Pumpkin, Mince and Spinach Gratin

Bring pumpkin to your dinner table with this moreish pumpkin and mince gratin that can easily be doubled to feed a crowd. There are plenty of herbs and coarsely chopped spinach in the mince mixture. The pumpkin in this dish keeps the meat really tender and juicy. Serve this as a standalone meal or with a side salad, pasta or bread.

800 g Pumpkin (hokkaido or butternut squash), cut into cubes
25 g Butter
Sea salt and freshly milled black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
300 g Spinach
1 Medium red onion, peeled and chopped
2 Garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
50 g Mixed herbs (I used a mixture chives, parsley, and thyme)
500 g Beef mince
1 tbsp Wholegrain Dijon mustard
1 tbsp Medium hot Dijon mustard
50 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

To make the pumpkin puree, cook the pumpkin in a steaming basket over a saucepan of simmering water for 15 minutes or until tender.
Place the hot pumpkin in a bowl with the butter and roughly mash with a fork. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Place the spinach leaves into a pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Remove leaves from boiling water and transfer to a bowl of ice water. Drain and squeeze any remaining water out with your hands. Chop roughly.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Lightly grease a casserole dish.
Peel and chop the onion and garlic. Finely chop all the herbs together.
In a large bowl, add the onion, garlic, herbs, spinach, beef mince and mustards, season everything well with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Place in the prepared casserole dish. Bake the mince mixture in the middle of hot oven for 15 minutes.
Remove the mince from the oven. Increase the oven temperature to 220C/430F.
Spread the pumpkin puree on top and grate the Parmesan over. Return the casserole to the oven and bake for about 25 minutes until golden brown.

9 comments:

Lola Martínez 22/11/24 12:45: Es una receta parecida a mi pastel de carne, yo lo preparo con patatas, pero después de ver el tuyo, pienso que con calabaza también estará muy rico. Apunto.
Ivy's Closet 22/11/24 13:15: Great to see this recipe!
DEZMOND 22/11/24 13:38: Who does not like a warm gratin from the oven in these cold, snowy, rainy, messy, Autumn days? One can easily replace that mince with lentils or soy or even grated smoked tofu.
Velva-evening With A Sandwich 22/11/24 13:45: As always, this a beautiful dish. A layered lasagna of healthy and flavorful ingredients.
Tom 22/11/24 13:52: ...golden goodness.
Anonymous 22/11/24 14:15: Hubby would eat that since it has meat -Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com
eileeninmd 22/11/24 14:59: Looks delicious! Take care, enjoy your day and have a great weekend.
Dawn 22/11/24 15:11: This gratin looks delicious. Perfect for the cold weather.
Marcepanowy Kącik 22/11/24 16:37: Bardzo smacznie i zdrowo.