Italian Spinach

Does your family like spinach? You will after you try this recipe. Seriously. I will now and forever make extras so we will have enough for 2nds and 3rds, and leftovers for the next morning. We liked this so much that we had it twice Christmas week. (My modifications will be in parenthesis, and read to the end so you can get my breakfast recipe, too!)

Italian Spinach

1 box frozen chopped spinach (we doubled, then tripled the amount, equally for each ingredient)
3 Tablespoons olive oil (I used slightly less, but don't skimp too much because the end result will be dry.)
1 clove minced garlic (I used about double this amount out of a jar.)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper (I used fresh ground black pepper.)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1) Thaw spinach and squeeze out excess water. Set aside.
2) In a saute skillet heat, over medium heat, add olive oil and garlic. Cook until garlic is golden brown.
3) Add spinach and seasonings, saute for 3-4 minutes.
4) Add beaten eggs; continue stirring. Cook until eggs are fully cooked and mixed into spinach.
5) If there is any excess liquid, drain before you serve. Sprinkle cheese on top to taste. (The more the better, in my opinion.)

DO NOT turn your nose up at the eggs. My mother gave me this recipe years ago and I put it aside because, eew, eggs in spinach? I was wrong, so, so wrong. My brother's family, who are not very adventurous in their food tastes, LOVE this, so I'm confident that you will too.

Leftovers

Keep those leftovers! The first time we made it we had about a cup leftover. Here's what to do, alter the amounts according to your taste.

1) Add diced onion (we used about 1/2 an onion,) and the leftover spinach mix to a skillet.
2) Add diced ham, if you want. (Again, about 1/2 cup or so.)
3) Heat through.
4) Scramble eggs (for 1 cup of spinach we used about 8 eggs for 5 people), add a dash of milk.
5) Add eggs to pan and cook to taste.

My kids loooooved this, and have even asked for it for weekday breakfasts before school. Um, kids asking for spinach? WIN!