Creamed spinach with dumplings

Garlicky Czech creamed leaf spinach with a soft egg and bread dumplings — a quick, vegetarian comfort plate in about 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• leaf spinach400 g
• garlic3 cloves
• cream100 ml
• eggs4 pcs
• bread dumpling6 slices
• butter30 g

Method

1. Prep garlic and spinach. Peel and finely slice or crush the garlic cloves. If your spinach needs washing, shake it dry — excess water will thin the sauce later.
2. Wilt the spinach. Melt the butter in a large pan over a medium-high heat. Add the spinach in two or three handfuls, stirring each batch in until wilted — the whole lot should collapse in about 3–4 minutes.
3. Add garlic and cream. Push the spinach to one side, add the garlic directly to the pan and let it sizzle for 30 seconds until fragrant but not browned. Pour in the cream, stir everything together and simmer gently for 3–4 minutes until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Season well with salt and pepper.
4. Fry the eggs. In a separate non-stick pan, melt a little butter over a medium heat and fry the eggs sunny-side up — about 3 minutes until the whites are fully set but the yolks are still runny. Cook them in two batches if your pan is small.
5. Warm the dumplings. While the eggs cook, warm the bread dumpling slices in a dry pan or in the microwave for 30–40 seconds until they are heated through and just slightly softened.
6. Plate and serve. Spoon the creamed spinach onto three plates, top each portion with a fried egg, and arrange two slices of warm dumpling alongside. Serve straight away.

Safety & hygiene Important

• Runny egg yolks. This dish is traditionally served with soft, runny yolks. If you are cooking for pregnant, elderly or immunocompromised people, fry the eggs until the yolks are fully set, reaching at least 70 °C throughout.