Spinach & Cheese Strata
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Layered with spinach, cheese, and bread, and soaked in a savory custard, this make-ahead strata is ideal for entertaining.
A strata is a layered casserole made with bread, eggs, cheese, and sometimes vegetables or meat (strata means layers). Think of it as a savory bread pudding or breakfast casserole. This spinach version is richly flavored with Gruyère, Parmesan, and Dijon mustard. It’s the perfect vegetarian brunch dish to feed a crowd. You do all of the preparation the night before, let the strata rest in the fridge overnight, then pop it in the oven in the morning. As it bakes, it puffs up like a cheese soufflé, making it a real showstopper. The strata does fall a bit as it cools, but it’s still impressive. For an elegant brunch, serve the strata with bacon (for perfectly crispy bacon, learn how to cook bacon in the oven), a strawberry & orange fruit salad, and mimosas.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Spinach & Cheese Strata
Before we get started, a few words about the ingredients. It’s important to use good quality cheese. The recipe calls for a combination of Gruyère and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, but since they are both expensive, feel free to substitute other good melting cheeses with bold flavor, like extra-sharp cheddar. The recipe is pretty flexible, so you can play around with different sautéed vegetables depending on what you have on hand. Some cooked sausage or pancetta would be a nice addition; just be sure to reduce the salt in the recipe to a scant teaspoon or the strata will be way too salty.
Be sure to squeeze all of the water out of the spinach. Take your time; it’s important to get it all out or the strata will be watery.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat.
Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the spinach and garlic and cook a few minutes more.
Layer a third of the cubed bread in a buttered 3-quart or 9×13-inch baking dish.
Top with a third of the spinach.
Followed by a third of each cheese.
Repeat layering twice, ending with the cheese.
Make the custard by combining the whisked eggs, half-and-half-Dijon mustard salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Whisk evenly to combine.
Pour evenly over top of the strata, then cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.
Bake for about 70 to 80 minutes, until puffed, set and golden all over.
Note: My starting point for this recipe was this popular strata originally published in Gourmet magazine. I increased the spinach; amped up the flavor by adding garlic and increasing the salt; swapped the milk for half-and-half; and reduced the baking temperature from 350°F to 325°F for a creamier texture.
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Spinach & Cheese Strata
Layered with spinach, cheese, and bread, and soaked in a savory custard, this make-ahead strata is ideal for entertaining.
Ingredients
- 1 pound bag chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed as dry as possible
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 12 ounces (¾ pound) Italian sandwich bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 11 slices or 8 cups)
- 6 ounces (1½ cups) coarsely grated Gruyère
- 2 ounces (⅔ cup) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 9 large eggs
- 2¾ cups half-and-half
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1¾ teaspoons salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and drained spinach and cook 2 minutes more. Set aside.
- Butter a 3-quart or 9x13-inch baking dish. Spread one third of the bread cubes in the dish and top evenly with one third of spinach mixture. (Try to break it up as much as possible so there are no huge clumps of spinach.) Sprinkle with one third of each cheese. Repeat layering twice, ending with cheeses.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the half-and-half, mustard, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and whisk until well combined. Pour the custard mixture evenly over the strata. Cover the strata with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Bake the strata, uncovered, until puffed, set and golden brown all over top, 70-80 minutes. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving. It will settle a bit as it cools.
- Note: The cook time is based on the strata going immediately from the fridge to the oven. If it sits out at room temperature before baking, the cook time will be about 10 minutes less.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 483
- Fat: 30g
- Saturated fat: 16g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Sugar: 4g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 25g
- Sodium: 1117mg
- Cholesterol: 280mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made this for my husband’s birthday breakfast. It was my favorite type of recipe: simple, yet impressive and flavorful! Thanks for the fantastic recipes, Jenn – love your site!
I made this as a quick weeknight supper to use up leftover bread. I microwaved a steampack of spinach while sauteing the onion. Threw the bread cubes in the dish, mixed in the drained spinach, onion and some swiss cheese, shook on some parm from the green can and poured the custard over. I pushed the bread down gently to make sure it was soaked and then put it right in the oven. I couldn’t tell the difference from stratas I have made with better ingredients and left overnight. Start to finish in a hour.
I stumbled across this recipe while looking for vegetarian brunch ideas. It was utterly perfect: rich and flavourful without a too-eggy taste despite the inclusion of 9 eggs! Here in the UK, where we don’t have half-and-half, I used half single cream and half whole milk, and the result was fantastic. I’ll be making it frequently.
Oh my goodness!!! Just served this for my bookclub brunch and it was amazing!! I love that it’s made the night before ready for cooking the next morning 👍😋😊 I’m thinking it’s going to be perfect for Christmas brunch this year 🥰👩🍳🎅🎄
I’ve made this a couple of time before and love it! In the future I’ll be making this for a person who can’t eat any kind of onions, but can have garlic. Do you think it’s okay to omit the onions or is there something else that I could add instead? Thanks so much!
Hi Cindy, I would leave out the onions and use 5 cloves of garlic. Hope it turns out well!
Could I substitute feta cheese?
Hi Kathy, Feta doesn’t melt nearly as well as Gruyere, so if you want something a little more evenly distributed through the strata, I’d stick with Gruyere. If you use feta here; it will be different but still good. Hope that helps!
Do you think I could add some cooked chicken sausage to this recipe? Would I need to change anything? Thanks!
I think that sounds delish (and you wouldn’t need to change anything). Please LMK how it turns out!
I made and love it. Thank you
Love this recipe. I have found the best way to get the water out of frozen spinach if to put it in a clean dishcloth and wring it out over the sink after it is thawed. Also works great for relish after you rinse off some of the juices. Works like a charm.
Hi Jenn – We are stuck inside and I’d love to make this recipe but it’s just the 2 of us. Do you have a suggestion on how best to cut down the recipe to 2-4 servings? Should I just cut it in half? Thank you
Hi Claire, you can cut it in half and use an 8 x 8-inch pan. It will still make more than what you need for just two of you, but it refrigerates and reheats nicely so you can use it for more than one meal. Hope you enjoy!
Can I use fresh spinach? I have successfully used many of your perfect recipes and look forward to many more.
I sure wish well intentioned folks would make it before they comment.
Thank You!!
Sure, Gayle, fresh spinach will work here, just make sure to cook it and squeeze out any excess liquid. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Hello. I was considering adding mushrooms before I read your review. How many mushrooms did you use and when did you add them? Thanks foe your advice.
could sauteed sliced mushrooms be added to this recipe?
Sure!