Summer Vegetable Strata Recipes

VEGETABLE STRATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Add asparagus; cook and stir until crisp-tender. Transfer to a large bowl., Repeat with an additional 1 teaspoon oil and zucchini; add to asparagus. In same pan, cook and stir corn, shallots and garlic in remaining oil until shallots are tender; stir in herbs, salt and pepper. Add to asparagus mixture; stir in bread cubes., Place half of mixture in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with 1-1/2 cups cheese. Repeat layers. In another bowl, whisk eggs and milk; pour over casserole. Sprinkle with pecans. Refrigerate, covered, at least 1 hour., Bake, uncovered, 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Freeze option: After assembling, cover and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake strata, covered, 45 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

VEGETABLE STRATA

Steps:

• Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the broccoli until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes; drain and set aside.
• Whisk together the half-and-half, Parmesan, eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl.
• Layer half of the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups of the Monterey Jack, followed by the mushrooms, broccoli, scallions and tomatoes. Cover with the remaining bread cubes and pour the egg mixture evenly over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. (This can also be assembled the day of; just let soak at room temperature 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking.)
• On the day of baking, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Let the strata sit at room temperature while the oven preheats. Remove the plastic and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Monterey Jack. Bake until slightly puffed and just no longer jiggly in the center, 40 to 50 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

VEGGIE DINNER STRATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the eggs with the milk, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 2/3 cup of the cheese. Add the bread cubes and the vegetables and toss to combine. Transfer to the prepared baking dish, pressing down gently to soak the bread.
• Sprinkle the strata with the remaining 1/3 cup cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the top is golden brown and the strata is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

VEGETABLE AND CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• In a large skillet cook the onion, the scallion, and the mushrooms in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until the onion is softened, add the bell peppers and salt and pepper to taste, and cook the mixture over moderate heat, stirring, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until all the liquid the mushrooms give off is evaporated and the peppers are tender. Arrange half the bread cubes in a buttered large shallow (4 1/2-quart) baking dish, spread half the vegetable mixture over them, and sprinkle half the Cheddar and half the Parmesan over the vegetables. Arrange the remaining bread cubes over the cheeses, top them with the remaining vegetables, and sprinkle the remaining cheeses over the top. In a bowl whisk together the eggs, the milk, the mustard, the Tabasco, and salt and pepper to taste, pour the egg mixture evenly over the strata, and chill the strata, covered, overnight. Let the strata stand at room temperature for 15 minutes and bake it in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until it is puffed and golden and cooked through.

STRATA - SUMMER VEGETABLE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350°F.
• Lightly butter an 8x8-inch baking dish. Rub the top of each slice of bread with the garlic clove. Lay the slices in the dish in one layer, cutting them into pieces where necessary. Season with salt and pepper.
• Measure the milk and/or cream into a bowl. Add the eggs, half of the cheese, and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Whisk vigorously to beat the eggs and to combine. Add the basil and stir gently. Set aside.
• In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium high. Add the onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until it softens and colors lightly, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, trim the squash, cut them lengthwise into quarters then into 1/3 inch slices. Stir the squash into the onion, spread in a single layer, and let sit undisturbed for 1 to 2 minutes to encourage browning.
• Meanwhile, halve and seed the tomatoes and chop coarsely. When the squash is lightly browned, add the tomatoes, stir to mix vegetables and saute 1 more minute to cook off any liquid.
• With a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to the dish, spreading them evenly over the bread. Place the spinch leaves evenly on the top. Give the milk and egg mixture a stir and gently pour it all into the dish. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake until the milk and egg mixture sets, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool at least 5 minutes, slice into squares with the edge of a spatula, and use the spatula to lift out the pieces.