Fish and Seafood

Crab Strata Florentine

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

8.5 hours

Cook

1 hour

Servings

8

Ingredients

  • 8 cups cubed (1-inch) Italian or French bread
  • ½ pound fresh crabmeat or 2 (6 ounces) cans 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" x 9" 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.