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‘Whatever’s In the Fridge’ Strata

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‘Whatever’s In the Fridge’ Strata
 
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A great tip for working with stale bread: put it in the microwave for a few seconds, it’ll be easier to rip into pieces.
by:
Ingredients
  • Serves 8, or fewer with great leftovers
  • 1 loaf of stale bread (baguette and/or Italian loaf are my favorites), torn into large pieces
  • 4 slices of bacon (optional, but highly recommended)
  • About 1 pound of vegetables, diced (we used 1 leek, 2 carrots, and a bell pepper but use whatever you have—mushrooms, spinach, asparagus are also great)
  • 10-12 eggs
  • 1 quart of milk
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • Hot sauce (optional)
  • ½ pound of cheese (extra sharp cheddar or pepperjack are delicious)
Instructions
  1. Cook the bacon until very crispy, drain the bacon and reserve the drippings.
  2. Sauté the vegetables in about in 2 tablespoons bacon drippings (or olive oil).
  3. Mix the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and hot sauce in a medium bowl.
  4. Layer half the bread pieces in a greased 13x9 pan, followed by half the sautéed vegetables and half the cheese. Repeat the layering process with the rest of the bread, vegetables, and cheese. Crumble the cooked bacon on top (optional, but awesome.)
  5. Pour the egg mixture over the casserole, until barely covering but not submerged (whisking together and adding more eggs and milk, if necessary). Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably longer. It’s easiest to make this dish the night before and let it refrigerate overnight to cook the next day (it’s good at breakfast, lunch, and dinner!).
  6. When ready to bake, remove the strata from the refrigerator and cover tightly with foil. Move the rack to the middle position, and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake covered for about an hour, then remove the foil and give it a quick broil to brown the top.

 

About Sharon Damelio

I love to cook and to write–both of which I learned at my parents’ elbows. After graduating from college, I worked at Fine Cooking magazine as the Assistant Web Editor. After two glorious years there, I returned to graduate school and now work at WhyHunger, an NYC-based nonprofit that is building a movement to end hunger and increase access to fresh, nutritious food. In the kitchen, I fancy myself the culinary version of an armchair-traveler, but I’m also a devoted baker. Some days, when work is overwhelming and the world seems bleak, methodically creating a batch of bread, cookies, or scones is all the relaxation I need.

11 Comments

  6. LilSis says

    I love it! That’s my way of cooking. I love just using what you have on hand and not worrying about messing up the recipe. That’s why I’m a better cook than a baker.

    Reply

  9. CNA License says

    Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed browsing your blog posts. In any case I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon!

    Reply

    • Maggy says

      We’re glad you found us too. We each write a new post every week, so there’s new content all the time!

      Reply

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