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    Spinach Mushroom Strata

    Melty Swiss cheese and buttery mushrooms sautéed with fresh thyme make this savory, earthy spinach strata recipe your new weekend brunch-at-home favorite.

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    spinach mushroom strata baked in a dutch oven

    The Savory Make-Ahead Eggy Breakfast That’s Almost Too Good to Be True

    Whether we’re inviting a few neighbors, our entire extended family, or just a small collection of our closest friends, we love to host people for brunch. There’s just no better way to start the weekend than with our favorite faces, gathered around our table. That said, we also like to sleep in. Seriously, who wants to set an alarm for Saturday morning? That’s where this delicious, vegetarian strata recipe comes in! Bake up our Mushroom & Leek Bread Pudding, and breakfast is ready. You can do all of the work the night before, and then just pull it out of the fridge in the morning and pop it in the oven. Take a long shower, watch a few cartoons with your kids, and by the time you’ve had your first cup of coffee and people start arriving, voilà—brunch is served.

    spinach mushroom strata in a green dutch oven with a linen

    The Ultimate, Please-Everyone Breakfast Trio: Cheese, Spinach and Mushrooms

    Rich with a creamy custard and thyme-scented mushrooms, our vegetarian egg strata recipe will suit almost any crowd. Simple, easy-to-find ingredients mean this all-season favorite is also easy on the cook. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

    • Bread.
    • Unsalted butter.
    • Onion.
    • Fresh thyme.
    • Mushrooms. Cremini or white button—either work!
    • Spinach.
    • Swiss cheese.
    • Eggs.
    • Milk & cream—whole & heavy! This is no place for low-fat.
    • Dijon mustard.
    • Nutmeg.
    Ingredients for spinach mushroom strata in small bowls
    onions and mushrooms sauteed in a dutch oven for strata
    spinach mushroom and onions sauteed in a dutch oven
    ingredients for spinach mushroom strata in a large bowl
    spinach mushroom strata with bread and cheese in a dutch oven
    baked spinach mushroom strata in a green dutch oven

    How To Make Strata:

    With nine steps, is not our quickest recipe ever. But, it is easy and very forgiving. With lots of cheese and heavy cream, it’s almost impossible to have it NOT be delicious. So, go forth and strata with confidence! You can do it! Here’s how:

    1. Cube and toast the day-old bread.
    2. Sauté the mushrooms with butter, onions and thyme. Fold in the spinach to wilt it.
    3. Toss the mushroom-spinach mixture with the toasted bread and shredded Swiss cheese.
    4. Whip up a custard! In other words, combine the cream, milk, eggs, Dijon mustard and nutmeg, and get them all frothed up in a blender.
    5. Fuss around for a few minutes with parchment paper. This is probably going to be the most annoying step, so just know that going in. Crinkle the paper around in your dish until the whole baking dish or pan is lined with parchment paper. Doing so will keep the egg custard mixture in the pan, and is an especially essential step if you're using a springform pan.
    6. Dump the mushroom-y bread cubes into the pan and spread it as evenly as you can.
    7. Pour the egg custard mixture over the top.
    8. STOP! If you're making this the night before you want to serve the strata, stop here and pop the prepared strata into the fridge.
    9. Then, when you're almost ready to eat, GO! Pop it into the oven and bake for about an hour and 15 minutes.
    close up of spinach mushroom strata

    Our Breakfast Strata Recipe is Just the Tip of the Make-Ahead Iceberg:

    You want to sleep in, and we want you to, too. Here are five make-ahead breakfast recipes that make for deliciously easy mornings:

    Tools You’ll Need:

    Fuel Up With Spinach Strata, Then Conquer the World!

    Or at least the weekend! We hope this strata recipe gets the day rolling on the right foot. Let us know how it turned out for you! Snap a photo of your mushroom and egg strata, and maybe even a video of the beautiful people you feed it to. Tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy eating!

