Growing up, I was always excited for brunches because it meant my mom would make “egg stuff”. I didn’t know it at the time (okay, or until about a year ago) that this stuff had a name, strata. It’s layers of cheesy, eggy goodness, day old bread and my mom even covered it all in butter. I’ve made it a couple times, but I’m always striving to make it a little healthier.
Eggs are something I don’t buy often. I use them very infrequently and it’s hard for me to use a full dozen before they go bad. They’re easy enough to swap out of most recipes, so I don’t miss them unless I’m craving actual eggs. A woman I work with (hi, Tina!) surprised me with some eggs from her chickens at the end of last week, and I pretty immediately knew what I wanted to do with them – make my beloved egg stuff! One of the few foods I treasure that I can’t swap out.
I made it a little healthier by diluting the eggs with unsweetened almond milk, loading it up with broccoli, and using whole wheat bread. You could very easily use a gluten free bread or regular bread. I actually used whole wheat bagels when I made it this time. Bread that’s a little dried out is best – let it sit out overnight on the counter if you need to.
4 – 5 sun-dried tomatoes (preferably not packed in oil),chopped
4 eggs
~ 1 c unsweetened almond milk (or other milk of choice)
¼ c Parmesan cheese (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spritz an 8”x8” casserole dish with nonstick spray.
Chop the bread into bite sized pieces. Layer half of the bread in the bottom of the dish, top with half of the broccoli, all of the onion, and all of the tomato. Grate about half of the Parmesan cheese over top, if desired. Layer the remaining bread and broccoli on top.
Whisk the eggs in a large measuring cup. Add enough almond milk to achieve a total of 2 c. Season with salt and pepper, based on your own tastes, and whisk well.
Pour the egg mixture over the bread and veggies. Top with additional cheese, if desired.
Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until the eggs have set.
Notes
To lower the fat/calories, you could substitute egg substitute (e.g., Egg Beaters) for all or some of the eggs (¼ c for each) Nutritional info is based on whole wheat bread and includes cheese. For a dairy free option, skip the cheese and use a plant based milk.
I am an egg fiend and would probably serve this for dinner! I love that you lightened it up, and sundried tomatoes are fabulous in so many dishes. Nicely done Kelly!
I am an egg fiend and would probably serve this for dinner! I love that you lightened it up, and sundried tomatoes are fabulous in so many dishes. Nicely done Kelly!
Strata! Its one of my favorite breakfast treats. And I love how your recipe is not loaded up with cream and what not.
I always think of stratas as savory bread puddings…which means they MUST be awesome! The broccoli and sun dried tomato in this are such a great twist!
What a delicious strata! I haven’t had one in years but I love them too! I bet those fresh eggs made it extra special.
Would love to veganise this dish…I love broccoli though!
Rika
vegan miam
http://www.veganmiam.com
i’ve made vegan egg dishes with mori nu tofu before, i bet thatd work pretty great!
Fun recipe! I bet my family would love it! 🙂
Two of my favorite veggies! This looks so good!
Yum! I am absolutely giving this a try. I think that I will roast the broccoli first, though, because I LOVE roasted broccoli so much better.
Roasting the broccoli would definitely be an upgrade! The broccoli on top got all roasty and delicious — it was so tasty.
I love egg stuff. Any form of it! My mom always made stratas. This looks so good!
I love stratas and adore the idea of using broccoli and sun-dried tomatoes in a strata recipe. Fun and tasty!!
This looks delicious – I love egg-stuff! Whole wheat bread and veggies make it so much healthier!
This looks really good! I’ve never had strata before. I know, I’m sheltered. 😉
It’s delicious! If you like eggs, you should really try it out.