Gruyere Spinach Strata
Gruyere spinach strata is the perfect meatless brunch recipe! This make-ahead casserole is easy to make and it tastes fantastic. I entertained some friends one Sunday morning last month. Brunch fare was in order.was my favorite.
This cheesy breakfast casserole was a hit along with rest of the brunch food!
Gruyere Spinach Strata
I adore having our friends over and cooking for them. Bill and I are part of a small dinner club and it was our turn to host.
We gathered for brunch and I warned them that the recipes I was serving were not tried and true. Thankfully, every single dish was a hit.
Bill loved the mushroom and chicken crepes, Mike and Mary Ann were fans of the Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle, John fell hard for my coconut cream pie, Bill’s grilled bacon and the chicken apple sausage. Tops in my book was this Gruyere Spinach Strata!
A Simple Make-Ahead Casserole Recipe
If you’re ever serving brunch to a crowd, whether it be overnight guests or family gathering for the holidays, an easy, make-ahead dish is imperative. And one that is absolutely scrumptious is just as important.
Defrost your spinach, grate the cheese, and cube the bread ahead of time. The night before, you can mix up the custard place all the other ingredients in a casserole dish and pour the eggy mixture onto the bread. Park it in the fridge and bring it out for an hour or so before baking to take the chill off.
You will be delighted with the results! Warm and cheesy comfort food. You can’t beat that.
A couple of things to help you make the best Gruyere spinach strata recipe:
Gruyere Spinach Strata
A wonderful breakfast strata that can be put together the night before and baked in the morning! Adapted from Gourmet.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
- A few gratings of fresh nutmeg
- 1 (10-oz) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 8 cups cubed French or Italian bread
- 6 ounces coarsely grated Gruyère
- 2 ounces grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 2 3/4 cups milk
- 9 eggs
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Cook the onion in the butter till soft. Add ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for about a minute. Mix in spinach, then remove from heat.
- Spread about a third of the bread cubes in a buttered 9 x 13 dish and top evenly with a third of spinach mixture. Sprinkle with a third of each cheese. Repeat with two more layers of each component.
- Whisk together milk, eggs, mustard, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and pour over strata. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 8 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°. Let strata sit at room temperature about a half hour before baking.
- Bake uncovered till golden, and cooked through, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 578Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 304mgSodium: 976mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 4gSugar: 9gProtein: 31g
More Brunch Recipes You’ll Love:
- Asiago Cheese and Italian Sausage Strata from Melissa’s Southern Style Kitchen
- Ham and Mushroom Strata from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Artichoke and Goat Cheese Strata from Eats Well With Others
- Sausage Croissant French Toast from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Cheesy Overnight Italian Strata from The Wanderlust Kitchen
Boy do I wish I had some of this right now, it sounds amazing! Merry Christmas Liz:@)
I had my first strata at a baby shower not too long ago and loved it. Not sure why I haven’t experience one yet. Now I am all about about tackling one on my own. Yours looks and sounds marvelous. I think it would be a safe bet to be my first!
What a delicious bread pudding! Happy Holidays, Liz!
There are so many strata recipes out there but this one sounds wonderful. I know the Gruyere gave it fantastic flavor. I’m sure guest adore coming to your house as much as you love serving them. Merry Christmas Liz!
Wonderful, we have a lot of people coming over tomorrow and I’ll make a batch or two,
Merry Christmas dear Lizzy. xo Catherine
Excellent idea Liz! We have a fair hunk of bread left over from our Christmas eating, this recipe is perfect to utilise and ensure nothing is wasted. Thanks! 🙂
Would have loved to be at this brunch party, all the dishes sound amazing. And I have made such savory bread puddings a few times, they are awesome. Love the flavors in your here so must try.
This sounds awesome – all of the flavors are right up my alley, from the spinach to the dijon mustard, to the gruyere. You make it sound so simple – thanks Liz I’m definitely going to try this!
Merry Christmas and hope you and your family have a happy and healthy new year! This strata is gorgeous and will definitely be bookmarked for Brunch in the new year.
This does look perfect for a brunch and I like how it can be parked in the fridge overnight then all you need to do in the morning is heat and serve. Great dish for a cold winter’s morn xx
Need this. Although it all sounds delicious (I love brunches), this would have been my favorite also. What I like best about this, secondary to the taste, is the do-it-early component. My kind of dish. Happy New Year, Liz to you and your family.
— I wish I would have made this on Christmas Eve! WOWWWW. x
It always amazes me how creamy these strata can be. GREG
Such a hearty dish and I can see why it was a hit! Happy New Year!
this is a wonderful quiche 🙂
I LOVE spinach, and with cheese – it’s a great combination.
I must say it also looks wonderful
Happy New-Year Liz ! ❤
Liz, you food shots are enough to drive me hungry! Happy 2016, babe! xoxo
Hi Liz, I can see myself enjoying this most mornings, very dangerous indeed. Looks amazing. Happy New Year’s!
This is such an amazing casserole! LOVED it! Wish we could send you some of the graviera we have in the fridge right now dear Liz. It’s from Naxos, and it’s much more flavorful than Swiss Gruyere. If you can find any type of Greek graviera give it a try, especially with some sort of pasta, you won’t have to add parmesan at all!:)
Thank you for another delicious post!
Lots of hugs!
xoxoxo
I have made this and it is delicious. You can add more vegetables to this. I sauted bell pepper, mushrooms and added chrrry tomatoes to the recipe. You can add asparagus or any other veggies to suit your taste.
Thanks for all your terrific suggestions, Donna! So happy you enjoyed!
We had overnight guests and I made this. It was completely devoured!
This was a huge hit at my house!! Can’t wait to make it again!