Spinach Ricotta Brunch Bake
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This Spinach Ricotta Brunch Bake recipe is the perfect casserole to make for your weekend brunch. This is a dish that can be made ahead and will surely impress your guests.
Spinach Ricotta Brunch Bake
In our family, cheese pies are huge. We could eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner! But sometimes I just want to kick it up a notch and the best way to do that is to add bacon, of course. However this is closer to a spanakopita rather than a cheese pie. To this gorgeous pie I added more than just bacon; we’ve got cheddar cheese, red peppers, and a delicious spinach ricotta filling. This is definitely the perfect brunch to serve to your family and friends!
I love this recipe because it’s super versatile. You can add pretty much any fillings that you like! This brunch also is very basic to put together and will give you minimal mess to clean up afterwards. Just when you thought this recipe couldn’t get any better, it’s also perfect for making ahead of time so you can sit back and enjoy the morning.
Ingredients in Spinach Ricotta Brunch Bake
The ingredients in this recipe are super easy to substitute and switch up to suit what you have hanging out in your fridge, and what you like to eat for brunch.
For this recipe you’ll need:
- Puff pastry: I always use frozen store-bought puff pastry. It’s a very laborious type of pastry to make, and what you’ll find at the store is just as good as homemade. I will usually find some good quality sheets at my local Italian market!
- Eggs: I used large eggs for this recipe.
- Ricotta cheese: You can use cream cheese as a substitute if you prefer. It will be a little bit more dense and have a stronger flavor than ricotta.
- Hot sauce: This ingredient is optional, but I love the bit of zing I get in my brunch bake from some hot sauce.
- Spinach: I used fresh spinach. If you use frozen spinach, make sure to squeeze out all the excess water before using it.
- Bacon: You can use as much as you like. The more bacon the merrier, I always say!
- Cheddar cheese: When we have mild flavors like the ricotta, spinach, and egg in there, I like to use a nice and sharp cheddar to add lots of flavor to the dish.
- Red bell pepper: You can really use any type that you have handy, I just love a good pop of color in my brunch bake.
What Other Fillings Can I Use?
The options are endless for this spinach ricotta bake! Give these a try:
Meats:
- Cooked & crumbled sausage
- Chopped ham
- Roasted chicken, chopped
- Cooked & chopped pancetta
Veggies:
- Onion
- Mushrooms
- Broccoli
- Tomatoes
Cheeses
- Parmesan
- Gouda
- Pecorino
- White cheddar
How to Make Spinach Ricotta Brunch Bake
- Prepare the oven and baking pan: Preheat your oven to 400F and spray your baking pan with cooking spray.
- Prepare the puff pastry: Carefully unfold the thawed puff pastry sheets. Roll one of them out to an 11″ square, then roll the other to a 12″ square. Use the 12″ sheet to line the bottom of your pan.
- Make the filling: Lightly beat the eggs and reserve 1 tbsp. Mix the rest of the eggs in with the ricotta, hot sauce, and spinach. Layer half of the ricotta mixture on the puff pastry in the pan, then half of each the bacon, cheese, and peppers. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
- Bake: Cover everything with the remaining puff pastry sheet and fold the edges in to secure the filling. Brush the pastry with your reserved tbsp of egg, and bake for about 1 hour or until the pastry is golden brown.
- Serve: Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then run a butter knife around the edges to loosen them. Cut into slices and serve.
Thaw your puff pastry sheets in the fridge. The key to make sure the puff up nicely is to keep them nice and cold. Use them straight out of the fridge.
What Type of Pan Can I Use?
I used a 9″ springform pan for this recipe. If you don’t have one, I would highly suggest making the investment! They are fantastic for recipes like this. Slicing and serving perfect pieces will seriously not get any easier.
You can also use:
How to Make Spinach Ricotta Brunch Bake Ahead of Time
You can fully prepare this spinach ricotta bake and store it in your fridge until you’re ready to serve. You have a few options here:
- Bake it up to 4 days ahead of time and store in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap, until you’re ready to serve. You can either serve it cold or warm it up in a 250F oven for about 20-30 minutes.
- Prepare it up to 4 days ahead of time, then wrap the pan well with plastic wrap. Remove the wrap and cook it as but don’t bake until about 1.5 hours until you’re ready to serve.
- If you plan on making this more than 4 days ahead of time, you can store it in the freezer. Transfer it to the fridge 2 days before you need it so that it can slowly thaw out. Keep in mind that when veggies and egg freeze and thaw, they create a lot of extra moisture.
You can also use this as a guide to store any leftovers you may have. If you choose to freeze them, I find it a lot easier to store the leftovers in individual slices!
Did You Love This Brunch Recipe? Try These!
- Sausage Potato Breakfast Casserole
- Shakshuka Recipe
- Breakfast Pizza
- Quiche Florentine
- Cinnabons Cinnamon Rolls
- Crescent Bacon Breakfast Ring
- Quiche Lorraine
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Spinach Ricotta Brunch Bake
Ingredients
- 2 sheets puff pastry (thawed)
- 6 eggs (beaten)
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- dash hot sauce (optional)
- 1 cup spinach (chopped)
- 6 slices bacon (cooked, chopped)
- 1½ cups cheddar cheese (shredded)
- 1 medium red bell pepper (chopped)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Prepare the oven and baking pan: Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray.
