Recipe: Easy, Overnight Strata

Easy, Overnight Strata

This is a basic dish that just loves variations—and busy mornings! It takes just 5 minutes to prepare the night before, then pop it into the oven for an effortless half-hour of baking. Enlist your kids to cut up or tear the bread into pieces, and to mix the eggs with the buttermilk.

You can also make this for lunch or dinner. Stratas are excellent dishes for using up odds and ends and work even better with day-old or slightly stale bread. The more flavorful and hearty the bread, the better tasting the strata.

Tip: Take advantage of today's popular artisanal breads that often go on sale because they need to be sold that day. Buy them when you see them in the day-old section, then cube them up and freeze them until ready to make a strata.

Time: 5 minutes to prepare, 30 minutes to bake.
Serves 4.

Ingredients:

4 slices sour-rye or other flavorful bread in 1/2 inch cubes
(day-old bread is fine)
1/2 cup diced red and green bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped ham
4 eggs
2 teaspoons stone-ground mustard
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup chopped green onion
3/4 cup shredded cheese, such as Cheddar, Gouda,
or Swiss, or mixture

1. Grease a round or other shaped casserole large enough to comfortably hold the bread cubes. Place bread cubes in bottom. Sprinkle peppers and ham on top. Mix eggs, mustard, buttermilk and green onion together. Pour over casserole contents. Top with cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight or several hours.

2. To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Let casserole sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before baking. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes clean.