Potato and spinach casserole (vegan)

This recipe combines the goodness of potatoes with one of my childhood favourites, creamy spinach (see original recipe here). You can prepare it either in a large ovenproof dish, in individual size baking dishes or split the ingredients between a couple of pretty pie dishes like I did, the choice is yours. Serve it with pickles, olives, hot peppers and fresh bread. 

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

- 6 medium size potatoes, washed, peeled and cut into 1cm thick round slices

- sea salt and freshly ground pepper

For the creamy spinach 

- 500g frozen spinach

- 1 large onion, finely diced

- 4 garlic cloves (or more if you loooove garlic), minced

- 2 Tablespoons flour

- 2 cups almond milk

- 1/2 cup full fat canned coconut milk (use only the creamy part, saving the liquid for other use)

- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

- sea salt and freshly ground pepper

- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast + more to garnish 

- a pinch red pepper flakes

Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, add in some sea salt and the potato slices. Lower the heat to medium (so the water won't run out of the pan) and boil for 3 minutes then drain carefully. Do not worry if any slices get mashed, use them anyway, the creamy spinach will cover up the mess!

Prepare the creamy spinach as follows: heat the olive oil and cook the onions until translucent, add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds more, then add in the spinach and sauté, stirring often, for about 3 minutes or until spinach is defrosted. Meanwhile, add the flour in a small bowl and gradually whisk in the almond milk. Season with salt, pepper and the nutmeg. Add the milk mixture to the spinach and cook, on low heat, for about 20 minutes or until spinach is tender. Gradually add in the coconut milk fat and simmer for another minute or two. Taste and adjust the seasonings, remove from heat and stir in the nutritional yeast.

Lightly oil an ovenproof dish and add a layer of potato slices, slightly overlapping them. Season with salt and pepper and cover with half of the creamy spinach. Add another layer of potato slices and finish with remaining spinach. Bake at 375F for about 25 minutes or until the edges turn golden. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with some nutritional yeast and allow to rest a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!