Description
Ina Garten’s breakfast strata combines hearty bread, savory eggs, and rich cheese in a comforting morning dish. Layered ingredients create a satisfying meal perfect for weekend gatherings, ensuring you enjoy a delightful start to your day.
Ingredients
Scale
- 9 large eggs
- 8 cups (340 g) cubed bread (big chunks of a crispy baguette or sourdough loaf)
- 8 slices uncooked bacon
- 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk
- 1 ½ cups (150 g) shredded parmesan cheese
- 3 packed cups (90 g) fresh chopped spinach
- ½ cup (75 g) chopped onion
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground mustard
- ¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper
- Fresh ground black pepper (for garnish)
- Flaky sea salt (for garnish)
- Extra parmesan cheese (for garnish)
Instructions
- Preparation: Coat a 9 x 13 inches baking dish with non-stick spray, ensuring complete coverage to prevent adhesion.
- Bread Foundation: Create a uniform base layer by evenly distributing cubed bread across the dish’s bottom.
- Bacon Transformation: In a skillet, crisp bacon over medium heat until golden brown. Chop into bite-sized pieces and disperse over bread layer.
- Vegetable Medley: Utilize bacon drippings to sauté onions until translucent. Incorporate garlic and spinach, cooking until greens wilt and flavors meld.
- Layering: Spread vegetable mixture uniformly over bacon-covered bread, ensuring comprehensive distribution.
- Cheese Infusion: Generously sprinkle parmesan cheese across the vegetable layer, creating a rich, tangy coating.
- Egg Custard: Whisk eggs, milk, kosher salt, ground mustard, and black pepper in a mixing bowl until well-combined and slightly frothy.
- Liquid Integration: Pour egg mixture over the cheese-topped casserole, allowing it to permeate through all layers and create a custardy texture.
- Flavor Development: Refrigerate, covered, for 1 hour or overnight to intensify and marry flavors.
- Temperature Equilibration: Remove from refrigerator 20 minutes before baking to approach room temperature.
- Oven Preparation: Preheat to 375°F (191°C), positioning rack centrally for optimal heat circulation.
- Baking Process: Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, then tent with foil to prevent over-browning. Continue baking for 30-35 minutes until puffy and golden.
- Finishing Touches: Rest for 5 minutes to set. Garnish with additional black pepper, flaky sea salt, and optional parmesan before serving.
Notes
- Advance Prep Magic: Refrigerate the strata overnight to allow flavors to develop and marry beautifully, creating a more complex and delicious breakfast dish.
- Bread Selection Matters: Choose day-old or slightly stale bread for better absorption of egg mixture, preventing a soggy or overly wet texture.
- Bacon Brilliance: Cook bacon until crisp to ensure maximum crunch and flavor distribution throughout the strata.
- Temperature Tip: Let the dish sit at room temperature before baking to promote even cooking and prevent a cold center.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 408
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 785 mg
- Fat: 26 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Cholesterol: 207 mg