“Even with just one layer of filling in the middle of this strata, you’ll be looking at a gorgeous casserole which should thoroughly impress your brunch guests with bottomless Mimosas.”
Ingredients
- ½++ pounds (8-10 slices) bacon – cut crosswise into ½” wide strips (add sausage maybe)
- ½++ tablespoons bacon grease
- ½ loaf (½ pound) day-old sourdough/French bread (boxed stuffing?)- cut into ½” cubes
- 6 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon or less kosher salt (or use feta cheese and no salt as the middle chees e layer)
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (and ¼ teaspoon fresh thyme)
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
- 1¼ cups heavy cream (or use 1 cup milk & ½ stick butter melted)
- ½++ pound spinach – wilted & dried using bacon pan (dump in some garlic & onions & salsa)
- 7 Cremini mushrooms – sautéed with 2 cloves of garlic & onions dump in salsa and reduce
- 6 ounces (or more) shredded extra-sharp Cheddar (or whatever other cheeses)
- 4-5 tablespoons of salsa
Directions
- If necessary bake bread cubes @ 350° for 10 minutes or so until dried then place bread cubes in a large mixing bowl.
- Wisk together cream and salt, pepper, thyme, cayenne, and nutmeg then add eggs.
- Pour egg/cream mixture over the bread cubes and mix to distribute ingredients evenly.
- Allow bread mixture to sit from at least 1 hour up to overnight in refrigerator.
- Sauté mushrooms, etc. (heat olive oil & butter – wait until bubbling almost stops then sauté until oil returns from mushrooms to the pan)
- Fry bacon in mushroom pan until crisp (bubbles in grease) then drain and save the fat.
- Use bacon pan to wilt spinach. Hand-squeeze out as much liquid as possible then chop.
- Well oil bottom and sides of a 9”x 9” baking dish with saved bacon fat.
- Spread ½ bread cube mix evenly over the bottom of pan & press mixture down – then:
- Cover with half of the grated Cheddar cheese.
- Add cooked bacon pieces in an even layer over the cheese.
- Next add sautéed mushrooms pieces in an even layer over the bacon.
- Place the cooked spinach over the bacon and cover with salsa.
- Cover with half of the remaining cheese (and/or use feta cheese).
- Finish with the rest of the bread cube mix, spread evenly & pressed down slightly.
- Sprinkle with the rest of the grated cheese.
- Preheat oven to 350° and bake until set, about 45 minutes.
- Broil the strata for a minute or two to brown the top.