Spinach Mushroom Strata

We love to host brunch at home. There’s just no better way to start the weekend than with our favorite faces, gathered around our table. Buuuut, we also like to sleep in. Who wants to set an alarm on Saturday? That’s where this delicious, cheesy easy breakfast strata recipe comes in! You can do all of the work a day ahead of time, and then just pull it out of the fridge in the morning and bake it. 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. Need even more brunch ideas? We’ve got you! Check out our 50 Best Breakfast Ideas.

Strata Ingredients

Rich with a creamy custard and thyme-scented mushrooms, our vegetarian strata recipe will suit almost any crowd.

• Bread: We like to use crusty bread here like baguette or a sourdough loaf (could even be Homemade Sourdough Bread), and ideally it’d be day-old bread (but we’re going to toast it so if all you have is a fresh loaf, it’ll be OK). Leftover bread is ideal for rich, easy breakfasts like this strata, our Baked French Toast, or even our rich Mushroom & Leek Bread Pudding.

• Milk & heavy cream: whole & heavy! This is no place for low-fat. You want that richness to soak into the bread and make the finished strata custardy, cheese, and lush.

• Butter: Is it even brunch without butter?

• Onion: Don’t cook savory food without onions, basically.

• Fresh thyme: Thyme and mushrooms are a classic culinary pair, and we love how they compliment each other.

• Mushrooms: Cremini or white button mushrooms will both work nicely! You could even try using wild mushrooms if you’ve got them.

• Spinach: Use fresh spinach, not frozen.

• Swiss cheese: You could get fancy and use Gruyére or Emmental, or it can be regular Swiss cheese from the grocery store. Whatever suits your budget and tastes.

• Eggs: The breakfast-y part of this rich breakfast strata recipe.

• Dijon mustard: A hint of spicy Dijon helps balance out all that rich cream and cheese.

• Nutmeg: A dash of nutmeg is a classic addition to creamy dishes (like our classic Potatoes Au Gratin).

How To Make Strata:

1. Cube and toast day-old bread.

2. Sauté the mushrooms with butter, onions and thyme. Fold in the spinach.

3. Use your hands or a sturdy wooden spoon to mix the mushroom-spinach mixture with the toasted bread and shredded Swiss cheese. Tip: You could do this in the pan you’ll bake the strata in.

4. Whip up a simple custard! In other words, combine the cream, milk, eggs, Dijon mustard and nutmeg, and get them all frothed up in a blender. We like to whip it in the blender so it gets really airy, but you could do it with a whisk if you prefer.

5. Line the pan with parchment paper. 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. Pour the egg custard mixture over the bread and mushroom mixture.

7. STOP! If you're making this strata a day ahead of time, stop here and pop the prepared breakfast strata into the fridge. Cover it with foil, and tuck it in for the night.

8. When you’re about an hour away from breakfast, GO! Pop the breakfast strata into the oven and bake for about an hour and 15 minutes.

Fuel Up With Strata, Then Conquer the World!

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