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Bread, egg and cheddar strata with spinach

Bread soaked in savoury custard and baked with spinach and cheddar.

By The foodose editorial team. Nutrition calculated from USDA FoodData Central. Checked on paper on 22 September 2026; not yet cooked in a test kitchen or photographed, so the times and yield are estimates. How we develop our recipes
What still needs a real kitchen
  • Confirm the centre reaches 71°C in 30 to 40 minutes at 180°C
  • Confirm 20 minutes is enough soaking for torn wholemeal bread
  • Photograph the finished dish
Time
About 1 hr 15 min
estimated
Serves
2
see below
Energy
570 kcal
per serving
Protein
38 g
per serving
Jump to recipe
Not yet photographed. The panel names the dish’s main ingredients rather than showing a picture we have not taken.

Ingredients for 2 servings

2 servings

Check off ingredients as you go.

Contains eggs, gluten, milk, mustard. Check the labels on packaged ingredients:

  • wholemeal bread. Bread often contains soya and can contain milk, egg or sesame; check the label.
  • cheddar. Some cheddar is made with animal rennet; check the label if you are vegetarian.
  • Dijon mustard. Many Dijon mustards also declare sulphites; check the label.

Cooking steps

  1. Wilt the spinach in a dry pan, press it in a sieve until it stops dripping, and chop it.

  2. Tear the wholemeal bread into rough pieces and scatter them in an ovenproof dish with the spinach and three quarters of the grated cheddar.

  3. Beat the eggs with the milk and the Dijon mustard and pour the mixture evenly over the top.

  4. Press everything down with the back of a spoon so the bread is submerged, and leave it to soak for 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan) while it stands.

  5. Scatter the remaining cheese over and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until puffed and set in the middle.

    Cooked when: 71°C / 160°F in the centre. A food thermometer is the reliable way to tell.

  6. Rest for 5 minutes before cutting.

The useful detail

Give it the full twenty minutes to soak, and push the bread under. Bread that has not taken up the custard stays dry in the middle and burns on top, which is the only way this dish goes wrong.

Make it work for you

One serving is Half the dish. You can switch to a smaller portion in the ingredients above; it is three quarters of this, and it contains correspondingly less energy and protein. It is an option, not a goal.

  • Sourdough instead of wholemeal

    Chewier and it holds its shape more; stale is better than fresh either way.

    Per serving: about 15 kcal more, about 1 g less protein, about 1 g less fat.

  • Gruyère instead of cheddar

    Nuttier and it melts more smoothly.

    Per serving: about 5 kcal more, about 3 g more protein, about the same fat.

  • Soya milk instead of dairy milk

    Sets slightly softer. No other change.

    Per serving: about 20 kcal less, about the same protein, about the same fat.

    Allergens: Adds soya.

Estimated nutrition

Per standard serving, calculated from the ingredients above. Nutrition changes with substitutions, brands and how much oil stays in the pan.

A make-ahead hot breakfast where four eggs and the milk carry the protein and the bread is the structure rather than the substance.

Nutrition per serving
Energy570 kcal
Protein38 g
Fat29 g
of which saturates13 g
Carbohydrate41 g
of which sugars12 g
Fibre6 g
Sodium910 mg
Show calculation notes

Each ingredient’s weight is multiplied by its USDA FoodData Central values per 100 g. The whole recipe is added up and divided by 2. Raw weights are used for meat, fish and vegetables; beans and lentils are drained weights. All of the oil is counted as eaten. Added salt is not included; sodium from stock, bread, cheese and tinned food is.

Calculation, whole recipe
IngredientWeight usedSourceEnergyProtein
spinach200 gFDC 168462Spinach, raw46 kcal5.7 g
wholemeal bread130 gFDC 172688Bread, whole-wheat, commercially prepared328 kcal16.2 g
cheddar80 gFDC 173414Cheese, cheddar (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)322 kcal18.3 g
eggs200 gFDC 171287Egg, whole, raw, fresh286 kcal25.1 g
milk310 gFDC 171267Milk, reduced fat, fluid, 2% milkfat, with added vitamin A and vitamin D155 kcal10.2 g
Dijon mustard10 gFDC 2710085Mustard7 kcal0.4 g
Whole recipeDivided by 21144 kcal76.0 g

Per serving the energy is rounded to the nearest 5 kcal, grams to the nearest whole gram and sodium to the nearest 10 mg. Calculation method 1.0, September 2026. How the calculation works.

Storage and reheating

In the fridge
Cool, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Eat within 3 to 4 days. It can be assembled the night before and baked in the morning, which is the point of the dish.
In the freezer
Freezing keeps food safe indefinitely; the texture is best if it is eaten sooner rather than later.
Reheating
Reheat until it reaches 74°C / 165°F, steaming hot throughout.

Checked against US Food and Drug Administration, Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Chart, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Leftovers and Food Safety, FoodSafety.gov, Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures and FoodSafety.gov, Cold Food Storage Chart. UK guidance from the Food Standards Agency is shorter, at two days for most leftovers.

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