Belgian endive au gratin: the light and rich side dish!

The recipe of the Belgian endive au gratin in the oven: an easy and tasty side dish to serve on any occasion.

The au gratin Belgian endive is a quick vegetable side dish, to be used when you have little time to cook but don’t want to give up something that satisfies the palate, without weighing it down. Despite the delicious taste, in fact, this vegetable has very few calories , and could become the perfect tasty side dish recipe for this winter.

It is excellent as an appetizer, but it is perfect above all as a side dish, to complete a second course of meat, perhaps accompanied by other grilled vegetables . A great idea is to serve them in a buffet , cooking them well in advance, or you can use them as a filling for a sandwich, in addition to soft cheese and a veil of mayonnaise or even some caesar sauce. They are perfect to serve when we have vegetarian or vegan guests.

By adding different spices to the breadcrumbs, such as curry or cumin, or by varying the aromatic herbs – sage, rosemary or parsley – you can create interesting flavor variations for this simple and delicious recipe. The preparation is really fast and, with the breading of this recipe, it is also possible to season courgettes, aubergines and peppers.

Let’s see step by step all the tricks for how to cook the Belgian individual in the best way.

Preparation of the au gratin Belgian endive

1. Wash the endive thoroughly under water. Cut each clump in half lengthwise.
2. Preheat the oven in static mode to 200 ° C.
3. Prepare the breading by combining the breadcrumbs, grated cheese, the chosen aromatic herbs, a pinch of salt and a sprinkling of pepper in a bowl.
4. Line a pan with a sheet of parchment paper, and arrange the half heads of endive, with the cut side up.
5. Spread the breading on each endive, and finally sprinkle the surface with olive oil.
6. Cook for 15 minutes , or until the crust appears golden.
7. If you opt for the pan, grease the bottom with olive oil, cook the Belgian salads for 5 minutes and finish cooking, putting a lid on your pan, until a golden coating appears on the surface.

If you want to try a more delicious recipe, but always with this vegetable, then we can suggest you baked Belgian endive with ham .

storage

Once the endive au gratin is cooked, it can be stored out of the fridge for a few hours, or in the refrigerator for up to three days , taking care to place it in a clean and tightly closed container.