Fish and Seafood

Crab Strata Florentine

Name: Crab Strata Florentine
Prep time: 8½ hours
Cook time: 1 hour
Yield: 8

Prepare and refrigerate this crab casserole 8 hours or overnight, then pop it in the oven an hour before serving. It’s a hit with crab lovers and a breeze to cook.

Prep

8½ hours

Cook

1 hour

Servings

Level

Easy

Ingredients

8 cups cubed (1-inch) Italian or French bread
½ pound fresh crabmeat or 2 cans (6 ounces each) crabmeat, drained
6 Tablespoons Challenge Butter (¾ stick)
½ cup chopped onion
4 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach
1½ cups grated Cheddar cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups low-fat milk
7 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon dry mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
⅛ teaspoon thyme leaves

Directions

1

Butter a 13×9-inch baking pan with 1 Tablespoon butter. Arrange bread cubes in the bottom of the pan. Top bread evenly with crabmeat.
2

Melt 1 Tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté for 4 minutes. Add spinach; cook 2 minutes or until spinach wilts.
3

Arrange spinach mixture over the crabmeat. Top with grated Cheddar and Parmesan cheeses.
4

Melt ¼ cup butter. Combine milk, beaten eggs, ¼ cup melted butter (4 tablespoons), dry mustard, salt, pepper and thyme. Pour egg mixture evenly over the pan. Cover with foil. Chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.
5

Bake at 325°F, covered, for one hour or until bubbly.