Make Ahead Spinach Souffle

For our third anniversary my husband took me to a bed and breakfast in Chincoteague, VA.  The Inn at Poplar Corner is a beautiful replica of a Victorian home in the outer banks of the Virginia shore.  It is a charming place that we fell in love with and revisited for years {only ending when we decided to take family beach vacations around our anniversary and enjoy a night out instead of a week}.  We enjoyed biking through the seashore park to the beach, often spying the wild ponies grazing in the marshes.  We also enjoyed a home cooked breakfast each morning which we often took on the wrap around porch.  It was quite romantic.

The owners of the home each night would make breakfast for the following morning.  They made enticing meals that would feed all of the couples staying at the inn, and they did it effortlessly.  Even though it was our anniversary time, we would sit and talk to the owners some nights when we came in.  Sometimes we even sat and played cards with them.  I was even shown some of the ways they prepared food with such ease.  They would include a savory dish and something sweet along with fresh breads or muffins.  One of the dishes that I learned from Joann, one of the owners {I believed they have sold the inn now}, was Spinach Souffle.

On one of our last visits there my husband purchased their cookbook for me, Recipes From the Watson House {named for the original Victorian home across the street}.  I enjoy making many of the recipes I find in it, but the Spinach Souffle is my favorite and is always a tasty reminder of the days I spent there with my husband.

Make Ahead Spinach Souffle
1 box seasoned stuffing mix {about 2 1/2 c}
1 lb ground sausage
4 eggs
2 c milk
1 10 oz can cream of mushroom soup
1 10 oz pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 4 oz can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 c shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.  Crumble and brown sausage in frying pan.  Drain; spread over top of croutons in baking dish.  Combine eggs and milk; mix well.  Add cream of mushroom soup, spinach, mushrooms and cheeses to egg mixture.  Stir well and pour over top of sausage and croutons.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove souffle from refrigerator.  Place in cold oven; heat to 350F.  Once oven is heated, bake souffle for 50-55 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbly.

Tips and Tricks~
*This is a make ahead dish that allows you to just wake up and pop it in the oven, making it great for company and holidays.  It doesn't work well to make then stick in the oven because the egg mixture needs to mingle with the croutons.
*The recipe is easy, making use of canned and prepackaged items.  With not much trouble, you could use fresh spinach {wilt it quickly in a frying pan} and fresh mushrooms.  I do this and it makes the recipe even better.
*Switch up the cheeses.  Use Parmesan or white cheddar or pepper jack.
*Keeping with the Inn's selection of serving both savor and sweet dishes for breakfast, this goes great with a berries baked with an oatmeal topping.

Pin It