We just hate all those commercials about how gross vegetables are that they have to hide them in gross fruit drinks! We love vegetables, so here’s a traditional Syrian way to eat them. It’s an easy way to get spinach into your diet, even for those picky eaters, and a great Meatless Monday dinner! Spanach Jibben is kind of like a quiche without the crust (which makes it infinitely easier). Though you CAN up the taste level with a simple all-butter crust, we’re just giving you the basic recipe, and you can play with it from here. We eat this a lot on Thursday  nights, along with rice and lentils. It’s simple to put together, and and freezes well, so make a double batch and save half for a night when you don’t have enough time to cook. Or take leftovers for lunch.

You’ll definitely see variations of this recipe. Some people don’t add sesame seeds and cumin, and other put a half dozen eggs. Play around with the measurements and see what you like best. I have never made this with fresh spinach, though I’m sure you could. It’s not really worth washing and cleaning all that spinach just to have it wilt down to nothing, and frozen spinach is just as nutritious (or maybe more) than fresh, so eat up!

I don’t usually measure when I make this, but I did just for you. This recipe is a combination of many different ones, including our sister-in-law Adele’s mother’s recipe. Do you make it differently? How do you like making spanach? Let us know in the comments, or try our our way and tell us how you like it.

Ingredients:

• 1 Spanish onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• 2 ten ounce packages of chopped spinach
• 2-6 eggs (I use two, but know some people who use 6. Start with three and see how you like it)
• About 3 cups muenster cheese
• 1 cup cottage cheese (sometimes I cheat and use ricotta)
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds + more to sprinkle on top
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Add the oil and butter to a large saute pan or pot and saute until just beginning to turn brown, about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper.

3. Add the spinach and cover until the spinach thaws. Mix thoroughly.

4. Drain the liquid out of the spinach mixture through a sieve. Return to the pot.

5. Add the eggs, cheeses, cumin, sesame seeds, and more salt if desired. Mix until it is all combined.

6. Transfer to a baking dish (2 quart) and bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes, until the edges turn golden brown.