Whether it be for a Sunday brunch or a holiday get together, strata is a fantastic dish to serve. You may not have ever heard of strata, but DIY chef Margie Potts is on board to teach you how to make strata, plus a few ways to jazz it up.
Q: I am planning to invite some friends over for brunch. I want to serve something different, quiche and it would make it much easier if I could prepare the dish ahead of time. Do you have a recipe that fits all my needs?A: I have the perfect idea...it’s a dish called strata. It’s a southern dish that falls somewhere between a family size omelet and a crustless quiche. Let's get started! Strata Base Ingredients: 8-10 slices bread
Butter
1 lb. sausage or bacon or ham
Cheese
6 large eggs
2 cups half and half
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper - It all begins with bread...any kind you choose. You’ll need 8-10 slices of bread with the crusts removed.
- Butter one side of the bread and line up the slices on the bottom of a 9X13 glass pan.
- Top the bread with 1 pound of sausage or bacon or ham that you’ve browned and drained. Sprinkle on two cups of whatever cheese you choose (cheddar, swiss, mozzarella).
- Use a blender to mix six large eggs, two cups half & half or milk, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper (add a pinch of dry mustard or a splash of hot sauce for a little extra spice).
- Pour the egg mixture over the cheese layer. Cover the casserole tightly and refrigerate eight hours or overnight. Remove from the refrigerator and allow to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the strata uncovered, in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes out of oven before serving. Makes eight large servings.
Tex-Mex Green Chile Strata - To make this, you have the same base. However, top your buttered bread with two cups shredded hot pepper jack cheese and one cup shredded colby or cheddar cheese. Then sprinkle two (4-1/2 ounce) cans of chopped green chiles over the top.
- Mix up the egg mixture just as we did before, except, instead of ground black pepper, use 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper. Pour it over the bread and cheese and refrigerate for eight hours. Cook it the same way as earlier... 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. It’s great with fresh pico de gallo or fresh salsa.
More Strata Variations - Use Italian bread, flavorful Italian sausage, sprinkling four ounces of crumbled feta cheese with sundried tomato and basil with 1-1/2 cups of provolone cheese over the sausage and sprinkling two tablespoons of grated parmesan over the egg mixture for a Three Cheese Italian Strata.
- Another favorite is to use cubed ham, browning it, then topping it with a combination of 1-1/2 cups of shredded Swiss cheese and one cup of colby, sprinkling about two tablespoons of fresh snipped chives over the cheese, and mixing a dollop of your favorite mustard into the egg mixture.
Tip: If you are on a reduced fat diet, you can skip the step of buttering the bread as well as deleting the addition of the meat. You can use reduced fat milk and cheese. You may want to add a pinch of cayenne pepper and dry mustard to the egg mixture or some chives over the cheese to punch up the flavor.
| 
