Beet Green Squares

I really struggled to name these beauties. Beet Green Quiche-Fritatta-Popover-Cheese Puff wasn't rolling off my tongue. I was also a little nervous about how this recipe would turn out.

So imagine my glee when these "squares" came out of the oven - butter bubbling around the crisp, golden top, savory onion and beet greens below and the perfect amount of sharp cheese flavor holding it all together.



I confess to eating almost the whole dish. They are just that good. As I kept "testing" them I thought about their wonderful versatility -- breakfast, potlucks, brunch, side dish, snack, warm, cold...or straight out of the pan before anyone else can get one!

Beet Green (Quiche-Fritatta-Popover-Cheese Puff) Squares
Serves 1-9

2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
6 cups chopped beet greens
3 large eggs
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated cheese
Salt

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease the bottom and sides of an 8x8 baking dish with about 1 tablespoon of the butter.

Heat a large skillet and begin to saute the onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook until onion begins to brown and soften. Make sure your beet greens are well cleaned and very dry. Add beet greens and a sprinkle of salt. Cook until beet greens are just tender. Drain off excess liquid given off while cooking.

While the onion and beet greens cook whisk the eggs, milk and flour into a smooth batter. Stir in the cheese.

Put 1 tablespoon of butter in the baking dish and place dish in the warm oven until the butter melts. Then swirl it around the bottom of the dish. Put the onion and beet green mixture in the baking dish. Pour the batter evenly on top.

Cook for about 30 minutes in the center of the oven until puffed and golden. It will deflate a bit while cooling. I don't know if there is a technique or a trick to prevent it from deflating or if that's just what should happen. Either way it's delicious.

Variations
I used a blend of sharp cheddar, mild cheddar and Parmesan. It would be fun to experiment with other cheeses and even other vegetables. I have also made this with broccoli and might try zucchini next time. Or maybe even red peppers and zucchini!

When using other veggies you would only need about 2-3 cups plus the onion for the filling. The beet greens cook down a lot so more is required. Doubling the recipe works well. Just use a 9x13 pan.

This would also work well in a 10 inch pie plate but then what would I call it?

By the way...my girls ate the squares below! A great recipe for sneaking in leafy greens.