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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First time making strata: I prepped this yesterday for a luncheon today. Oh my, was it good! We were a small foursome so I halved the recipe and used a deep ceramic pie plate that had a volume of 1.5 quarts (6 cups). Served it with a crisp salad of mixed greens.
Minor changes: used sautéed leek in place of the onion; added a small quantity of thinly sliced sausage. After overnight refrigeration, I let it sit at room temp for 1/2 hour before baking. It was delicious and enjoyed by all.
Thank you Jenn–this recipe is a keeper–very much appreciate your detailed instructions.
How many eggs did you use for half the recipe?
Thanks.
I used 5 large eggs.
When halving this recipe, check that your dish accommodates 6 cups (1.5 quarts). My Emile Henry ceramic pie plate measures 9″ in diameter and has a depth of 2″. The strata was delicious–and I was very pleased with the presentation.
Much credit to Jenn for another excellent recipe.
Hello Elaine, did you cook the sausage before layering in it?
Hi Lorri, just in case Elaine doesn’t respond, I would definitely recommend cooking the sausage first.
Hello Lorri,
Yes, I cooked the sausage prior to layering it. I sliced it very thin, and distributed it throughout the 3 layers. I used barely 1 1/2 links of large sausage–I did not want it to be the dominant flavour. It complemented the other flavours (spinach, gruyere, parm-regg) without overpowering them.
Makes a very flavourful dish.
This recipe has been on my radar for awhile, now. I have 2 questions:
1. Would sautéed leeks be an appropriate substitution for the onions?
2. With respect to the bread, is a fresh loaf ok? (as opposed to day-old)
Enjoy your recipes very much–thank you.
Yes to both questions, and so glad you like the recipes — I hope you enjoy this one too!
I want to leave a comment on how the strata was to make
Your directions were absolutely spot on
I want to let anyone thinking about making this that I cook a lot and it took a good 2 hours just to assemble the Stata.
I made an Italian strata with ground sweet Italian sausage and spinach and cheese
I have it resting in the fridge and am putting it in the oven for dinner . It looks and smells delicious.
I’ll let you know how it turns out
Thank you for this new recipe Once Upon a Chef
Jenn, when I find a recipe of something I’d like to make, I visit your website first. Everything I have made of yours has always been the best. I’m A rockstar to my family when I make your recipes! Thanks so very much for your easy to understand, tips and delicious recipes.
I just refrigerated the strata, our morning will be so yummy, we can’t wait!!!!
❤️
Hi,
I made your crustless quiche and frittata yesterday and they were both hits. Thank you!
For this strata, my daughter doesn’t like anything green, such as spinach. Can I substitute something else? More veggies?
Hi Monica, Glad you enjoyed the quiche and the frittata! I’ve never made this with anything but spinach, but I think you could make this with any diced and sautéed veggies.
Thinking of making this and wondered if I could add some sautéed mushrooms. Thoughts?
Sure, Elaine – I think that mushrooms would work really well here. Please LMK how it turns out!
This was made for a recent family gathering and everyone loved it!. Recommended!
Hi Jenn! Quick question for you: what do you think about chopped kale instead of the spinach? Not ideal, or my first choice, but 2 different stores are out of organic chopped spinach & I insist on organic everything. Thanks so much!!! Your recipes are 100% reliable & ALWAYS sooooo… good! I appreciate how you make us all, (even me!) look like we know how to cook!
Agreed that it’s not ideal, but assuming it’s cooked, it should work. Please LMK how it turns out!
Can I bake it on Wednesday to serve on Saturday? Or should I freeze it until friday then let it thaw overnight and reheat on Saturday? Thank you! Love all of your recipes 👍🏻
I’d be concerned about letting it sit from Wednesday until Saturday, so I’d freeze it. And so glad you like the recipes!
Similar question. Can I prepare it on Friday, put it in the fridge and then cook it Sunday morning? Seems like a perfect dish for our Sunday brunch but will have a house full of guests on Saturday and would prefer to prepare stuff before they arrive. Thanks
Hi Steve, I’ve never refrigerated it for that long. I wouldn’t push it any longer than that, but I think it should work. Hope everyone enjoys!
Hello, I have seen pictures of various strata dishes and they looked delicious but I wanted to lower the carbs in my diet. I made your Spinach and Cheese Strata using no carb bread but everything else was true to the recipe. It is SO DELICIOUS! I don’t have any other words to describe it. I think next time I’ll do half milk and half and half, also for dietary reasons. I just hope it doesn’t drastically change the wonderful flavor or richness of this beautiful recipe. I’m also signed up for your emails and plan to try many others. Thank you so much for your recipes! -Katherine-