I’m in the Mood for Spring

I’m in the mood for spring, and so is my belly! I’ve been craving all kinds of seasonal foods and felt like it was “meant to be” when I stumbled upon a board on Pinterest full of recipes using the great spring veggies. In true Katie-fashion, I found a gratin recipe and adjusted it to suit my cravings and ingredients that I had in the kitchen.

This Spring Vegetable Gratin is what I came up with. I hope you’ll make and enjoy it. Feel free to use fresh or frozen ingredients. No need to fuss over it. This is a flexible recipe, so if you don’t like (or don’t have) the veggies I included, feel free to do a little swaperoo. In our house we eat a mostly vegetarian diet, so I served this with roasted carrots. But, I’m sure it would be fantastic with roasted chicken or a pork tenderloin too.

Spring Vegetable Gratin
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 2 tsp. for dish
2 leeks, slicked into moons and rinsed well (can use frozen)
9 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, drained and chopped
1 cup peas, fresh or frozen & thawed
1 bar (8 oz.) Neufchatel cheese, room temp (same as reduced-fat cream cheese)
1 tsp. bouillon (chicken or vegetable, I prefer the Better than Bouillon brand)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and Pepper
5 medium Yukon gold potatoes, sliced thinly (I used my food processor slicer)
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used Gruyere, but Swiss or mozzarella would be good too)

Directions: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Add oil to large skillet and bring to medium high.

Add leeks and saute until translucent and lightly browned. Add artichokes, peas, 1/2 cup water, bouillon, and cheese and stir until combined. Take the skillet off the heat and add lemon juice.

Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Layer half of the potatoes in dish. Season with salt and pepper. Top with vegetable mixture, then the remaining potatoes. Season the top layer with salt and pepper and brush with remaining 2 tsp. olive oil. Top with shredded cheese.

Bake covered for 35 minutes. Remove cover and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and potatoes are tender. Put under the broiler for a golden crust. Allow the gratin to rest for 10 minutes before serving!