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    Spinach Mushroom Strata

    Originally published: October 21, 2015

    • Serves: 8
    • Prep Time:  25 min
    • Cook Time:  1 hr 15 min
    • Calories: 332
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    Ingredients

    • 1 loaf day-old baguette or crusty bread, crust removed, cut into 1 inch cubes
    • 2 tbs butter
    • 1 small onion
    • 2 tbsp fresh thyme or rosemary (about 1 tbs)
    • 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
    • 3 cups fresh spinach, packed
    • 2 cups swiss cheese, grated
    • 8 eggs
    • 2 cups whole milk
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 2 tsp kosher salt
    • 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
    • 1 tsp dijon mustard
    • 1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated

    Method

    1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Place the bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
    2. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, cook the onions, mushrooms and herbs in the butter until vegetables are softened, about 7 minutes. Add the spinach to the pan and cook another 5 minutes until the spinach is wilted and completely cooked down. Pull the pan off the heat, and let cool.
    3. In a 9 inch square or round casserole (or a 9 inch springform pan) measure out the toasted bread. The amount of bread you need should fill the dish. Once you have measured this, place that amount of bread back into the empty mixing bowl. Add the onion mushroom mixture and 2 cups of swiss cheese to the bread in the mixing bowl. Toss to combine.
    4. Turn oven down to 350° F.
    5. In a blender combine the eggs, milk, cream, salt, pepper, mustard and nutmeg. Blend for 10 seconds until combined.
    6. Line your dish with parchment paper or lightly grease the dish. Add the bread and mushroom onion mixture to the pan. Carefully pour the egg mixture over the bread. Press the bread cubes down to make sure they are totally submerged. Note: This step can be made the night before.
    7. Bake the strata uncovered until it has has puffed slightly, is golden brown on top and does not shimmy with uncooked egg mixture when you shake the pan, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. If the strata gets too dark, cover with foil and continue cooking. Let the strata cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Serve strata warm or at room temp.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories332
    • Protein19 g
    • Carbohydrates19 g
    • Total Fat19 g
    • Dietary Fiber1 g
    • Cholesterol228 mg
    • sodium469 mg
    • Total Sugars5 g

    Spinach Mushroom Strata

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Theresa

      If I were to use JUST egg instead of real eggs, how would this change the cook time?

      We are not familiar cooking with JUST egg.

    • tina

      Can I bake this, let cool, then freeze for later?

      That should be fine Tina, hope you enjoy!

    • Lis

      If we are lactose intolerant, is there a way to substitute the heavy cream and whole milk? Cheese is fine, thanks

      It hasn't been tested with a substitute. Wish I could be more helpful, but I'm not sure how it would taste with something other than cream and milk.

    • Martha

      Can this recipe be doubled? I have a large baking pan and I’d like to make this for a brunch party

      Sure! You might have to foil the top and bake it longer so that the middle cooks through.

    • Mugs

      OMG this looks so good! We are only 2 people for breakfast, should I make a half or quarter recipe or can I freeze the leftovers for 3 more meals? Which would work best? Thanks, Mugs

      I think freezing it would be the best option. But you could also cut it in half.

    • Sarah

      I've made this twice, and it's WONDERFUL! I halved the recipe and cooked in a 6" springform. We love smoked gouda better than swiss, and it is sooo good as an alternative. To address someone else's question, because we're lactose intolerant , although we keep cheese in recipes, we always replace real milk and cream with plant-based alternatives. They work just fine here, I was just careful to make sure to use some heavy "cream" in addition to the "milk" so there's still enough fat.

      Thanks Sarah, we are so happy you love it!

    • Sarah

      Delicious! I halved the recipe and baked in a tall 6" springform, and it came out perfect. Someone had asked whether you could do this with non-dairy alternatives to the milk and cream, and the answer is Yes. I used pea milk and soy/coconut heavy cream alternatives and it came out great. I still used the cheese, though swapped in smoked gouda, which gave it a wonderful smoky flavor. Will definitely make again. Thank you!

      Thanks Sarah, we are so happy you loved it!

    • Tijani

      A brunch Classic. I have made this recipe multiple times swapping out meats and veggies and it’s always a hit. The custard is so fluffy and the edges are crunchy and addicting.

      Thank you so much Tijani! Love that you've made it multiple times!

    • Jennie

      This is so amazingly delicious. This will absolutely be a repeat dish in our house and I've already shared the recipe with a few others I know will love it. Its rich, creamy, and perfectly seasoned. Thanks for sharing!

      Wonderful! We're so glad you loved it!

    • Katherine

      Perfection!

      Thank you so much!