Spinach & Cheese Strata

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Spinach & Cheese Strata

This elegant brunch strata, or savory bread pudding with spinach, cheese, and cubed bread baked in custard, is ideal for holiday entertaining. You do all of the preparation the night before and let it rest in the fridge overnight. The next morning you simply turn the oven on, place the strata in, and effortlessly wait for a crowd-pleasing brunch to emerge. It’s a ‘wow’ dish, so you can keep the sides simple – crispy bacon, a strawberry & orange fruit salad, and mimosas would go nicely.

What You’ll need to make Spinach & Cheese Strata

ingredients for spinach and 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, it’s fine to substitute something else. I recommend a good melting cheese with bold flavor, like an 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. This will take a few minutes; you won’t believe how much water is in there! Take your time, as 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.

melting butter in skillet

sautéed onions in skillet

Add the spinach and garlic and cook a few minutes more.

cooking the spinach and garlic with the onions

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.

layering spinach mixture in baking dish

Followed by a third of each cheese.

layering cheese in baking dish

Repeat layering twice, ending with the cheese.

strata layers in baking dish

Make the custard by combining the whisked eggs, half-and-half-Dijon mustard salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Whisk evenly to combine.

whisked custard mixture

Pour evenly over top of the strata, then cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.

soaked strata ready to bake

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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