Breakfast Strata: Leftovers on a Mission
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| Baked Breakfast Strata |
1 Whole grain English muffin
2 Everything Bagels
1 Jar of Sun dried tomatoes in oil
1 Package of shredded cheese in the freezer
3 Eggs
1 1/3 Cups of half and half
1 Package of bacon
3 Potatoes
These random ingredients wouldn't make much by themselves, so I combined them to make a breakfast strata. A strata is a gooey, chewy, egg and bread casserole that can be made with a variety of ingredients. People traditionally use soft white bread for this, but there is nothing wrong with using other grain products, as you can see. Milk is also used more often than cream, but the rule of cooking on a budget is: use what you have. The total meal feeds 6-8, or one student and a boyfriend for 2 1/2 days of breakfast and cost me about $8 in ingredients.
The first step is to gather your bread products. Cut them up into 1 inch or so cubes. I used a pizza cutter for this and it went amazingly fast. The sun dried tomatoes are on the left.
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| Cut up bagels and English muffin, diced tomatoes. |
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| Boiling potatoes. |
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| Buncha bacon in a toaster oven. |
Anyway, after submitting some homework and allowing the potatoes and bacon to cool to a touchable level, I went and diced these items up too. Similar to the bread but a little smaller, more like 3/4" cubes. If in doubt, just imagine the biggest bite of potato you would want in a casserole.
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| Cream, diced bread, diced potato, and diced bacon. |
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| Soak sun dried tomatoes in water. |
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| Whisk, eggs, cream, and spices. |
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| Add cheese, potato, tomato, bread to mix. |
When all the ingredients are combined pour them into a casserole dish and cover. The key to a good strata is to leave it alone at this point. You can refrigerate it for at least 4 hours, but I left mine overnight and cooked it for breakfast the next day. Cook it uncovered in the oven at 350 degrees, for about 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the eggs are set. After, simply remove and serve.
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| Everything mixed together, put it in the fridge. |
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| Serve and eat. |
The great thing about this recipe is that the ingredients can be whatever you want. Try some other veggies, like red peppers, spinach, or artichokes. Maybe some other protein like vegan sausage or smoked ham. The key is to make sure there is enough egg/milk mixture to soften the bread and bind the casserole together. It's a great way to use up the last of those pesky items until your next grocery trip.
