Strata Breakfast

By mariannefeldman

http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/recipes/breakfast-strata/

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Most stratas are rich, cheesy, and ultra-fatty, loaded with butter, eggs, and cream or half-and-half. In our efforts to lighten this popular brunch dish, we first tried using egg whites and a mix of more whites than yolks, plus skim milk. But these versions were all disappointingly lean and unsatisfying. Sticking with whole eggs proved best, and whole milk kept the custard just rich enough. Incorporating chopped spinach provided additional heartiness to the dish, and feta cheese, which is naturally low in fat, was a great alternative to full-fat cheeses and lent our strata a pleasant tangy flavor. Reduced white wine and sautéed aromatics also helped to bump up the flavor.

Ingredients

• Serves 6
• Do not substitute oil for the butter in this recipe as it provides important richness. Do not substitute low-fat or skim milk here.
• 1/2 loaf (6 ounces) French or Italian bread, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry, and chopped coarse
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 6 large eggs
• 1 3/4 cups whole milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (1 1/2 cups)

Preparation

Step 1

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Spread bread pieces out over rimmed baking sheet and bake until thoroughly dry and crisp, 30 to 40 minutes.

2. Melt butter in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in spinach and cook until spinach is heated through, about 2 minutes; transfer to bowl. Add wine to now-empty skillet, bring to simmer over medium-high heat, and cook until it has reduced to 1/4 cup, about 3 minutes; set aside to cool separately.

3. Spray 8-inch square baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Whisk eggs, milk, reduced wine, salt, and pepper together in large bowl. Stir in dried bread, spinach mixture, and 1 cup feta until well combined. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and cover with plastic wrap. Weight strata down with large zipper-lock bag filled with sugar. Refrigerate for 1 to 24 hours.

4. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Remove weight from strata and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Unwrap, sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup feta, and bake until surface is puffed and edges pull away slightly from dish, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Per Serving
Cal 330, Fat 16g, Sat Fat 8g, Chol 225g, Carb 24g, Protein 16g, Fiber 2g, Sodium 1060mg

Find this and other favorites made lighter in our Comfort Food Makeovers cookbook.