There isn’t much talk of breakfast on Christmas morning; I guess most people focus on the dinner. But we have to eat something as we dive into stockings and unwrap presents…and preferably not just candy canes…or a regular old bowl of oatmeal.
For us, the solution is strata. Strata is essentially bread pudding, only with savory flavors — cheese, meat, herbs, veggies, etc — instead of sweet. This cheesy, hearty dish is special enough for a holiday, but fast and easy to make, so you won’t miss out on the festivities. There are a lot of variations of this dish, and you can add any sauteed veggies or some browned sausage if you like, but this is the simplest version:
Whisk 2 cups milk (whole or 2%), 5 eggs, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and the juice of half a lemon. Cut a baguette or Ciabatta bread into cubes (about 12 oz, or 6 cups) and place into a greased baking dish (I rub it with a buttered paper towel). Chop about 2 cups of arugula (or basil, parsley, spinach) and sprinkle over the bread. Pour the egg mixture on top of the bread and press down so the bread starts to soak up the egg. Let sit for at least 15 minutes then use your hands to gently stir the mixture again (the bread should be soaked — if there are dry pieces still and the liquid is all soaked up, add another beaten egg. If the mixture seems too wet, press in a few more bread cubes before baking). Then cover with grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup) and some shreds or slices of sharp cheddar cheese (about 1/2 cup)
and bake at 350 until the top is browned and the center is no longer liquidy, about 35-40 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes then serve with a side of fresh fruit, sausage, or both.
Yum!
- 2 cups milk
- 5 eggs
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- juice of half a lemon
- 1 baguette or ciabatta bread
- 2 cups arugula (or basil, parsley, spinach)
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Whisk 2 cups milk (whole or 2%), eggs, salt, pepper, and the lemon juice. Cut a baguette or Ciabatta bread into cubes (about 12 oz, or 6 cups) and place into a greased baking dish (I rub it with a buttered paper towel). Chop arugula (or basil, parsley, spinach) and sprinkle over the bread.
- Pour the egg mixture on top of the bread and press down so the bread starts to soak up the egg. Let sit for at least 15 minutes then use your hands to gently stir the mixture again (the bread should be soaked — if there are dry pieces still and the liquid is all soaked up, add another beaten egg. If the mixture seems too wet, press in a few more bread cubes before baking).
- Then cover with grated Parmesan cheese and some shreds or slices of sharp cheddar cheese.
- Bake at 350 until the top is browned and the center is no longer liquidy, about 35-40 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes
7 Comments
christa
December 23, 2011 at 10:48 pmi’m definitely making this for my family on christmas morning (otherwise we really do eat candy and chocolate all day). i was thinking of using trader joe’s rosemary salt bread for added flavor. and of course, i’m serving it with candied bacon (coated in brown sugar, cayenne, and pepper and baked in the oven). thanks for the inspiration!
Kirty
December 24, 2011 at 10:50 amMaking this for sure! Can I prep it today to save a little time tomorrow morning?
Amelia
December 24, 2011 at 11:07 amYou can cut the bread into cubes today, as well as grate cheese & chop herbs. Just don’t make the egg/milk mixture until the morning, as this isn’t good food safety-wise.
Deana
December 25, 2011 at 9:39 pmUh oh! Why isn’t it good food safety? I kept it in the fridge all mixed together. I hope I don’t make everyone sick …
Amelia
December 25, 2011 at 10:25 pmDon’t worry! Many bread pudding recipes call for soaking the bread in the egg mixture overnight in the fridge, and it gets cooked so it’s fine. Just in general, it’s considered safer not to leave mixed egg mixtures sitting around after you beat the eggs.
shelley
December 28, 2011 at 9:47 pmDo you think it would compromise the taste or texture much to use nonfat milk and lowfat cheese? I’d like to make a non-holiday/special occasion version!
Amelia
December 29, 2011 at 8:32 amThe low-fat cheese would be fine, but it’d almost be better to use regular sharp/potent cheese and just use less of it, because in this dish the cheese is for flavor more than anything. As far as the milk, stick to 2%. If you use whole grain bread and add in some sauteed veggies, it’s still a healthy breakfast!