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Serves 8–10 / This comfort food can be made ahead or even frozen. It’s loaded with iron and antioxidants. Ingredient tip: Lacinato or dinosaur kale (the dark, bumpy kind) works best, but frilly kale will do; or use any dark leafy green you like. Prep tip: Because this makes a lot of kale, use one side of your sink to drain it and the other side as an ice-water bath to stop the cooking.
4 big bunches lacinato kale (2 1/2–3 pounds)
2 onions, very thinly sliced or chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
1/2 cup half-and-half or heavy cream
1/2 cup fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs
1. Fill an extra-large stockpot with water, leaving enough room to add kale; bring to a boil. Wash kale and tear roughly, discarding tough stems. When water is boiling, add a tablespoon of salt and wait for a rolling boil. Add kale to water and cook no longer than 2 minutes; it should be wilted, but still bright in color. Drain quickly and plunge into ice water. Roll up in a towel to squeeze dry, chop finely, and squeeze again. You should have about 5 cups of very dry greens.
2. In a large pan, sauté onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat until golden, 20–25 minutes. Remove from heat and combine with greens. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, ricotta, and half-and-half or cream; stir into greens and season with salt and pepper. Turn into a 2 1/2-quart casserole dish (or one of approximate size). Toss breadcrumbs with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil; sprinkle over kale. Bake at 400˚ for 30 minutes. If the top isn’t golden and bubbly, broil for a minute or two.
PER SERVING: 225 cal, 44% fat cal, 11g fat, 3g sat fat, 121mg chol, 12g protein, 21g carb, 3g fiber, 158mg sodium