- Prepare the puff pastry: Carefully unfold the thawed puff pastry sheets. Roll one of them out to an 11″ square, then roll the other to a 12″ square. Use the 12″ sheet to line the bottom of your pan.
- Make the filling: Lightly beat the eggs and reserve 1 tbsp. Mix the rest of the eggs in with the ricotta, hot sauce, and spinach. Layer half of the ricotta mixture on the puff pastry in the pan, then half of each the bacon, cheese, and peppers. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
- Bake: Cover everything with the remaining puff pastry sheet and fold the edges in to secure the filling. Brush the pastry with your reserved tbsp of egg, and bake for about 1 hour or until the pastry is golden brown.
- Serve: Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then run a butter knife around the edges to loosen them. Cut into slices and serve.
Notes
- If using frozen spinach, thaw it out first and drain it well before using.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Made this for a Pride brunch we hosted & it went over so well! For the number of people we had we made two of these & it is a good thing we did because people came back for seconds & asked for the recipe. We had a lot of vegetarians so we skipped the bacon & did broccoli and shaved carrots instead of spinach and peppers. Feel a lot of different combos could work for this. The ricotta & puff pastry are the magic. Thank you so much for this recipe. My husband is making it again as I type this.
So thrilled it was a smash at your brunch! It’s great to see such versatility with the veggies – that ricotta and puff pastry combo never fails.
Delicious, looks impressive and was easy to make! My favorite kind of recipe.
Thank you so much for the lovely feedback! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the brunch bake. It’s one of my favorites too! 😊
I made this today and prefer the puff pastry to traditional pie crust.
That’s great to hear! Puff pastry definitely adds a delightful flakiness to the dish.
Amazing breakfast! Will definitely make it again!
So glad you liked it!
I made this for a breakfast brunch. Everyone loved it. It will definitely be on my favorite breakfast menus! Thank you
It’s always wonderful to know that a recipe will become a part of someone’s favorite menus. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience, and I’m so glad everyone loved it! 🌿🍳😊
This was the perfect dish to serve 12 at my book club pot luck brunch! Definitely making it again- I did add 2 more eggs for a total of 8 which was a good decision- I just wanted a little more density . Also I seasoned it with fresh grated nutmeg which was a yummy touch ( & salt & pepper) also , I added green onion as well. Next time I will double the spinach. My oven is wonky and needs calibrating but still cooked perfectly- and I made a day ahead which was a game changer ! I appreciate the instructions for reheating! Can’t wait to make this dish again!
Hi. Apologies if this is a stupid question. One picture looks like you removed the ring of the springform pan before serving, but that’s not in the directions.
For baking ahead, would you leave it in the full situation springform pan, heat up, then remove the ring? Seems like it would take longer if you left it on…
I am thinking of shredding a few Brussels sprouts I have to add to this. Get more veggies into the grands!
Yes, you have to remove the ring of the springform, otherwise it’ll be difficult to slice it. More veggies would be great.
This was delicious. I will be making it again and maybe I’ll add a little prosciutto.
This was great! The only thing I changed was I only used puff pastry on bottom when I rolled it out the corners came up on top at corners and I folded it over on top ,was just enuff crust and now I have another sheet in the freezer for the next one.
So glad you liked it!
This recipe is amazing! I have made it four times on request from friends and neighbors. I eliminated the meat and sautéed onions and mushrooms in olive oil and butter, but not too greasy. I added a lot more spinach. Baked as per instructions, it’s a keeper
Love this recipe! I have served this the last 2 years on Christmas morning & I am looking forward to sharing it with my family again this year. I make it 2 days ahead and store it in the refrigerator until Christmas morning. I also usually let it sit out for about an hour before I bake. Always a success! Thank you for sharing.
My pleasure, so glad you love this. 🙂
This Was Very Good, I Used Egg Beaters, Then Followed The Recipe Exactly, I Think A Layer Or Two Of Just Ricotta With Mozzarella Mixed In Would Be Delicious!!
I just want to make sure that when using a springform pan, the egg and liquid moisture does does seep out the bottom like other liquids sometimes do???
Hi Janet! Normally it would but the puff pastry will keep the liquid from seeping out.
I’d love to try this as a make ahead, but I don’t see the directions for that. Could you share what how to prep it and how far in advance that can be done?
Hi Meg! There are instructions in the post, right here: https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/spinach-ricotta-brunch-bake/#How_to_Make_Spinach_Ricotta_Brunch_Bake_Ahead_of_Time
So sorry! That’s what I get for reading the recipe and not the full post. 🤦♀️
Can’t wait to try this! I know it will be great!
If adding mushrooms, should these be cooked before adding?
Thank you
Yes, I would sauté them a little bit.