by: Kate McMillan
Cook Time
55 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Refrigeration Time
2–12 hours
Yield
6 servings
Total Time
55 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Yield
6 servings
summary
A strata is a savory baked egg-and-bread breakfast dish. It is a fantastic way to feed a crowd and to use up day-old bread, but the best part about this overnight spinach strata recipe is that it is assembled the day before. Use this easy and adaptable concept—think of it as a savory bread pudding—as a template to create your own version. We also love a mushroom, bacon and ham strata or a leek, sun-dried tomato and goat cheese strata.
ingredients
- Butter for pan
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ yellow onion, chopped
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 5 ounces fresh spinach
- 1 loaf (1 pound) crusty bread, such as ciabatta, baguette or country
- 10 large eggs
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 6 ounces shredded mozzarella
directions
- Generously butter the inside of our Oven-to-Table Christmas Tree Baker. Set aside.
- Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and season with salt and pepper. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook, stirring to combine, until wilted but not fully cooked, about 4 minutes. Set aside.
- Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes and add to a large mixing bowl. Add the spinach and onions and toss to combine. Transfer the bread mixture to the prepared pan. It is going to be really full; don’t worry—it will shrink as it absorbs the egg and then puff back up during baking.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Carefully and slowly pour this custard mixture all over the bread. Go slowly and give the egg time to absorb so it doesn’t overflow. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator overnight.
- When you are ready to bake, remove the dish from the refrigerator, uncover and let sit at room temperature while you preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Top the bread with the shredded cheese. Transfer the dish to the oven and bake until set and golden brown on top, about 45 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes, cut into pieces and serve.
notes
The easiest way to pour the custard into the dish is to use a measuring cup with a spout. You can also toss the bread with the custard in a mixing bowl first and then add it to the prepared dish.
For even baking with the Christmas Tree Baker, we suggest putting the dish in the oven sideways.
If you don’t have a Christmas Tree baker, you can make this in a 9x13-inch baking dish.
You will get the best results by letting the bread soak in the custard overnight. If this isn’t possible, you can bake this after just a couple of hours.
If you are short on time you can use 1 package of frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed tight to get rid of excess moisture.
It is not necessary, but this overnight spinach strata recipe is delicious served with sliced avocado and a few shakes of hot sauce.
