Eggs are the perfect breakfast. They’re packed with essential nutrients and high quality protein. Protein helps to keep us full which is particularly important when you’re starting your day. Scrambled eggs, fried eggs, omelettes, french toast; If you’re a fan of eggs then the breakfast possibilities are endless! Like my favourite breakfast – Green Eggs. I’m here to add one more fantastic egg dish to that list – Breakfast Strata!
Make your own Strata
Breakfast Stratas are not only easy to make, but also easy to adapt. You can add a variety of ingredients to make this recipe your own. Here’s a basic framework that will help you create a strata of your own
Bread – Day-old, slightly hard bread works best since it holds it shape while soaking up the egg mixture. What bread you decide to use is up to you – whole wheat, sourdough, leftover pad or any type of artisan bread.
Eggs – Can’t make a strata without eggs! You’ll find eggless and vegan versions online but I haven’t tried any of those out. You can whisk the eggs with milk or cream to get a custard-like texture.
Cheese – I like to add a combination of different cheeses to the strata. Cheddar, mozzarella, gruyere or whatever you can get your hands on. Don’t skimp on this because the cheese adds a lot of flavour to the dish.
Vegetables – For that pop of colour and nutrition, try adding onions, capsicum, spinach, mushroom or zucchini. Saute veggies like mushroom, onions and spinach to remove extra moisture before adding them to the strata.
Meat – I’m not a big fan of starting my day with meat, but if that’s something you like then bacon, sausage, ham and chicken are great additions to the strata. Be sure to cook the meat before adding it to the strata. This is also a great way to make the dish more filling.
Herbs and Seasonings – Give the strata some flavour with fresh or dried herbs like parsley, basil, chives, thyme, oregano etc. Chipotle seasoning or taco seasonings works great but if you’d rather go with just plain old salt and pepper, the strata would still be delicious.
Since I was taking pictures I took extra care to layer my veggies in a more aesthetically pleasing way, but I’ll let you in on a secret. I usually just dump all my ingredients into the egg custard mixture, mix it up and pour it into my mould! Since it is an easy recipe you can spend a few minutes arranging it but if you’re in a rush, feel free to dump-and-bake! Strata is best served hot with your morning cup of coffee!
I’ve chosen to make this strata in a loaf tin since the portion works out to be perfect for two. I use these AmazonBasics loaf tins for most of my bread recipes like this Blender Banana Bread. I like to line my loaf tin with baking paper for easy removal but you can also use a silicone mould and skip that step entirely. Use silicone muffin moulds and you’ve got yourself little individual strata portions! Just be sure to adjust the temperature and cook time accordingly.
Breakfast Strata
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Spinach (finely chopped)
- 1 Onion
- ½ Tbsp Olive Oil
- 3 Eggs
- ¾ cup Milk
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Pepper
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Capsicum (small)
- 1 Tomato (small)
- 1 Tbsp Black Olives (sliced)
- 1 Tbsp Green Olives (sliced)
- ½ cup Cheddar Cheese (grated)
- 3-4 slices Bread (about 100g)
Instructions
- Grease and line a bread loaf tin with baking paper
- Begin by preparing your vegetables. Wash and dry your spinach and cut into thin slices. Finely chop the onions. Cut thin, round slices of the tomato discarding the seeds. Cut the capsicum into ¼ inch rounds*.
- Place a pan on medium heat and add ½ tbsp of olive oil.
- Once hot, add the onions and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add the spinach and sweat till most of the water evaporates. You can lightly salt the spinach at this stage to draw out more water. This should take about 3-4 minutes. Cool thoroughly.
- Grate the cheese and set aside.
- In a large bowl, take 3 eggs and beat thoroughly.
- Add the milk, salt, garlic powder and pepper and whisk until combined
- Assemble your strata. Add a layer of bread to the lined loaf tin, followed by the cooked onions and spinach. They’ll be slightly clumpy but you can de-clump them with your fingers and spread them evenly. Add a few tomato and capsicum slices along with some olives and top with a layer of cheese. Repeat the layers once more.
- Give the eggs and milk mixture another whisk before pouring it into the mould. Try to pour the mixture evenly over the mould.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for at least 2 hours. You can also make this the night before and leave it in the fridge overnight**.
- Preheat your oven to 170c. Transfer the mould to the oven and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour or until a knife entered into the centre comes out clean.
- Allow the strata to cool slightly before de-moulding, portioning and serving!
Notes
Other Breakfast Recipes on the Blog!
