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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Hi Jenn,
Looking forward to trying this recipe with sliced cremini mushrooms and perhaps chopped asparagus? But how much can I add without adversely affecting the cooking time? Also, at what point do you drop in the vegetable(s) so they are evenly dispersed with the other ingredients?
Thanks?
I think you could add up to a cup each of the asparagus and mushrooms (make sure you saute and season them before incorporating into the recipe). Please LMK how it turns out!
You certainly don’t need another review to conclude this one is a winner, but couldn’t resist chiming in. This strata is decadently creamy and simply delicious. Made a double batch in two 9×13 pans, one for home and one for the office. It was a hit at both.
Important cooking tip: Told my TV-watching husband there was absolutely no reason he couldn’t squeeze out the spinach and watch the game at the same time. He liked this recipe so much he has volunteered to become the resident spinach squeezer at our house!
LOL — glad you enjoyed!
Id like to incorporate horseradish into this somehow…thoughts?
Hi Lauren, I’m assuming you’re referring to prepared (jarred) horseradish? If so, I think that should work. I’d whisk the amount you choose to use into the egg mixture. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
I’m thinking of baking this inside a roasted pumpkin shell for a Thanksgiving side. Any suggestions or words of wisdom?
I wish I could help, Jessica, but I really don’t know! I’d suggest googling it to see if you can find some guidance online. Good luck!
Absolutely delicious; I could eat this every day. This dish was a bit of a splurge for us because I cook for two people who are on sodium and saturated fat restricted diets. Because of that, and since this recipe has half a pound of cheese in it (yum!), I just couldn’t get myself to add the extra salt. I was very worried that it would be bland but had to give it a shot. However, what we ended up with was still divine! My point being, this strata is so tasty that having to pass up on the added salt, a major flavor enhancer, still resulted in a dish that you could serve to anyone and they’d find no fault in it whatsoever. To me, when a recipe is still fabulous even after you’ve had to pull back on sodium or fat or whatever restriction you follow, that’s a sign of some seriously yummy stuff. One day I’ll make it for just myself so I can try the recipe as it was meant to be cooked. 🙂 Thank you for this strata… it makes me excited to cook more of your recipes!
I have a lovely oval pan but it’s 10 by 14. Don’t want strata flat. Should I add a couple eggs?
Hi Sue, Instead of just increasing the eggs, I’d increase all the ingredients by 1/4. Hope that helps!
Made this and the family loved it. Did not have a 3 qt baker and used a 9×13 pan. I would like to make it in a deeper dish. Where can I find the baking dish you used.
Hi Carole, I wish I could tell you where I got that but I don’t have it anymore and I don’t remember where it came from — I’m sorry!
Have made this and love it! For 20 people, would you double it in two pans or make just a larger pan with 50% more?
Glad you like it! If you want to double it, I’d bake it in two 9×13-inch baking dishes.
Could I substitute 16 oz. of fresh baby spinach?
Also how aged is the Gruyere cheese?
I look forward to trying the recipe.
Hi Linda, fresh spinach will work (you’ll actually need about 1.5 lbs). Cook it first and make sure you drain it and squeeze out any excess liquid (like you would with the frozen spinach). And I’m not sure how aged the Gruyere is — I just get whatever I find at the store. 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
your recipes are the best Jen! if I want to half this recipe does the bake time stay the same and would I do 4 or 5 eggs? Can I use regular white sliced bread?
Hi Tamara, The bake time should be about the same – just keep a close eye on it. White bread should be fine, and regarding the eggs, I’d use 4.5 (I’d beat the 5th egg in a measuring cup, discard half of it, and use the remaining half). Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
Added cooked mushrooms (removed juices). Made it for Mother’s Day brunch. It was delicious! Thank you!