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 cooked this dish for Christmas brunch and served it along side ham. Everyone thought it was delicious.
Just had this for Christmas brunch and it’s terrific! I cut it in half and used 5 eggs – excellent. Thank you, Jen, for yet another fabulous recipe.
I live alone, and the # of servings seemed daunting. I used half all the ingredients, except for 4 eggs and 1 1/2 cup of milk. Also substituted almond milk and used non stick spray instead of butter to prep the pan. Baked in in 11 inch round porcelain tart pan. The result was very tasty!
Hi Jenn,
I prefer smoked gruyere over plain. Do you think that would be ok to substitute?
Sure, Kelley, that would be fine – enjoy!
Hi Jenn,
I would indeed like to add sausage. What amount would be the most I might add? Would any other ingredients need to be changed? My experience is that your recipes are consistently delicious w/o further doctoring, but I’d like a heavier breakfast dish this time.
You’re my very fave “Go-to” for fabulous recipes. Blessings,
So glad you like the recipes, Yvonne! Sausage would be a nice addition here. Just be sure to reduce the salt in the recipe to a scant teaspoon or the dish will be too salty. I’d cook the sausage right before or after cooking the spinach, onions and garlic and then mix the 4 things together to use when layering with the bread and cheese. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Loved hearing from you, Jenn, and I’m ready w/ingredients but still am uncertain as to how much sausage to use.
Thx again.
You can add anywhere from 1/2 – 1 cup. Enjoy!
Hi, Jenn..
Love your recipes..
I always use fresh baby spinach instead of frozen, in my cooking.
If I cut back on the amount, do you think it would still make the dish watery?
Thanks,
Nancy
Hi Nancy, So glad you like the recipes! You can use fresh spinach here; you’ll need about 1.5 lbs. Just make sure you cook and drain it. Hope you enjoy!
I want to make this for my Cousin Reunion. Can this be made ahead of time? Can it be frozen? Would I freeze before or after baking? Thank you!
Hi Dirose, You can freeze it, but I’d bake it first. Hope everyone enjoys!
Hi there – Do you think this would be ok if made 36 hours in advance?? (Unbaked) thanks so much!! I love all the comments and feedback.
Hi Kathryn, 36 hours is pushing it. I wouldn’t make it more than 24 hours ahead of time. Sorry!
Jen,
I love your recipes. My question is, can you freeze the Spinach and Cheese Strata before baking it?
Barbara
Hi Barbara, You can freeze it, but I’d bake it first. (And so glad you like the recipes!)
Has to be the most forgiving of recipes.
First off, I made 1 1/5 recipes using a 15×10 pyrex. Then I used 2 cups of heavy whipping cream for part of the half and half ; finally I misread the amount of spinach thinking it was a 1 lb bag (instead of 11 oz). I was really nervous thinking it would be so thick it would never bake. BUT right at 70 minutes it was golden and baked thru perfectly and deliciously. So, you have won my confidence!
This is delicious. I am impressed with the creamy texture as well as the appealing flavors of the onions and garlic along with the gruyere cheese. I can see why Jenn recommends it for entertaining. Five Stars!
I made this recipe for Easter morning and it was delicious! Very easy too.