Vegetable strata

5 from 2 votes

This vegetable strata has a little prep, but you can do it the night before as suits. Then bake for a comforting, tasty brunch dish with lots of flavor.

Prep Time15

Cook Time55

Total Time1 10

Course: Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: American

Servings: -4

Calories: 484kcal

Author: Caroline

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Ingredients

4 oz bread eg Italian/French, crusts removed, 4oz is a little over 2 cups of cubes
4 oz crimini mushrooms
½ small onion
1 clove garlic
2 cups spinach packed
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup gruyere coarsely grated, or other firm, flavorful cheese eg cheddar, comte
⅓ cup dried cherries optional, see notes
3 eggs
¾ cup milk
a little salt and pepper

Instructions

The night before

Dice the bread into bite-sized pieces Lightly oil a medium oven dish (approx 8x6in/20x15cm) and spread half the bread over the bottom (it should be roughly half full, if anything a little less).
Prepare the vegetables by slicing the mushrooms, dicing the onion and garlic and removing tough stems from and roughly chopping the spinach.
Warm roughly ⅔ of the butter in a wide skillet/frying pan and cook the mushrooms until gently brown on both sides then remove from the skillet. Add the rest of the butter and soften the onion. If needed, add a little extra butter. Once the onion is soft and translucent, add the garlic, cook a minute, then add the spinach. Allow it to wilt down, turning as needed. Add back the mushrooms as the spinach is wilting down and mix. Once the spinach has all wilted, remove from heat.
Put half of the vegetable mixture over the bread in the dish, then top with half of the cherries, so all are evenly spread.
Grate the cheese and put roughly half on top of the vegetables in the dish. Top with the remaining chunks of bread followed by the rest of the vegetable mix, cherries and cheese.
Beat the eggs and milk in a bowl or jug, seasoned with a little salt and pepper, and carefully pour over the bake. You can either bake immediately or cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

To bake

Preheat oven to 350F/190C. Remove the dish from the fridge, if prepared ahead, to allow it to come to room temperature while the oven is coming to temperature.
Bake for approx 45 minutes until lightly browned on the top and set inside. While it's best enjoyed at the time, you can eat leftover cold or gently reheated.

Video

Notes

Note time does not include time left overnight, if you choose to make ahead.

I have noted cherries as optional as, while I like the little burst of sweet in there, I know not everyone likes sweet in an otherwise savory dish. So feel free to omit if you prefer.

You can also change the vegetables in this to suit your tastes and what you have, eg add in some diced pepper, corn or zucchini.

Nutrition

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