Strata is one of those dishes that’s great for using up odds and ends like stale bread, little bits of cheese and veggies past their prime. Substitute other greens or sauteed veggies for spinach and other melty cheeses for the Gruyère.
Ingredients
- 1 lb bag frozen spinach, thawed/squeezed dry
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 12 oz. artisan bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 8 cups)
- 1 ½ cups Gruyère, coarsely-grated
- 2/3 cup finely-grated Parmesan cheese
- 9 eggs
- 2 ¾ cups half and half
- 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 ¾ tsp salt
- ¾ tsp pepper ¼ tsp nutmeg
Directions
Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and thyme; stir, cooking until translucent, 4-5 minutes.
Add garlic and spinach and cook 2 minutes more. Set aside.
Butter 9” x 13” baking dish. Spread one-third of bread cubes in dish, top evenly with one-third of spinach mixture. Sprinkle with one-third of each cheese. Repeat layering two more times, with cheeses as last layer.
In large bowl, whisk eggs. Add half and half, Dijon, salt, pepper and nutmeg; whisk until well-combined. Pour over strata and cover it with plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour – overnight.
Preheat oven to 325°. Bake strata until puffed, set and golden brown on top, about 70-80 minutes. Let rest 10-15 minutes before serving; it’ll settle a bit as it cools.