Creamed spinach is so last year in the Keto community. Step up your game with this Keto Kale Rockefeller. Fatty bacon, creamy kale all topped with tomatoes and melty mozzarella cheese!!
Creamed Spinach has always been one of my favorite steakhouse side dishes. honestly its the only way I actually enjoy spinach. That being said I always feel like creamed spinach just comes up short. Some recipes are too soupy and others are just plain old bland. Part of the problem is when the spinach is cooked it just turns into a slimy blob of nothingness. Keto Kale Rockefeller however still has some texture and body left after it’s cooked.
Steakhouse Favorite gets a Makeover, Keto Kale Rockefeller Style!!
Link for the Le Creuset Ramekin Pictured Above
Oysters Rockefeller is a classic steakhouse appetizer that is normally topped with creamy spinach, bacon and cheese.Some people put tomatoes on top but that may be contested by purists. I love all of the flavors and figured why not ditch the oyster and just make a casserole. I just substituted kale instead of spinach to add some body to the recipe. It’s a perfect side dish for steak but really works with anything from chicken to fish as well.
Everything’s Better with Bacon
We all know bacon makes everything better but locally cured slab bacon makes everything even better than better!! I’m lucky because I don’t like far from a great charcuterie place that makes their own bacon. I always keep a hunk in the fridge to dice up and add to dishes. Any bacon will work for the recipe but if you look for a thick cut or center cut variety you will taste the difference. I like to start off by cooking the bacon on low heat and take my time to render out as much fat as I can. Then I turn up the heat and crisping up the bacon at the end.
This is a fairly simple dish that you can put together in about 30 minutes. No exotic ingredients for this recipe and it’s pretty easy on the wallet. Another tip is you can make this dish ahead of time then refrigerate until it’s time for dinner.If you love creamed spinach then this Keto friendly interpretation is a must try next time your firing up the grill. I Highly recommend pairing this with my Amazing Steak Madagascar Sauce
Ingredients
- 10 cups Kale
- 6 oz Bacon Diced
- ¼ cup Ramps or Scallions
- ½ cup Heavy Cream
- 4 oz Cream Cheese
- ¾ cup Shredded Mozzarella
- ½ cup Water or Chicken Stock
- ¼ cup Pecorino Romano
- ⅓ cup Cherry Tomatoes
- 1.5 oz Pernod or Dry Vermouth
- ½ tsp Real Salt
- ½ tsp Cracked Black Pepper
Instructions
- Render out the fat from your diced bacon until it’s almost fully cooked then stir in your ramps or scallions until soft.
- Deglaze pot with Pernod or dry vermouth ( if you don’t use alcohol chicken broth will be fine)
- Fill pot with kale then add ¼ cup of water or broth to steam the kale. Cover and simmer until kale stems are tender (about 15 minutes)
- Add cream cheese and heavy cream, simmer until cream cheese is fully melted and incorporated into the kale mixture. Turn heat off and add your fresh grated Pecorino Romano.
- Pour mixture into a casserole pan, top with mozzarella and cherry tomatoes. Bake at 450 degrees F. for 8-10 minutes until cheese is bubbly golden and delicious
Oh my….. goodness so much goodness
Yes, indeed. Great side dish, perfect with steak
So amazing!
Thank you!! Much appreciated!!!
Once again another amazing recipe. As much as I love creamed spinach, I think I’m a kale convert. I cheated a bit and used a 4 cheese blend. What I love is that this recipe is actually really versatile. It was wonderful as-is but since I see myself making this a lot, I like a bit of variation. Perhaps with some garlic, a splash of Worcestershire and some artichokes. Or, add some shredded chicken and make this as a one-bowl meal prep (move aside crack chicken!). Or how about as a bed for a fat crabcake or shrimp dusted of course in old bay… The only downside with this recipe is that my broccoli addiction might have the addition of a kale “problem”. Hey, I can quit anytime!
Love to hear all the great ideas you’ve got in store for this recipe. thank you for sharing!!!
Sooo good! But can you tell me how much one serving is? It’s not in the nutrition info and I want to be sure I’m not pigging out! Thanks!
It’s about 1 cup cooked. Thanks for checking out the recipe