Overnight Spinach, Tomato and Cheddar Strata
A make-ahead, crowd-pleasing bread-and-egg bake with wilted spinach, sweet cherry tomatoes and melting vegetarian cheddar.
This strata is the perfect make-ahead brunch hero: assemble the night before, bake in the morning and look like you’ve been fussing all day. It’s hearty, comforting and infinitely flexible.
The sheen of double cream and milk creates a custardy interior while the day-old sourdough soaks up all the flavours. Serve with a crisp green salad or pickles for contrast.
Ingredients
- 500 g day-old sourdough loaf — torn into roughly 3cm pieces
- 8 large eggs
- 400 ml whole milk
- 100 ml double cream
- 15 ml Dijon mustard
- 10 ml salt
- 5 ml black pepper — freshly ground
- 30 ml olive oil
- 1 brown onion — medium, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves — crushed
- 200 g fresh spinach — roughly chopped
- 250 g cherry tomatoes — halved
- 150 g vegetarian cheddar — grated
- 15 g fresh parsley — roughly chopped, keep a little to garnish
- 5 ml dried oregano
Equipment
- ovenproof dish 20 x 30cm
- large frying pan
- mixing bowl
- whisk
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium hob heat. Add the brown onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 6–8 minutes.
Add the garlic cloves and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the fresh spinach and dried oregano and cook, stirring, until the spinach has just wilted, about 2–3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
In a large mixing bowl whisk together the large eggs, whole milk, double cream, Dijon mustard, salt and black pepper until smooth and homogenous.
Place the torn day-old sourdough loaf pieces into a 20 x 30cm ovenproof dish. Scatter the wilted spinach mixture evenly over the bread, then add the halved cherry tomatoes and two-thirds of the vegetarian cheddar. Sprinkle half the fresh parsley over the top.
Pour the egg and cream mixture evenly over the bread, pressing gently with the back of a spatula so the bread soaks up the custard. Cover the dish tightly with cling film or foil and refrigerate overnight (or for at least 8 hours).
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C conventional. Remove the cling film and scatter the remaining vegetarian cheddar over the top.
Bake the strata on the middle shelf for 35–40 minutes until golden and the centre is set — it should no longer be wobbly but will have a slight jiggle.
Leave the strata to rest for 10 minutes, then scatter the remaining fresh parsley, cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.
Tips
- Use day-old or slightly stale bread so the cubes absorb the custard without turning to mush; fresh bread tends to collapse.
- Press the bread down well when you pour the egg mixture so every piece soaks — that prevents dry pockets in the bake.
- Make it earlier in the week: the assembled, unbaked strata will keep, covered, in the fridge for up to 48 hours before baking.
- If you want individual portions, divide into greased ramekins and shorten the bake to 20–25 minutes.
- Tuck leftovers into a lunchbox and reheat gently in the oven or eat cold with a peppery salad.
Substitutions
day-old sourdough loaf → day-old farmhouse white loaf or wholemeal loaf, same weight
Stays closedouble cream → extra whole milk (replace 100ml double cream with 100ml extra milk)
Noticeably differentvegetarian cheddar → crumbled feta (150g)
Noticeably differentfresh spinach → 200g fresh kale, stems removed and finely chopped (cook a little longer)
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 600
- Calories
- 25 g
- Protein
- 49 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 700 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I freeze the assembled strata?
Yes — assemble but don’t bake. Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking; you may need a few extra minutes in the oven.
How do I know when it’s cooked?
The top should be golden and a skewer inserted into the centre should come out mostly clean; the middle can have a slight, gentle jiggle but must not be liquid.
Can I add meat such as bacon or sausage?
Yes — cook 200–250g of chopped bacon or sausage until browned, drain excess fat and add with the spinach in step 2. It will increase richness and salt, so reduce added salt slightly.
Can I make this gluten-free?
Use a gluten-free loaf of similar weight and texture. The bake time should be comparable, but check the centre for set before serving.
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