Breakfast Strata

Even the most voracious bread consumers among us end up with a stale heel or two of bread from time to time, and a recipe like this turns a bag full of stale heels or slices, into a satisfying, healthy meal that no one would ever guess began with what many would toss in the bin. (lacking a bunch of stale bread, you can of course use a whole loaf) This recipe is bread plus veggies, cheese and an egg custard, baked until golden brown and served fresh from the oven or cooled to room temperature. It’s both simple to make and lends itself to advance preparation because a long soaked strata is way better than a hastily made one.

Like pretty much every other recipe I’ve shared, I encourage you to be adventurous with your cooking. Prefer Swiss chard to spinach? Absolutely. Lack leafy greens but have a bunch of fresh dill or a basil plant growing in the window that needs trimming? That would be delicious too. Not a fan of dairy? I’ve never used a milk alternative, but I’m guessing that oat or almond milk would both substitute just fine. (coconut milk might be a tad rich, but let me know what you find)

Serves 6 – 8

Ingredients

• 10 slices of bread
• 1 stick of butter
• 2 onions chopped (shallots are great here too)
• 1 pound spinach or other leafy greens
• 1 bunch fresh herbs, optional (thyme, parsley, dill)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup white wine
• 8 oz cheese (gruyere, mild cheddar, Monterey jack or other)
• 8 large eggs
• 1 3/4 cups half and half or other milk

Preparation

1. If your bread isn’t yet dry, place it in the oven at 225°F on a baking sheet and bake until crisp, flip the slices halfway through baking. When cooled, spread 1 side of slices with softened butter.

2. Saute onion or shallot over medium heat until beginning to get aromatic and golden at the edges. Add the greens, season with salt and pepper and continue to cook until extra moisture is cooked off. Spinach is fast, chard takes a bit longer, kale longer than both. Don’t skimp on the time here. Once the extra liquid is cooked off, toss in 3/4 of the fresh herbs and transfer all of it to a bowl. Pour the wine into your pan on the stove and simmer until reduced to 1/3 – 1/4 cup. Remove from heat.

3. Grease a a large baking dish with butter. Arrange bread, buttered side up, in single layer in the dish. Sprinkle half the veggies and some of the cheese evenly over bread slices. Repeat with remaining bread slices, veggies, and cheese. Whisk together eggs, half-and-half, wine, and a teaspoon of salt in a bowl. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread and veggies. Wrap dish tightly in plastic wrap, pressing plastic flush to surface of strata. Weigh down strata and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

4. Heat oven to 325°F. Remove dish from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Remove weights and plastic and sprinkle remaining cheese evenly over top. Bake until edges and center are barely puffed and edges have pulled away slightly from sides of dish, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Serve.