegetables you may have around. It’s healthy and kid-friendly, though I assure you that adults enjoy it just as much. I learned to make this from my mom and grandmas, and it’s very near and dear to my heart.

Jibn is adaptable. It’s freezable. It’s make-aheadable! I am sharing the recipe in its most basic form, but feel free to experiment from here: Mix it up by grating an onion into the spinach, or adding cumin and garlic powder, or topping with sesame seeds before baking. Bake it in a pie crust or muffin tins, or even in a thin layer on top of pizza dough.

It may not be the prettiest dish or the fanciest, but it’s the kind of dish you will make again and again.

Ingredients:

2 pounds frozen chopped spinach, thawed

6 eggs

1 16-ounce container cottage cheese

2 cups shredded Muenster or mozzarella cheese

1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. and grease a 9-by-13-inch pan or two 9-inch pie pans.

2. Squeeze as much water as possible out of the spinach.

3. In a large bowl, mix spinach, eggs, cheese and salt.

4. Transfer the mixture into the prepared baking dish(es) and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the top is golden brown and the inside is cooked through. Serves 6.

This recipe originally appeared on The Nosher.