Spinach Mushroom Brunch Bake from Episode 61
About the Recipe
This Brunch Bake is perfect for when you have company company over and you want to do everything the night before. you just pop it in the oven and you're good to go! Bootie replaced the croissants with baguette if you want a slightly healthier version.
The original recipe comes from Chris Brez, a colleague of Bossy's sister in law, Gail. He contributed this recipe for their school recipe books (aren't those always the best??). We've modified it a little to make it more user friendly. It starts with a lot of croissants (you can sub baguette) but it feeds a lot (8-10 servings) and it's heavy on the veggies!
12 croissants, cut into thirds horizontally (Bootie used baguette instead of croissants and her daughter was not happy about that)
6-8 c. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp thyme
2 T. fresh basil, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 and 1/2 lbs. fresh spinach, blanched and squeezed dry
1/2 lb. Ricotta cheese
2/3 c. Parmesan cheese
8 oz. Mozzarella cheese, shredded
6 eggs
1/2 c unsalted butter
2 c. milk
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Place 1/3 of croissants into the buttered dish crust side down (see photo). Sauté mushrooms in 4 Tablespoons butter until softened and liquid is absorbed. Stir in tomatoes and herbs and set aside.
In the same skillet, melt the remaining butter and sauté onion until soft. Stir in the spinach, ricotta cheese and 1/3 c. of parmesan. Spread this mixture over the croissants in the baking dish. Cover with the another third of croissants, crust side down. Spread mushroom mixture on top. Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese and place remaining croissants on top. Mix eggs with milk, pepper, nutmeg and salt. Pour on top of casserole and press down on croissants so all pieces are moist. Cover and refrigerate overnight, up to 2 days. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake covered at 375 for 30 minutes and then uncovered for 15 more minutes.
