• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Trending: Healthy New Year
  • About
  • Shop
  • Work with Me
  • Contact

Cooking for Keeps

  • All Recipes
  • Course
    • Appetizers
    • Bread
    • Breakfast
    • Casseroles
    • Cocktails
    • Dips
    • Main Course
    • Pasta
    • Salads
    • Sandwiches
    • Sauces
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups & Stews
    • Stir Fries
    • Sweets
  • Protein
    • Beef/Lamb
    • Chicken/Poultry
    • Pork
    • Seafood
    • Vegetarian
  • Method
    • Casseroles
    • Slow-Cooker
    • Grilling
    • Minimal Ingredients
    • Quick
    • Air Fryer/Instant Pot
    • Oven
    • No cook
    • Stovetop
    • Kid Friendly
    • Dinner Party Worthy
    • One Pan
Home Breakfast

Bacon, Spinach, & Cheddar Strata

By: Nicole 2 Comments
Posted: 10/17/12 Updated: 11/05/14

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

I go through phases with eggs. Some days I like scrambled, other days I like fried, tomorrow, I may like poached. I don’t know the reason, but a different day, a different mood, a different egg. This is normal, right?

The days that I’m plain-old tired of eggs cooked in traditional ways, I try mix it up and do something a little different – and last weekend I was sick of eggs. Most days I would have gone with pancakes, French toast or some other sweet equivalent, but this time I was craving something a little more savory.

Hence, where this awesome strata comes into play.

If you don’t know what a strata is, it’s kind of a cross between a frittata and a soufflé. At its most basic form it’s just an egg casserole made with bread, eggs, and whatever fillings you’re feeling at the moment.

My Mom and I make a variation of this that people go crazy for; I mean people literally swoon over it. No lie. It’s your basic egg casserole — plain old white bread, eggs, cheese, and sausage. While downright delicious, a couple of things deterred me from making my go-to this time.

1. I didn’t have the recipe.
2. I didn’t have the correct ingredients.

What I did have were plenty of other ingredients that would substitute beautifully. I settled on a combination of earthy spinach, salty bacon, and sharp cheddar cheese – a perfect flavor profile according to my taste buds. What resulted was a perfectly light, airy, and oh so delicious strata. I have to say, I was pretty pleased, and you will be too.

Like any bread pudding or stuffing you’ll want to use day old bread, I had an Italian loaf leftover from the night before so that’s what I used.

Combine the bread, onion, cheese, spinach, and bacon together in a large bowl.

Spread evenly in a greased 2 ½ quart casserole dish.

Whisk 5 eggs, 1 1/2 cups milk, and salt together in the same bowl you tossed the filling in.

Pour over the bread mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk remaining eggs (3) and milk (1/2 cup) together in a small bowl. Pour over the bread and egg mixture, using your spoon or spatula to ensure the egg spreads evenly over the entire strata and seeps into the cervices. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown and puffed.


5.0 from 1 reviews
Bacon, Spinach, & Cheddar Strata
 
Print
Ingredients
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 4 cups cubed day old Italian bread (about ½- 1 inch cubes)
  • 5 pieces bacon (chopped)
  • 1 cup frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed of any moisture)
  • 1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese (please don't buy the pre-shredded stuff!)
  • 8 eggs divided
  • 2 cups milk divided
  • ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
  1. Cook bacon in a small sauté pan over medium heat until crispy. Drain on paper towel. Reserve grease. Cook onion in the same pan over a medium heat until soft, about three minutes.
  2. Mix bread, onion, bacon, spinach, and salt in a large bowl. Spread evenly in a greased 2½ qt casserole dish.
  3. Mix 5 eggs, 1 ½ cups milk, and salt in the same bowl. Pour over bread mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
  4. When ready to bake, remove from fridge. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix remaining eggs (3) and remaining milk (1/2 cup) together. Pour over egg/bread mixture and use a spoon or spatula to make sure the egg is evenly spread and falls into all the cervices.
  5. Bake for 45 minutes or until puffed and brown.
3.1.08

Meet Nicole

Welcome! My lifelong passion for delicious food and cooking has evolved over time into an equal love of showing you an elevated meal can be easy, approachable and most importantly, tasty. Dive in and find something perfect for you and your family!

Read more...

You May Also Like...

  • Broccoli Cheddar Croissant Breakfast Casserole
  • Fig and Bacon Scones
  • Cheesy Baked Spinach Casserole is for all you spinach lovers out there! This easy casserole is a dump-stir-and-bake dish that's packed with hearty spinach, sharp cheddar cheese, and a touch of nutmeg. It's the perfect healthy side dish for just about any meal. 
    Cheesy Baked Spinach Casserole

Never miss a recipe!

Loading

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Have a question? Submit your question or comment below.

Recipe Rating




Rate this recipe:  

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Emily says

    Posted on 8/12/14 at 11:21 pm

    Loved this! I love make-ahead breakfast dishes. Quick question – if I want to make it the same day, would it work just as well to bake it right away instead of waiting overnight? I want to make this for a friend but don’t have time to wait overnight…..thanks again for this great recipe!

    Reply
  2. Gay says

    Posted on 1/27/19 at 11:01 pm

    When do you add cheese?

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

hey

Meet Nicole

Welcome! My lifelong passion for delicious food and cooking has evolved into an equal love of showing you easy elevated meals can be approachable and most importantly, tasty.

Read More

Browse by Difficulty

Easy easy Medium medium Advanced hard

Reader Favorites

Best Chicken Enchilada

Best Chicken Enchilada Recipe

Italian Stromboli

Italian Stromboli (5 Ingredients!)

French Onion Chicken Skillet

French Onion Chicken Skillet

One Pot Mexican Past

One Pot Turkey Mexican Pasta

Subscribe to latest recipe updates

Loading

Trending

Coconut Curry Meatballs

Coconut Curry Meatballs

Bulgogi Beef Lettuce Wraps

Bulgogi Beef Lettuce Wraps

Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Spinach and Ground Beef Stuffed Shells

Stuffed Pasta Shells with Ground Beef and Spinach

Never miss a recipe!

Loading

By Course

Appetizers

Breakfast

Quick and Easy

Main Course

Soups

Salads

Side Dishes

Sweets

Explore

About Nicole

Shop Favorites

Press

Work With Me

Privacy Policy

Accessibility

Contact

© 2025 Cooking for Keeps
Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled
Back to Top