“Get Your Greens In” Breakfast Strata

It’s a good day to wake up to a strata!  With snow in the forecast today and Thanksgiving next week (wait…isn’t that a bit backwards?) it’s a perfect time to dig into something warm, yummy and….green!

Actually I’ve made stratas for my family to enjoy on Thanksgiving morning. It’s a nice way to have something homemade as we gear up for the main event later in the day.  I love a strata because similar to a frittata or quiche, you can add what you want to it.  With a strata you add a nice crusty bread and bake it. And it’s easy to assemble the night before.

The main components: Eggs, cheese, bread and milk.  Here I decided to lighten it up a bit by replacing a couple of the eggs with egg whites and using a light mozzarella cheese.  I have to say that Gruyere is my favorite cheese for a strata but you can use whatever you have on hand.

For the meat lover a strata is the perfect foundation for sausage or bacon.  Today there is no meat, just some favorite greens added.

For best results, assemble the evening before so the bread can absorb all of the goodness from the wet ingredients.  I find the strata is better as time goes on – terrific on the second day!

Recipe: Serves 6-8

6-8 slices of crusty bread (Sourdough, French)

4 eggs

3/4 cup of egg whites

1 – 1/2 cups of skim milk (you can substitute a neutral plant milk or fat free half-and-half)

2 cups of chopped greens (spinach, kale, arugula, parsley – whatever you like)

1 – 1/2 cups of light shredded cheese

Put bread slices in the oven at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes to get the slices dry. Remove from oven.

In a medium mixing bowl combine eggs, egg whites, milk, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and whisk. Add three or four bread slices to the bottom of a greased casserole dish. Layer with half of the cheese and half of the greens. Add the next layer of bread slices and use the rest of the cheese and the greens.  Pour the egg mixture over the layers to coat evenly.  Put plastic wrap over the top of the dish and press down with your hands.  You will want to weigh it down with a box of sugar or a cast iron press so it’s a bit compressed. Place in refrigerator overnight.

Take strata out of the refrigerator and remove weight and plastic wrap. Let it come to room temperature for about 20 minutes while the oven preheats to 350 degrees.  Bake strata for about 45 minutes until golden brown. Let sit 10-15 minutes.