French Baguette Casserole

On an angle, cut French baguette bread into 1/2” thick slices. Using a basting (or pastry) brush, lightly oil both sides of each slice with olive oil. Spray your favorite casserole dish (13×9x2” or 11×9x3”) with non-stick cooking spray, and line the bottom of dish (and sides if necessary) with the prepared bread, slightly layering and overlapping the slices.

Over medium heat, warm a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and saute until fragrant, about 40 seconds. Add sliced mushrooms and cook 5 minutes more, stirring frequently. Add ground cumin and spinach, stirring to combine.

Layer cooked onion/mushroom/spinach mixture over the bread, spreading evenly. Layer shredded Gruyere over the vegetables, spreading evenly. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk eggs and milk with salt and pepper to taste. Gently and evenly, pour egg mixture over the layered bread and vegetables in casserole dish. Cover and place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour to let the custard mixture absorb into the bread.

After 1 hour, preheat oven to 375 degrees F and remove casserole from refrigerator. Uncover and bake for approximately 40-45 minutes, or until cheese begins to turn golden brown and just crispy. Knife inserted near center should come out moist, but relatively clean.