Spinach cheddar souffle looks so wonderfully fancy, doesn’t it? When you break through the golden brown exterior into the creamy richness of the filling you know you’re eating something special. The idea of a souffle is intimidating, for sure. We’re told they’re finicky things, prone to collapsing if you look at them cross eyed. That’s just a rumor. Once the souffle is in the oven you don’t want to mess around until it’s served, but up until that point there’s no pressure. Trust me.

Have confidence in your ability to make a spinach and cheddar souffle

This is an Ina Garten recipe, so you know it’s been tested and it is going to work. You won’t need any fancy kitchen skills or equipment.

Why egg size matters

Ina specifies extra large eggs in her recipe. So that’s what I bought. The reason has to do with the volume of the whites. Most recipes use large eggs and they’re more or less interchangeable with their extra large counterparts. But when you’re counting on the egg whites to give volume, in an cake or a souffle, size matters.

You can read more about egg size and how to make substitutions in this article from Fine Cooking.

Keep calm and make the souffle base

Now that we’ve settled the issue of egg size, let’s make the souffle base. Buy chopped frozen spinach (about 10 oz/280 gms, more or less). Let it thaw or defrost in the microwave. Then squeeze as much liquid as you can out of it.

Then squeeze some more.

You should have a tight green ball about the size of a baseball left. When you add the spinach to the souffle base pull pieces off so it will be easy to mix in with the other ingredients.

Next, you’ll need 4 egg yolks for the base and 5 egg whites for the souffle. So, separate the eggs and remember you need one less yolk than whites. You’ll get better results if your eggs are room temperature.

For the rest of the base you’ll need milk, flour, butter, grated cheddar cheese and some seasoning.

Nothing too intimidating so far, right?

Once the base is mixed up it can hang out while you whip the egg whites.

Want lofty peaks on your egg whites? Use lemon juice

I’ve never used cream of tartar with egg whites and neither did my mother. She added lemon juice to her egg whites. The recommendation is ½ teaspoon lemon juice per egg white. I’ve done it with and without and I feel I get better results when I add the lemon juice. If you prefer cream of tartar the rule of thumb is 1/8th teaspoon per egg white.

Beat the whites in your largest bowl. Start at a low speed and gradually increase the speed as the egg whites first foam then come together in peaks. They will change color, too, and become glossy.

When it comes time to fold the whites into the souffle base, keep in mind you want to maintain the volume as much as you can. To start, you’ll stir in about ¼ of the whites into the souffle base to lighten it. This you can stir in like you would anything else. When adding the rest, be sure to fold the whites instead of stirring. (Ina shows you how in this video.) You want your souffle to be even in color, but it’s okay if you see some streaks of egg white.

The moment of truth

You want the souffle mix to be able to rise up the sides of the dish and above to make the classic souffle shape. In order to do this you’ll need to butter the sides of your 1 ½ – 2 quart souffle dish and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Next, move the oven rack to the lowest position and make sure the oven has come to temperature before adding the souffle. Once you close the oven door don’t open it again until it’s time to remove the souffle. No peeking, except through the oven window.

What to serve with spinach cheddar souffle

The souffle will start to deflate as soon as you remove it from the oven. There’s not too much you can do about it, so make sure the table is set, the salad is made, etc, BEFORE putting the souffle in the oven. That way you can remove the souffle and serve it immediately.

Break up the smooth richness of the souffle with a textural or flavor change — toasted bread, salad with crunchy bits, nuts on the side, seeded grapes, poached pears with walnuts. You don’t need to be too fancy; the souffle is the star of the show.

Spinach Cheddar Souffle

Eggs, spinach, cheddar cheese and flour. That's almost all of the ingredient list for spinach cheddar souffle. There's no need to be intimidated about making one with this recipe.

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Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 50

Course: Brunch, Main

Cuisine: French

Servings: servings

Author: LydiaF

Ingredients

For the base

3 tablespoons butter plus another for the dish (four tablespoons total)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus a tablespoon for the dish
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
4 extra-large egg yolks at room temperature
1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1 package frozen chopped spinach (about 10 ounces, defrosted and squeezed dry)

Egg whites

5 extra-large egg whites at room temperature
2 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice (OR 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C degrees. Move the oven rack to the lowest position and prepare the souffle dish with butter and grated parmesan. Measure all the souffle base ingredients and have them ready to use.
Heat the milk in a small saucepan until very hot. You'll see bubbles forming around the sides of the pan. Avoid letting it come to a boil.
Melt the butter in another saucepan over low heat. Stir in the flour and cook for a couple minutes. Whisk in the hot milk, nutmeg, cayenne, salt and pepper. Continue to cook over low heat until smooth and thick.
Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the egg yolks. Next, stir in the cheeses, and the spinach. Transfer everything to a large mixing bowl.
At this point you can let the souffle base stand for up to 2 hours at room temperature. If you need longer, put the base and the unbeaten egg whites in the fridge. (Let them come to room temperature before beating the egg whites and combining with the base.)
Put the egg whites, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl. Beat on low speed for one minute, then work up to high speed until you have firm, glossy peaks.
Whisk one-quarter of the egg whites into the cheese sauce to lighten, and then fold in the rest. Pour into the prepared soufflé dish, then smooth the top. Draw a large circle on top with the spatula and place on the middle of the oven rack.
Immediately turn the temperature down to 375°F/190°C. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until puffed and brown. Serve immediately.

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You may be surprised to know leftover souffle can be reheated. I did mine in the microwave– about a minute at the medium setting.

You may be even more surprised to learn that you can make (and bake) the entire souffle and have it waiting to go into the oven ahead of time. It’s a great way to serve several souffles all at once, but not something I’ve tried. Nagi over at Recipe Tin Eats shows how to do it.

If you prefer, make single serving souffles by dividing the mix between four large ramekins (one cup or thereabouts.) Reduce the cooking time to 25 minutes. Personally, I think the standard souffle dish puffs up more and is more dramatic.