Recently, Evan and I hosted a brunch for friends, and it took me a while to brainstorm something eggy that I could make that could feed a crowd yet not be super stressful in the moment (have you ever tried making a bunch of sunny side up eggs at once? SO stressful). I came up with this strata, featuring one of my favorite combos, spinach and feta, and I am in love.
I’ve since made it a couple more times and decided it would be the perfect recipe to share leading up to Easter. We’re having a quiet Easter this year, just the two of us, but I am still planning a feast. As you probably know by now, slow weekend breakfasts are kind of my thing. Add Easter to the mix? You better believe I’ll be going all out. Eggs of some sort (perhaps this strata?), bacon, fresh juice, and fruits. Did I mention Sunday is supposed to be sunny and in the 70s? So Sunday’s plans are feasting and enjoying the sunshine outside – two of my favorite things to do. And I can’t wait.
Anyway, back to the strata. This is THE perfect brunch addition when you’re hosting friends/family, no matter the occasion. Not only is it a crowd-pleaser, but it’s easy to put together and can be prepped the night before and baked in the morning.
- 7 heaping cups white country bread cut into 1-inch cubes, toasted until dry*
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- ½ cup crumbled feta
- 1 slightly heaping cup shredded monterey jack cheese
- 8 large eggs
- 1½ cups whole or 2% milk
- salt and pepper, to taste (I usually do ¼ - ½ teaspoon salt in total)
- Add the bread to a greased 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Let cool.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the milk and eggs. Season with salt and pepper.
- Evenly distribute the spinach, onions, and cheese in the baking dish, lightly tossing together. Pour the egg mixture over the bread mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours, or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes on the middle rack. Remove the foil and continue cooking uncovered for 40-45 minutes until cooked through. If the top begins to brown too much, cover with foil until finished cooking.
This is best served day-of to maintain the firm, crispy top, however, I actually still love eating from it the next day after heating it in the microwave. Store in the fridge.
Lindsay | With Salt and Pepper says
April 14, 2017 at 3:34 pmAbsolutely YES!!! Savory stratas are my favorite kind to make for brunch 🙂
Zina says
April 14, 2017 at 11:24 pmIm going to try this today!! ?
Agness of Run Agness Run says
October 3, 2017 at 6:33 amYum! I have all of the ingredients and I am s inspired from your recipe! Is it possible to use red instead of yellow onions?
Ann says
November 7, 2019 at 8:38 amThis looks sooo delicious! I can no longer wait to cook and try this spinach and feta strata. I have never cooked anything like this before. The recipe is very original, thank you for the idea! I hope I can make this dish as beautiful and tasty as it looks on your photos. I like your blog, keep it up.
Jennie Spomer says
December 25, 2019 at 10:09 amVery dry, not enough liquid to cover the bread. The taste was good though.
Alicia says
October 3, 2020 at 9:53 pmwish I could attach photos of the finished result! Perfection!!! I took the base of this recipe and changed a couple things. I used English muffins because I had extras to use up. Toasted them and cut each half into ninths. Great texture! Added 1/2 tsp nutmeg to enhance spinach. Added a tsp each of oregano and chopped dill to make more “Greek” w/ feta, and modified amounts to make smaller batch for 2 in a bread pan. Worked wonderfully! Wish u could see and taste it! Amazing!
Christine says
December 21, 2020 at 2:18 pmSounds incredible! I love the idea of using English muffins in this!
Ilene says
March 28, 2021 at 8:45 amDo not eat melted stretchy cheeses such as Monterey Jack- can I simply use more feta?