Looking for a brunch dish that’ll feed a crowd? Meet the strata. It has eggs, cheese, protein and veggies, and pro-tip, last night’s bread. When the bread isn’t super-fresh, it holds up better when baked. Plus, it soaks up every bit of that eggy, cheesy goodness.
Pro Tip: Sourdough is amazing in this dish, but any sturdy, day-old bread will do—from multigrain to white.
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 2 cups thinly sliced leeks (about 2 medium)
- 1 ½ cups chopped ham
- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper (about 1 medium)
- 4 cups loosely packed baby kale (about 4 ounces)
- 1 loaf day old sourdough bread (about 1 pound), cut into 1” cubes
- 8 ounces grated fontina cheese, divided
- 7 large eggs
- 2 ½ cups half-and-half
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 ½ teaspoons fresh, chopped)
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Cookware Needed
- 12” American Kitchen Stainless Steel or Nonstick Skillet
- 12” American Kitchen Nonstick Casserole Pan
- Medium Bowl
- Large Bowl
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil into a 12-inch American Kitchen stainless steel or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and ham; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and sauté an additional 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Heat the remaining teaspoon oil in the skillet. Add the kale and sauté 1 minute or until kale has wilted. Remove pan from heat and stir kale into to ham mixture. Let cool 5 minutes.
- Arrange half of the bread in an even layer into a 12” American Kitchen nonstick casserole pan. Top with half of the reserved leek mixture and half of the fontina cheese; repeat layers with remaining bread, leek mixture and cheese.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and- half, salt, thyme, pepper, and nutmeg. Pour over assembled strata in pan; lightly press bread cubes to submerge. Let stand 10 minutes.
- Bake, uncovered, until the strata is set and browned, about 40 minutes.
Yield: 8-10 servings
Prep and Cook Time: 1 hour
