Make-Ahead Cheesy Spinach and Egg Strata
- Ready In:
- 8hrs 45mins
- Ingredients:
- 15
- Serves:
-
6-8
ingredients
- 2 (10 ounce) boxes frozen spinach (well drained, squeeze out any excess moisture with hands)
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 lb fresh button mushroom, sliced (can use more or less)
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh minced garlic (or to taste)
- 2 teaspoons seasoning salt (or use white salt)
- 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste or use black pepper)
- 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 8 cups French bread (cut into 1-inch cubes)
- 3 cups asiago cheese (or to taste) or 3 cups gruyere cheese, shredded (or to taste)
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup half-and-half cream
- 1 3⁄4 cups full-fat milk (or use 2-3/4 cups all half and half cream)
- 9 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
directions
- Squeeze out as much of the moisture as possible from the spinach, then chop finely.
- Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add in the fresh mushrooms and saute for about 10-12 minutes, or until they loose their moisture completely; remove to a bowl.
- Add in onion with nutmeg, salt and cayenne and saute for 5 minutes (adding in the garlic the last few minutes) then stir in the chopped spinach; saute for 2 minutes.
- Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the mushrooms; mix to combine slightly.
- Butter a 4-quart casserole dish.
- Spread 1/3 of the cubed bread into the prepared baking dish.
- Top with 1/3 of the spinach/mushroom mixture.
- Sprinkle with 1/3 of BOTH cheeses.
- Repeat layering twice (ending with the cheeses).
- In a bowl whisk together half and half, milk, eggs, mustard.
- Pour the milk mixture evenly over the strata in the baking dish.
- Cover with plastic and chill for about 8 hours or up to 24 hours or until the bread is absorbed in the milk.
- When ready to bake, let the dish stay out at room temperature for about 40 minutes before baking.
- Set oven to 350°F (second-lowest oven rack).
- Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown.
- Delicious!
Questions & Replies
Got a question?
Share it with the community!
Reviews
-
We fixed this for Christmas morning. Being able to put it together the day before was a great bonus. It was delicious! Everyone loved it. It is rich, so nobody went back for seconds. We froze the leftovers, and they warmed up just fine. We used the recipe exactly as it was written and wouldn't change a thing. Thank you very much for sharing it, Kittencal.
-
This is fabulous! I love that you have to make it totally ahead, it's easy to prepare, and it cooks up so beautifully. I used 2 boxes of spinach and all half and half and would not change 1 thing about this recipe. We had it for dinner for a change of pace, as it's like a quiche with its egg base but ten times better. Great recipe!