Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Broccoli, Mushroom, and Cheese Breakfast Strata


Have you ever made or eaten a strata? Or maybe you haven't even heard of it before.

Well all you need to know is that it is the perfect clean-out-your-fridge use-up-leftovers recipe. And that's exactly what I did. So as a result, I made several substitutions. Here's what I used in my version of this week's CEiMB Broccoli, Mushroom and Cheese Breakfast Strata (chosen by A mid-life culinary adventure):
From the freezer - whole wheat sandwich bread and chopped spinach
From the refrigerator - red bell pepper, feta, Parmesan, eggs, milk, and Dijon
From the pantry - oil, salt, pepper, and garlic
From the garden - thyme
All I had to buy from the store were mushrooms and an onion!

I love eggs for dinner. I make an omelet or frittata about once a week. Its perfect for when you've had a particularly "carby" day and don't feel like having a salad (remember Bethenny's "account" balancing?).

I halved the recipe and served it for dinner tonight...we are watching the final game of the CWS! Geaux Tigers!

Oh, and by the way...Hil took all of the pics. Now if she would just read my blog, she would get to see them!


  • Per serving - 250 calories, 12 g fat (3.5 saturated), 17 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 21 g protein (exchanges: 2 fats, 2 1/2 protein, 1 starch, 1 vegetable)
  • Notes - Make sure you realize that the strata must rest/soak for at least 8 hours...plan ahead; I used sandwich bread (which is not as crusty as a baguette) so I had to toast the bread cubes...200 degrees for at least an hour; use any cheese you like - I used about 2 oz feta instead of mozzarella (remember I halved the recipe); use any veggies you like - I used 1/2 an onion, 1/2 a red bell pepper, 8 oz of mushrooms (I didn't halve the mushrooms! I love them too much!), 1 cup frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed to release as much water as possible...which resulted in about 1/2 cup of spinach in the end); I seasoned the veggies with salt and pepper while they were sauteing and then added less S&P to the egg mixture; I had to cover the strata with foil half-way through the baking time because it was browning too quickly
  • My thoughts - Like I said before I love egg dishes for dinner, and this one hit the spot! I would definitely make this again...with a different vegetable/cheese combination, depending on what I need to use up! It was a little dry, so I might add a little more milk next time. Hilary thought it would be good with marinara...we didn't have any so she used ketchup (GROSS!). The serving size is really big and all for 250 calories...you could have more if you wanted! Or serve it with a salad (green salad if you are having it for dinner...fruit salad for breakfast/brunch). Or just have one serving and then go get frozen yogurt for a treat, like I'm about to!

7 comments:

  1. Hil did a great job on the pics. Looks fantastic.
    I'm an egg-anytime-of-day person as well. They are so easy and usually work out great.

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  2. I really loved this one, so glad you did too. I agree that this is a great clean out the fridge/freezer meal, and the serving size is huge. I was so pleased about that.

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  3. Your strata looks great!! I thought this was so delcious! And I am a huge fan as well of eating eggs for dinner as well!

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  4. Great pics, props to the photographer.

    I'm liking the addition of Dijon to this. I have always eschewed the ketchup and egg people (I stick by my story that it is disgusting) but mustard, that could be interesting.

    Too bad for me Sara doesn't really eat it. Maybe I'll sneak a tbls. into my next omelet.

    Thanks for the idea!

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  5. Hmm... maybe I should have toasted my bread. I used a baguette but it turned out soggy. I'll have to keep that in mind next time.

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  6. Looks wonderful! I'm glad you liked it!

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  7. Really pretty pictures of the strata. So colorful. Great job!

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