Hosting a small brunch for friends is my favorite way to close out the year, and this Winter Brunch Menu is the exact lineup I use: a make-ahead savory spinach cheese strata, a sweet mixed berry strata, a bright butter lettuce citrus salad, and a proper Bloody Mary to anchor the drinks. Both stratas assemble the night before, so the morning-of workload is basically an oven timer and a good playlist. If brunch hosting is your thing, my Spring Brunch Menu is the warm-weather sequel, my 85+ Outstanding Breakfast Ideas to Start Your Morning Off Right is the master list, and my Winter Dinner Party Menu covers the evening version of the same cozy energy.
All good brunch menus start with a Bloody Mary am I right? This one is particularly delicious and MAJORLY loaded with garnishes because that's the only way to do it! Feel free to get jazzy with cubes of cheddar, bacon, olives, pickles... the works!
For the main course, we're doing a duo of stratas!
The first is a savory spinach cheese strata that will make your heart very very happy! If you've never had a strata before, it's basically a breakfast casserole that you can add any number of things to in order to make it sweet or savory and I am OBSESSED. This one is loaded with spinach and cheese and it's truly delicious!
And for the sweet version, a mixed berry strata that is part main course and part dessert and I will never be able to have a brunch without this recipe ever again!
We need a little something green on the side for balance - so this butter lettuce citrus salad is happening! It's one of my favorite recipes from the blog - just add a few segments of whatever citrus you can get your hands on! Grapefruit, oranges, clementines, you name it!
That's it! Keep is sweet and simple and everyone will walk away happy as a clam! Full Winter Brunch Menu:
FAQs
What is a good winter brunch menu?
A good winter brunch menu balances one savory make-ahead main, one sweet dish, something fresh, and a signature drink. This one runs a spinach cheese strata, a mixed berry strata, a butter lettuce citrus salad, and Bloody Marys. Citrus is at its winter peak, so it does the brightness work that summer fruit does in July.
What is a strata?
A strata is a layered breakfast casserole of bread, eggs, and dairy that soaks overnight and bakes up like a savory (or sweet) bread pudding. It's the ultimate hosting dish because the assembly happens the night before. This menu runs one savory spinach-and-cheese version and one sweet mixed-berry version from the same playbook.
How much of a brunch menu can I make ahead?
Almost all of it. Both stratas must be assembled the night before (the overnight soak is the recipe), the salad dressing and Bloody Mary mix hold for days, and the citrus can be segmented the day before. Morning-of is baking the stratas, dressing the salad, and pouring.
What drinks go with brunch besides mimosas?
A well-built Bloody Mary is the anchor of this menu, and it doubles as an appetizer with the right garnishes. Coffee, obviously, plus a pitcher of something citrusy and non-alcoholic so every guest has a festive option. Mimosas are fine; they're just not a requirement.
How do I time brunch so everything is ready at once?
Work backward from the stratas: they bake about an hour, so they go in when guests are 45 minutes out. Dress the salad while the stratas rest for 10 minutes after baking. The Bloody Mary bar is self-serve from minute one, which buys the cook all the slack in the timeline.
Love your style Gaby AND your recipes!
My kids love your taco bake and so do I.
We love make ahead meals. We’re usually racing home from sports practice! Would love more make ahead recipe ideas. Looking forward to making Your Sausage/broccoli i rigatoni next! Yum!
This is a delicious brunch!! Everything looks so fresh and festive!
Thank you for your brunch ideas: yummy. Wishing you and your family a very happy, healthy and peaceful New Year!!! Please continue with your blog, it is fantastic and I enjoy every recipe.
Loving this mixed berry strata! Can't wait to try this one!
Beautiful cover photo! Can you tell me where you source those gorgeous serving pieces?
And your cutest sweater! It would be perfect for Seattle!
Sweater is from J Crew! Serving pieces - not sure! It wasn't my kitchen