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    Spinach Mushroom Strata

    October 11, 2024

    Melty Swiss cheese and buttery mushrooms sautéed make this savory, earthy strata recipe your new weekend breakfast favorite.

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    spinach mushroom strata in a parchment lined baking pan
    Photography by Gayle McLeod

    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.

    cubed bread, onion, mushrooms, spinach, Swiss cheese, eggs, milk, cream, spices and dijon in prep bowl to make strata

    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).

    sliced onion, sliced mushrooms, and thyme being cooked in melted butter in a skillet
    spinach being added to a pan with sliced onion, sliced mushrooms, thyme and butter
    spinach, onion, mushrooms, thyme and butter being cooked in a skillet
    toasted cubed bread on a baking sheet

    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.

    eggs, milk, cream, salt, pepper, mustard, and nutmeg being blended in a blender
    toasted cubed bread, cooked spinach, cooked mushrooms, cooked onion and Swiss cheese being tossed in a bowl
    blended egg and spice mixture being poured over toasted bread, swiss cheese and vegetables in a baking pan
    spinach mushroom strata made with eggs, cream, onion, spices and dijon in a parchment lined baking pan

    4 More Of Our Favorite Brunch Recipes

    spinach mushroom strata made with eggs, cream, onion, spices and dijon in a parchment lined baking pan
    spinach mushroom strata being served on a plate

    Fuel Up With Strata, Then Conquer the World!

    For more recipe inspiration, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest or order our cookbook. We love when you share your meals. Tag us on Instagram using #themodernproper, and we’d love to hear what you think of this recipe in the comments below. Happy cooking!

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    Spinach Mushroom Strata

    Updated on October 11, 2024

    • 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, cut into 1 inch cubes (about 8 cups)
    • 2 tablespoons salted butter, plus more for greasing
    • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
    • 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
    • 2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme leaves
    • 3 cups fresh baby spinach, packed
    • 2 cups grated Swiss cheese
    • 8 large eggs
    • 2 cups whole milk
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
    • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
    • ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

    Method

    1. Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center position. Grease a 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter. Alternatively, line the baking dish with parchment paper.

      cubed bread, onion, mushrooms, spinach, Swiss cheese, eggs, milk, cream, spices and dijon in prep bowl to make strata

    2. Place the bread cubes on a sheet pan and toast until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

      toasted cubed bread on a baking sheet

    3. Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion, mushrooms, and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the spinach to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, another 5 minutes, or until the spinach is wilted. Remove the pan from heat and let cool.

      sliced onion, sliced mushrooms, and thyme being cooked in melted butter in a skillet

    4. In a large bowl, add the toasted bread, veggie mixture, and cheese, toss to combine. In a blender, combine the eggs, milk, cream, salt, pepper, mustard, and nutmeg and blend until smooth.

      toasted cubed bread, cooked spinach, cooked mushrooms, cooked onion and Swiss cheese being tossed in a bowl

    5. Add the bread and mushroom mixture to the prepared baking dish and carefully pour over the egg mixture. Press the bread down as necessary until submerged.

      blended egg and spice mixture being poured over toasted bread, swiss cheese and vegetables in a baking pan

    6. Bake uncovered until the eggs are set and the top is golden brown, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. If the strata browns too quickly, cover with aluminum foil and continue baking.

      spinach mushroom strata made with eggs, cream, onion, spices and dijon in a parchment lined baking pan

    7. Let the strata cool for about 15 minutes before serving.

      spinach mushroom strata being served on a plate

    Notes

    You can prep the strata 1 day ahead of time! Assemble the recipe until step 5, then cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 332
    • Protein 19 g
    • Carbohydrates 19 g
    • Total Fat 19 g
    • Dietary Fiber 1 g
    • Cholesterol 228 mg
    • sodium 469 mg
    • Total Sugars 5 g

    Spinach Mushroom Strata

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • carolyn

      so prep up to an including step 6 ahead of time (? even 24 hrs before?) and then bake in the am ?

      or prepare fully 36 hrs before and keep in refrigerator and then heat in am ?

      If you are wanting to make this in advance. we would fully make it and then just reheat it in the am

    • Carolyn

      There are many sizes of baguettes! Could you give guidance on the amount by ounces or cup? Love your blog and your book!

      About 6-7 cups. I think it's about a 1 lb baguette. I'll test this one soon! Enjoy!

    • 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.

    • 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!