This recipe is great because it takes care of all that extra bread in your pantry that is about to go stale. This savory dish can be served for breakfast just as easily as it can be served for lunch or dinner.
What is a strata?
Okay, so imagine if a bread pudding and a quiche hooked up: the strata would be the opps baby. This savory dish features stale bread pieces enveloped in a quiche-like egg custard along with veggies and meat. The combinations are really endless, but I love to use thinly sliced chorizo sausage in mine! I like to think of a strata as a bread pudding for people who don't have a sweet tooth.
INGREDIENTS:
For the bread
4 slices of whole wheat sandwhich bread cut into 1" pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
For the mix-ins
6 oz chorizo sausage or smoked sausage, cut into thin pieces
1tsp olive oil
1 orange, yellow, or red bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces
1 shallot, sliced thin
3 green onions thinly sliced, whites only
salt and pepper to taste
For the custard
8 large egges
1 cup of whole milk, half and half, or extra creay oat milk
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayanne or chipotle chille pepper
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp salt
For the toppings
smoked paprika to sprinkle on top
3 green onions thinly sliced, greens only
On a baking tray, toss bread, olive oil, and salt together until well combined. Bake at 350 F for 10-20 minutes or until completely dried and firm.
Meanwhile, prepare mix-ins. Add sausage to a medium-high fry pan and cook until crispy. Set aside. To the same pan, add the olive oil, bell pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 3 min or until some color has just begun to develop on the peppers. Add shallot and cook about 2 minutes more. Add green onion whites and cook about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and set aside.
Next, prepare the egg custard. Beat the eggs in a bowl until incorporated. Add the milk and seasonings to the beaten eggs until very well combined.
Then, assemble the strata. In an 8"x8" baking tray sprayed with cooking oil, add the bread, the onions and peppers, then the chorizo sausage. Sprinkle with more smoked paprika. Pour the egg custard over it all. Place in the middle rack of an oven set to 375 F. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the edges are set and the middle is just slightly jiggly. Let rest for 10 minutes. Top with the remaining green onions and a light sprinkle of flaky salt. Enjoy!
Tips:
This recipe is just my usual go to because I am always finding myself unsure about what to do with these ingredients in particular before they spoil. However, the combinations are limitless. Some suggestions: broccoli, cheese, hashbrowns, salsa. Comment on my Instagram video, YouTube video, or on this blog page to tell me what combinations you tried!
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