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’ve really enjoyed going through the recipes on this site (my go-to site ever since Thanksgiving when I made the delicious stuffing). Thank you.
This was a lot richer than I had anticipated, and I ended up eating most of it over a few days to prevent it from going to waste. (I hadn’t thought carefully about my eaters…Kids picked at it. And I sense there was too much richness for their moms, who politely made positive comments about how it looked, but perhaps were appalled by the siege against their diet and exercise programs.)
This looks so good. I can’t wait to try it.
I wanted to share a secret for squeezing the water out of spinach. I put the whole thawed out package of spinach in my potato ricer and squeeze the heck the out it. It only takes a few seconds to get all the water out, and I just put the ricer in the dishwasher when I’m done.
Strata was a big hit for our Christmas brunch! The only ingredient I changed was the cheese. I had a block of Kerry Gold cheese, it was a combo of gruyere, cheddar and Parmesan. It cooked perfectly and was delicious! Thank you Jen! Keep your great recipes coming😁
Hello, This looks amazing and can’t wait to try this. I am making this for a brunch tomorrow at my niece’s home. Can I bake ahead in morning and reheat? Or should I bake right before we leave take there warm? Thanks!
Hi Donna, I’d bake it in the morning and take it there warm – should be perfect!
Can you make this ahead the night before and refrigerate for 10+ hours?
Yep – hope you enjoy!
Hi Jen. This looks awesome. How would I split it in two to give to two different new moms? Put in pie plates? Cooking time?
Thank you for your amazing recipes.
Glad you like the recipes! I’d suggest baking this in two 8 x 8 dishes. Cooking time should be about the same, but keep an eye on it.
A wonderful recipe! I reduced the amount of onions by 1/2 per family preference and substituted 1/2 the amount of half-and half with 2% milk to reduce a bit of the fat. Upon making it a subsequent time, I had leftover ham, so I diced about a cup and added it. Your recipes are always perfect as they are, but I also think the mark of a good recipe is one that you can make basic adjustments to for personal taste and still have it turn out well. Your recipes are consistently dependable and delicious!
I will be making this Strata for a brunch tomorrow. I find the salt content high.
Can I reduce it and maybe put in some Canadian Bacon? Thank you, Maggi
Sure, Maggie – I’d love to know how it turns out.
Made this for a wine tasting event featuring Merlot and it was a hit. Cut into small bite size pieces. Only change, I added bacon.
This is a favorite recipe in our home. Could I add smoked salmon to it?
Definitely!