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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Jenn’s recipes are so reliable and foolproof that I almost never feel the need to make any changes. However, I do plan to make a few changes the next time I make the Spinach and Cheese Strata. I followed the recipe exactly and weighed the bread but, for my taste, there was too much bread and not enough cheese. It was very tasty but just a little too heavy for me. I plan to make it again with less bread and more cheese. I did let the strata sit in the refrigerator for 7 hours before baking but will probably try to let it sit overnight next time so the bread disintegrates a little more. I did use Italian bread. I plan to keep this recipe in my repertoire because it is a very good meal for vegetarians.
This is my go to recipe for brunches – everyone loves it – even my carnivore son! I use a whole bag of fresh spinach, sauté it first. I use more bread because we love bread! It is delicious and if you have leftovers, it reheats well and it freezes well too.
I have made this recipe several times. It’s great for company dinner and luncheons. Because there are only 2 of us, I have frozen leftovers ( wrapped tightly) and served later. The leftovers cook nicely and it comes out of oven got & steamy.
I can’t find sliced italian bread in my area so I’ve used a great artisan bread from the grocery store, either chopped up or pulled apart. If I can’t find Gruyère cheese, I will substitute with Swiss.
This is my new go-to recipe for strata, and it tastes amazing! It’s pretty simple to make and both times I’ve made it for guests it’s been a hit.
I made this today (yesterday to stand overnight) to take to a brunch with friends. I followed the recipe, and added bacon pieces on each layer. My 9×13 pan was filled to the top, and the egg mixture did not reach the top of the pan. I was concerned it would not be good. I was so pleasantly surprised! It was absolutely delicious!!! Everyone enjoyed it, had seconds, and I will definitely make this again. It is truly a keeper. Thanks for a delicious recipe!
I’ve made several stratas before and was underwhelmed by the bland taste but this was DELICIOUS! Maybe it’s all the onions/garlic/gruyere but I and my guests loved it. PS – I just used organic whole white bread.
I halved this recipe for a family of 5 and it was the perfect amount. Some tweaks that I felt really elevated this recipe- 1) I added in sauteed garlicky mushrooms 2) I used a mix of artisanal rosemary foccacia and french baguette for the bread. 3) I used heavy cream instead of the half/half and used a mix of cheddar, gouda and mozzarella cheese, bc that’s what I had on hand. Oh man, this was amazing and definitely going into my ‘AGAIN’ cooking file.
Hello. I was considering adding mushrooms before I read your review. How many mushrooms did you use and when did you add them? Thanks for your advice.
Delicious!! I cube and freeze leftover bread until there’s enough for a strata. This recipe is fantastic, and I also love variations with whatever is on hand – sauteed mushrooms or colorful bell peppers or broccoli with bacon, or sundried tomatoes with pesto in place of mustard – yum! It freezes perfectly, and I can take hunks to work for hearty microwavable lunches.
Made this for Christmas morning and it was just perfect! Used a bag of loose-leaf frozen spinach – not the block kind – and instead of thawing & squeezing i just threw the frozen spinach in the pan with the garlic. It thawed the spinach and evaporated the extra moisture. Even my meat-loving family thought it was great.
My husband made this (as I’m pregnant and can’t stand the smell of sauteed onions and garlic) and he is not the cook in the family. He was able to follow these super clear instructions and it was phenomenal!! It had so much flavor and was salted perfectly – even taking into account the saltiness of the parmesan. I LOVED how much spinach was in it, not too dry, not soggy, not too cheesy, just perfect. A nice alternative to meat based egg casserole dishes and so easy. THANK YOU again Jenn!
Making this for Christmas Brunch! Do you think I could use a French Brioche instead of Italian Sandwich Bread? Thank you!
Sure – enjoy!