I made my go-to strata to bring to my grandma's birthday lunch! This is another recipe from Joy Philbin and, like all her others, it's simple to make and is YUMMY! Seriously, this was the first strata recipe I ever tried when I found it several years ago and I've never bothered with any other. You can't go wrong with the combination of bacon, cheese, and spinach! I've said it before and I'll say it again: Mrs. Philbin needs to come out with a cookbook!
JOY PHILBIN'S BACON, EGG, AND CHEESE STRATA
For the Filling:
1 10 oz. box chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 lb. thick bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 t. minced garlic (optional)*
1/4 t. black pepper
1/2 t. salt
A pinch of nutmeg
8 cups cubed Italian or Ciabatta bread
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
For the Egg Mixture:
12 eggs
1/2 t. black pepper
1 t. salt
2 1/2 cups milk or half-and-half
2 T. Dijon mustard
*Both Joy and I leave out the garlic if we're making this for breakfast, as neither of us like garlic in the morning, but we'll throw it in if the strata is being served for brunch, lunch, or dinner.
In a skillet, sauté the onion until translucent, about four minutes. Add the spinach, garlic if using, and sauté over low heat. Stir in the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and crumbled bacon. Remove the skillet from the heat.
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt and pepper, milk or half-and-half, and Dijon mustard. Set aside.
Butter a 9X13 Pyrex dish. Layer half of the bread cubes into it, followed by half of the cheese and half of the bacon-spinach mixture. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the strata. Cover the dish with foil and place in the fridge for at least two hours and up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake the strata uncovered for 45 minutes to an hour or until the top is golden brown and the egg mixture is set. Start checking at the 45-minute mark to make sure it’s cooked. Let the strata rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
