Green pancake stack

Name: Green pancake stack
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 2 large free-range eggs; 175g plain flour; 850ml milk; 175g baby spinach; 50g unsalted butter; 2 cloves of garlic; olive oil; 150g Cheddar cheese; optional: 100g higher-welfare smoked ham; 1 butterhead or round lettuce; red wine vinegar

Creamy spinach sauce, cheese and ham

1 hr

Not Too Tricky

serves 8

About the recipe

Trying to get more greens onto your kids’ plates is always a test, but with these savoury spinach pancakes it’s never been easier! Layer them up with ham, cheese and Bechamel before baking until bubbling and beautiful. Happy days.

nutrition per serving

Calories

17%

Fat

30%

Saturates

49%

Sugars

Salt

18%

Protein

32%

Carbs

Fibre

of an adult’s reference intake

Recipe From

Let's Cook

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Ingredients

2 large free-range eggs

175g plain flour

850ml milk

175g baby spinach

50g unsalted butter

2 cloves of garlic

olive oil

150g Cheddar cheese

optional: 100g higher-welfare smoked ham

1 butterhead or round lettuce

red wine vinegar

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C. For the pancakes, crack the eggs into a blender, add 125g of flour, 150ml of milk, 25g of spinach and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then blitz until smooth.
Put a saucepan on a medium heat with the butter, then peel, finely slice and add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, or until softened.
Stir in 50g of flour and gradually pour in 700ml of milk, then cook until thickened slightly. Stir in the leftover spinach and season to taste.
Put a 26cm non-stick frying pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add just enough batter to coat the base of the pan, gently swirling it to cover, cook until lightly golden, then flip and cook on the other side. Repeat with the remaining batter, wiping out the pan with a ball of kitchen paper and adding a tiny drizzle of oil each time – you should end up with 5 thin pancakes.
Meanwhile, grate the cheese and tear up the ham (if using).
If your frying pan isn’t ovenproof, get yourself a deep ovenproof pan or dish (26cm in diameter). Repeat the layers of pancake, spinach sauce, ham and cheese until you’ve used up all the ingredients, finishing with a layer of sauce and cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbling, then rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Click apart the lettuce leaves, toss with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar, then season to taste and serve alongside the pancake stack.

Buddy's TV show, Cooking Buddies, aired on CBBC and iPlayer in July 2024.

Jamie wholeheartedly believes that cooking is up there as one of the most valuable skills you can teach a child. Getting kids excited about food, where it comes from and how to cook it, gives them a better chance of being healthier and happier in the long run. When cooking with kids, use your common sense to determine what jobs they can help you with, depending on their age and skill level. It’s always good to start small, with jobs such as mixing and measuring, then progress to elements of a recipe, then go on to slightly trickier techniques over time. The more they cook, the better they’ll get. Make sure you supervise them when using heat or sharp utensils like knives and box graters, and teach them about the importance of washing their hands before they start, and after handling raw meat and fish, as well as other basic hygiene rules. Most of all, have fun with it, and encourage them to give things a go.