Strata Summer Vegetable Food

VEGETABLE STRATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Add asparagus; cook and stir until crisp-tender. Transfer to a large bowl., Repeat with an additional 1 teaspoon oil and zucchini; add to asparagus. In same pan, cook and stir corn, shallots and garlic in remaining oil until shallots are tender; stir in herbs, salt and pepper. Add to asparagus mixture; stir in bread cubes., Place half of mixture in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with 1-1/2 cups cheese. Repeat layers. In another bowl, whisk eggs and milk; pour over casserole. Sprinkle with pecans. Refrigerate, covered, at least 1 hour., Bake, uncovered, 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Freeze option: After assembling, cover and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake strata, covered, 45 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

VEGGIE DINNER STRATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the eggs with the milk, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 2/3 cup of the cheese. Add the bread cubes and the vegetables and toss to combine. Transfer to the prepared baking dish, pressing down gently to soak the bread.
• Sprinkle the strata with the remaining 1/3 cup cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the top is golden brown and the strata is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

VEGETABLE STRATA

Steps:

• Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the broccoli until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes; drain and set aside.
• Whisk together the half-and-half, Parmesan, eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl.
• Layer half of the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups of the Monterey Jack, followed by the mushrooms, broccoli, scallions and tomatoes. Cover with the remaining bread cubes and pour the egg mixture evenly over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. (This can also be assembled the day of; just let soak at room temperature 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking.)
• On the day of baking, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Let the strata sit at room temperature while the oven preheats. Remove the plastic and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Monterey Jack. Bake until slightly puffed and just no longer jiggly in the center, 40 to 50 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

STRATA - SUMMER VEGETABLE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350°F.
• Lightly butter an 8x8-inch baking dish. Rub the top of each slice of bread with the garlic clove. Lay the slices in the dish in one layer, cutting them into pieces where necessary. Season with salt and pepper.
• Measure the milk and/or cream into a bowl. Add the eggs, half of the cheese, and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Whisk vigorously to beat the eggs and to combine. Add the basil and stir gently. Set aside.
• In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium high. Add the onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until it softens and colors lightly, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, trim the squash, cut them lengthwise into quarters then into 1/3 inch slices. Stir the squash into the onion, spread in a single layer, and let sit undisturbed for 1 to 2 minutes to encourage browning.
• Meanwhile, halve and seed the tomatoes and chop coarsely. When the squash is lightly browned, add the tomatoes, stir to mix vegetables and saute 1 more minute to cook off any liquid.
• With a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to the dish, spreading them evenly over the bread. Place the spinch leaves evenly on the top. Give the milk and egg mixture a stir and gently pour it all into the dish. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake until the milk and egg mixture sets, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool at least 5 minutes, slice into squares with the edge of a spatula, and use the spatula to lift out the pieces.

VEGGIE-PACKED STRATA

Steps:

• In a large skillet, saute peppers and onion in 1 Tbsp. oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain; pat dry and set aside. In the same skillet, saute the yellow squash, zucchini and mushrooms in remaining 2 Tbsp. oil until tender. Drain; pat dry and set aside., Preheat oven to 325°. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, cream, salt and pepper until smooth. Beat in eggs. Stir in vegetables, half of the bread cubes and Swiss cheese. Arrange the remaining bread cubes in a greased 10-in. springform pan. Place on a baking sheet. Pour egg mixture into pan. , Bake, uncovered, until set and a thermometer reads 160°, 80-95 minutes. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before serving. Run a knife around sides of pan to loosen; remove sides. Cut into wedges.

BASIL VEGETABLE STRATA

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; cook and stir until tender, 8-10 minutes. Remove from pan., In same pan, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir until golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Remove from pan and add to the mushrooms., Add remaining oil to pan. Add peppers, leek, salt and pepper; cook and stir until leek is tender, 6-8 minutes. Stir in sauteed mushrooms and onion., In a 13x9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray, layer half of each of the following: bread cubes, vegetable mixture, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, egg whites and milk until blended; pour over layers. Sprinkle with basil. Refrigerate, covered, overnight., Preheat oven to 350°. Remove strata from refrigerator while oven heats., Bake, covered, 50 minutes. Bake, uncovered, until lightly browned and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 10-15 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

ROASTED VEGETABLE STRATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Toss zucchini and peppers with oil and seasonings; transfer to a 15x10x1-in. pan. Roast until tender, 25-30 minutes, stirring once. Stir in tomato; cool slightly., Trim ends from bread; cut bread into 1-in. slices. In a greased 13x9-in. baking dish, layer half of each of the following: bread, roasted vegetables and cheeses. Repeat layers. Whisk together eggs and milk; pour evenly over top. Refrigerate, covered, 6 hours or overnight., Preheat oven to 375°. Remove casserole from refrigerator while oven heats. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown, 40-50 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes before cutting. Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked casserole. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 375°. Bake casserole as directed, increasing time as necessary to heat through and for a thermometer inserted in center to read 165°.