Spiced Up Soufflé

This post is sponsored by the National Milk Life Campaign 

It’s time to start thinking about what dishes will grace your holiday table this year! Every year I have hosted, I look for new twists on old favorites. My mom often made this soufflé for our holiday dinners, and it’s one of my favorite dishes that she makes. It’s light and airy in texture but buttery and creamy in flavor. I was excited to make my own version of the recipe and spice it up with jalapeños and Pepper Jack cheese.

While I wouldn’t call this recipe simple, it’s not very difficult either. And it will surely impress your guests as a fantastic side dish, whether you’re hosting Thanksgiving dinner or a holiday season brunch.

While this recipe is rich enough to be a crowd pleaser, it is full of nutritious ingredients too. Goodness comes from four cups of fresh spinach, fresh jalapeños, a lighter amount of cheese than usual, and convenient, versatile milk. I used low fat milk in this recipe because it’s something I already had in my fridge and already use on a regular basis for drinking, smoothies, cereal, and more. It’s one of the most common real foods, and I feel good about using it given its wholesomeness, nutrition profile and simple ingredient list.

Milk is a food that has stood the test of time as a fresh, nutritious staple in recipes. As we think about the many years Americans have celebrated Thanksgiving, milk was very likely present at many of those dinners in various forms. As an original “local food,” milk typically takes only 72 hours to get from farm to table. And it’s special to me to use it in this recipe my family has passed down and serve it back to them.

To get this recipe started, preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 7-inch soufflé dish with the end of a 1/2 stick of butter.

Cook your de-seeded, minced jalapeños in some cooking oil until tender. Wilt the baby spinach on top, and set aside.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.

Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan over low heat.

Once melted, stir in flour and cook until bubbly.

Stir in 1 cup milk and continue stirring until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Season with pepper.

In a clean bowl, whisk egg yolks for one minute. Whisk in butter, flour and milk sauce. Add spinach, jalapeños, and cheese. Mix to combine and allow cheese to melt.

Stir about 1/4 of the egg whites into the yolk mixture and very gently fold together.

A little at a time, fold all of the egg whites in and pour into greased soufflé dish.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the top is brown and puffy.

Print Pin

Spiced Up Souffle

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Author Kath Younger

Ingredients

• 1/2 stick salted butter
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 2 jalapeños deseeded and minced 
• 4 cups fresh baby spinach
• 3 eggs separated
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup low fat milk
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 7-inch soufflé dish with the end of a 1/2 stick of butter.
• Heat a skillet with cooking oil to medium heat and add jalapeños. Cook until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. 
• Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan over low heat. Once melted, stir in flour and cook until bubbly. Stir in 1 cup milk and continue stirring until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Season with pepper.
• In a clean bowl, whisk egg yolks for one minute. Whisk in butter, flour and milk sauce. Add spinach, jalapeños and cheese. Mix to combine and allow cheese to melt. 
• Stir about 1/4 of egg whites into the yolk mixture and very gently fold together. A little at a time, fold all of egg whites in and pour into greased soufflé dish. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until top is brown and puffy. 

Thanks to the National Milk Life Campaign for sponsoring this post! Follow along for more milk fun on the Milk Life social channels: Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram.