Spinach, Onion, and Cheese Strata

In my opinion, nothing beats waking up on a weekend morning to the sweet smells of breakfast cooking in the kitchen. In my family, Sunday mornings were a time for us to laze around over a home cooked breakfast and recap the week or talk about the week to come.

Now that I’m on my own, if I want to continue the tradition of home cooked breakfast on the weekend, I have to be the one preparing it. While I adore spending time making breakfast from scratch, it can be time consuming and a pain to clean up.

I spotted this strata recipe on the Smitten Kitchen website earlier this week and was immediately enticed. I can always rely on Deb for a tasty turn out! This spinach, onion, and cheese strata was no different. And easy? I whipped it up in a matter of 10 minutes the night before I wanted to make it and the next day? No fuss or muss!! Jam it in the oven and wait for the smells to engulf your kitchen!

Now, Deb does not exactly focus on nutritional profile when creating her recipes. Not that there is anything wrong with that occasinally, but as you know, if I can make a few tweaks and it still tastes mouthwatering…I’m all about enhancing the nutritional value! I used 2 teaspoons of olive oil to sauté the onions instead of 3 tablespoons of butter, about half the amount of cheese, and incorporated egg whites to replace some of the whole eggs. Easy.

My only request is that you use freshly baked French or Italian bread from your local baker. After it is ~3-4 days old and past it’s OMG so soft phase, cubed it and bake it in this dish. It really makes a difference in the final turnout!

I promise this recipe would be a hit on those holiday mornings where you want a nice breakfast but not more mess. So book mark it, try it, and spread the love around. I guarantee you won’t be sorry!

Out of the oven and into your mouth in minutes!

Casserole dishes are challenging to get a perfect shot, but believe you, me, this is fantastico! (If you want more appetizing pics then go to the Smitten Kitchen site...she rocks!

Spinach , Onion, and Cheese Strata

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen’s Spinach and Cheese Strata

Serves 8

~10 oz of fresh spinach, left whole or chopped (I left whole)
1 large onion, finely chopped onion
2 tsp olive oil (approximate)
a few grinds from the salt shaker
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
8 cups cubed French or Italian bread in 1-inch cubes (1/2 lb)
3 ounces coarsely grated Cheddar (1 cup)
1 ounces finely grated parmesan (1/2 cup)
2 3/4 cups 1% milk
5 large eggs and 8 egg whites
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Sauté onion in ~1 tsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add a grind of salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and nutmeg and continue cooking for one minute. Stir in spinach, remove from heat and set aside. Keep stirring occasionally as the spinach wilts.

Spread one third of the bread cubes in a 3-quart gratin or baking dish coated with cooking spray (coat well). Top with one-third of spinach mixture and one-third of each cheese. Repeat layering twice with remaining bread, spinach and cheese.

Whisk eggs and whites, milk, mustard, a couple grinds of salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together in a large bowl and pour evenly over strata. Cover with plastic wrap and chill strata for eat least 8 hours or up to a day.

The next day, let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes while preheating the oven to 350°F. Bake strata, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Profile: 286 calories, 10.8 g Fat (4.8 g sat.), 22.9 g carbohydrate, 2 g Fiber, 20 g protein, 151 mg cholesterol, 632 mg sodium, 495 mg potassium, 4.6 g sugars

COMPARED TO ORIGINAL: Saved ~100 calories and 10 grams of fat!

375 calories, 21 g Fat (11.1 g sat), 23 g carbohydrate, 2 g Fiber, 282 mg cholesterol, 22 g protein, 771 mg sodium, 487 mg potassium, 4.6 g sugars