Spinach & Cheese Strata

I've been thinking about what to make for Easter for the last week or two. Easter is a tricky holiday for me because I don't eat a lot of meat traditionally cooked on Easter (i.e., ham, lamb, pork). So I thought maybe I'll do something Italian, after all, my family always has manicotti with their ham on Easter. Somehow it clicked that I was meant to make brunch instead of dinner for Easter. I'm happy I had this idea because,in my opinion, everything turned out really well. 

Strata is a perfect dish to make when you're looking to have everything done ahead of time. Strata needs to sit for at least 8hrs in the refrigerator prior to baking. There are so many things you can do with strata. I found this recipe while browsing tastespotting for breakfast/brunch ideas. The recipe comes from February 2003 issue of Gourmet Magazine. This recipe had great reviews and after making it I couldn't agree more!

You can find the recipe below. I used 16 oz of spinach and omitted the Dijon mustard. After reading some reviews, I gathered that the mustard flavor was too powerful in this dish. Feel free to add it in and let me know your thoughts. Keep this recipe in mind for your next brunch.

Ingredients: 

1 (10-oz) package frozen spinach, thawed

1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion (1 large)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

8 cups cubed (1 inch) French or Italian bread (1/2 lb)

6 oz coarsely grated Gruyère (2 cups)

2 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 cup)

2 3/4 cups milk

9 large eggs

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

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.