Best Make Ahead Cheesy Spinach And Egg Strata Recipes

SPINACH & CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and drained spinach and cook 2 minutes more. Set aside.
• Butter a 3-quart or 9x13-inch baking dish. Spread one third of the bread cubes in the dish and top evenly with one third of spinach mixture. (Try to break it up as much as possible so there are no huge clumps of spinach.) Sprinkle with one third of each cheese. Repeat layering twice, ending with cheeses.
• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the half-and-half, mustard, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and whisk until well combined. Pour the custard mixture evenly over the strata. Cover the strata with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Bake the strata, uncovered, until puffed, set and golden brown all over top, 70-80 minutes. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving. It will settle a bit as it cools.
• Note: The cook time is based on the strata going immediately from the fridge to the oven. If it sits out at room temperature before baking, the cook time will be about 10 minutes less.

PROSCIUTTO, EGG AND SPINACH STRATA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, cinnamon, salt and pepper until blended. Stir in bread, prosciutto, apples, spinach, Brie and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Refrigerate, covered, overnight., Preheat oven to 350°. Remove strata from refrigerator while oven heats. Bake, covered, 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

SPINACH AND CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Squeeze handfuls of spinach to remove as much liquid as possible, then finely chop.
• Cook onion in butter in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in spinach, then remove from heat.
• Spread one third of bread cubes in a buttered 3-quart gratin dish or other shallow ceramic baking dish and top evenly with one third of spinach mixture. Sprinkle with one third of each cheese. Repeat layering twice (ending with cheeses).
• Whisk together milk, eggs, mustard, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl and pour evenly over strata. Chill strata, covered with plastic wrap, at least 8 hours (for bread to absorb custard).
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Let strata stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
• Bake strata, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

MAKE-AHEAD SPINACH AND MOZZARELLA BREAKFAST STRATA

Steps:

• Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper; continue to cook for 1 minute more. Stir in spinach, remove from heat, and set aside.
• Spray the inside of a 3-quart (9x13-inch) baking dish with cooking spray. Layer the bottom of the dish with 1/3 of the bread cubes. Top with 1/3 of the spinach mixture and 1/3 mozzarella cheese. Repeat these layers twice more with remaining bread, spinach mixture, and cheese.
• Combine eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk together until blended. Pour evenly over the bread and spinach layered in the baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 8 hours, up to 1 day.
• Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking to allow pan to get to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving.

SPINACH AND CHEDDAR STRATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add spinach and cook, stirring constantly, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a colander and drain, pressing with a rubber spatula to release as much liquid as possible. Divide bread and spinach among 4 small, shallow 8-ounce baking dishes.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and 3/4 cup cheese. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Divide mixture evenly among baking dishes and top with 1/2 cup cheese. Set dishes on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until set in middle and golden brown on top, 20 to 25 minutes.

OVERNIGHT EGG & CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/gas 4. Butter a small 4-cup/960-ml ovenproof baking dish.
• Remove the crusts from the bread and cut into slices; you should have about 3 cups. Lay the slices across the baking dish, slightly overlapping and allowing some edges to hang over the sides.
• Whisk together the eggs and milk in a large bowl. Stir in half of the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Pour three-fourths of the egg mixture over the bread cubes.
• Peel the bottom half of the asparagus and break off the stem ends where it snaps naturally. Discard any woody stems.
• Layer the mortadella over the bread and top with asparagus spears. Pour the remaining egg mixture over the top and finish with the remaining cheese. At this point, you can bake the strata immediately, or cover with plastic wrap/cling film and refrigerate overnight for a surprise breakfast in bed.
• Bake the strata until just set, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool slightly, sprinkle the top with chopped chives, and serve in the baking dish.