This Chorizo Spinach Strata is easily assembled at night and requires only to be popped in the oven in the morning.
My grocery store just started selling house-made chorizo so I obviously had to buy some. I didn’t exactly have much of a plan for what to do with it, but into my shopping cart it went!
It seemed like a breakfast situation was in order so I dug a loaf of challah bread out of my freezer and chopped it into one-inch cubes. Any bread will work fine here, just cut off the crust first. Riffling around in the fridge I also managed to unearth a giant box of baby spinach that would round out the situation nicely.
This Chorizo Spinach Strata is easily assembled at night and requires only to be popped in the oven in the morning. We enjoyed our strata with a side of cherry tomatoes, but a mixed green salad would also work, especially if you are serving this for brunch.
Expecting company? Double the ingredients list and dig out a larger casserole dish. It would make a lovely Christmas morning breakfast for the whole family.
Chorizo Spinach Strata
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound fresh chorizo
16 ounces baby spinach
4 cups stale bread cubes
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
5 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons butter, divided
- Place one tablespoon of butter in the microwave for about ten seconds. Use the softened butter to grease a two-quart casserole dish.
- Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil. If the chorizo is in casings, snip the casings open and slide out the meat. Add the loose chorizo to the pan. Use a spatula to break up the chorizo in the pan, and cook until the meat has no remaining pink spots and is beginning to brown. Remove the chorizo from the skillet when it is fully cooked.
- Add the spinach to skillet. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the spinach. Cook until the spinach is cooked through and has greatly reduced in volume to about one cup. Let cool before adding to eggs.
- Place the eggs, milk, and Dijon mustard in a mixing bowl and whisk well. Add the cubes of bread, spinach, and chorizo to egg mixture. Stir well, breaking up any clumps of spinach.
- Spoon half of the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle one cup of cheese over the dish. Spoon the remaining mixture into the casserole dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
- Cut the remaining pat of butter into tiny bits and scatter it over the top of the dish. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.
- The next morning, remove the strata from the fridge and set it on top of your stove. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Place your casserole dish on top of a sheet pan to prevent spills, and place it on the middle rack of your oven. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil, and cook for an additional 40 minutes, or until the whole strata is uniformly puffy and crispy.
- Remove from oven and let rest briefly before cutting.
This recipe will yield six servings
