Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Roasted Red Pepper, Spinach, & Goat Cheese Strata


Right now, my fridge is a mess. It is so full of a hodge-podge of stuff from my daily staples to who-knows-what hiding in the back corners (for who knows how long). I decided to take matters into my own hands and try to get rid of a few things -- without just chucking them into the trash.

I just so happened to run across a recipe for a Cheese Strata with Ham from my Food Network calendar a few days prior while trying to clean up my desk area a bit. (Are we seeing a common theme here? I think so...) After giving it a quick skim, I realized I could make a few easy substitutions and get to work on the whole cleaning out the fridge business. Of course, by the time I actually looked at the list, I think I ended up buying more ingredients than I got rid of. Ah, such is my luck.


Roasted Red Pepper, Spinach, and Goat Cheese Strata
Inspired by: Food Network Kitchens

Cooking spray
12 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 ounces (1 cup) grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup ham, cooked and diced
6 ounces roasted red peppers, diced
4 ounces (1 cup) goat cheese, crumbled
2 cups baby spinach
1 pound sourdough bread, crust removed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Coat a 2 1/2 quart baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Whisk in the next 6 ingredients (through cayenne pepper).

Sprinkle half of the Parmesan cheese evenly on the bottom of the baking dish. Add a layer of 1/3 of the bread cubes, followed by a layer of 1/2 of the ham, 1/2 of the goat cheese, 1/2 of the red peppers, and 1 cup of the spinach. Repeat with 1/3 of the bread, the remaining ham, goat cheese, red peppers, and spinach. Top with the final 1/3 of the bread at the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.

Pour the egg mixture over the top of the dish, then press down with the back of a spoon to ensure all the bread is moistened. Drizzle the melted butter over the top.

Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator at least 1 hour (and as long as overnight).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover strata and bake for 45 minutes. Cover with foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until the strata is slightly puffed, golden brown, and lightly set in the middle. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Serves: 8


Prior to making this, neither Adam or I had ever had a strata, so we weren't quite sure what to expect. The original recipe called for the strata to only be baked for 45 minutes followed by a 10 minute rest. Well, it seemed a little jiggly in the middle when I took it out, but as it called for it to be "lightly set", I was thinking it would be okay and firm up a bit in the next 10 minutes. Wrong, it was definitely nice and runny in the center when I cut into it. Bummer. I ended up putting it back in the oven in bouts of 5-10 minutes, until it had been in around an hour and 5 minutes. At that point I gave up and let it just sit to cool off, then stuck it in the fridge to check it out the next day.

After pulling it out the following day, I didn't have very high hopes. However, everything had ended up setting up nicely, no runny eggs, yet everything was still nice and moist even after re-heating. Despite all the hard work I put into this dish, we both agreed that we like the texture of a quiche a little bit better than the strata, so we'll probably be sticking with that from now on.


Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 479Calories from fat 211
% Daily Value
Total Fat 23.4g36%
Saturated Fat 12.0g60%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 334mg111%
Sodium 1177mg49%
Total Carbs 37.8g13%
Dietary Fiber 1.9g8%
Sugars 5.7g
Protein 29.4g
Vitamin A 30%Vitamin C 62%
Calcium 41%Iron 22%

20 comments:

  1. This looks so amazing - it's all my favorite ingredients. Thanks for the recipe!

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  2. I like stratas because they're easy to throw together if you have all the ingredients on hand, but I think you're right.. quiches are better.. maybe its the crust??

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  3. Oh my, this looks amazing! I love roasted red pepper.

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  4. Oh that looks so good... you've included all of my faves into one. I love the "clean out the fridge" meals!

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  5. This looks so good! I love the flavor combo!

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  6. This strata looks so yummy! I could definitely see it baking into a nice quiche too. :)

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  7. The colors in this dish are so gorgeous! Makes my mouth water!

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  8. I like strata and quiche, they both make for quick dinner especially when paired with a nice side salad. Plus they are really great for getting rid of some leftovers in your fridge :o) Looks delicious!

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  9. I too need to clean out the fridge....I just might be able to replicate this recipe, thanks for the inspiration!

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  10. Spinach is in the title but not in the ingredients or directions -- sounds good as is but I want the spinach!!

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  11. @Anonymous Sorry about that! Should be fixed now! :)

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  12. Thank you messy refrigerator for this lovely strata. I adore anything with goat cheese! It looks lovely!

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  13. This strata sounds de-lish. Congrats on your top 9.

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  14. That looks amazing, but I agree with you on the quiche. But regardless of that, the picture is fabulous. Congrats on the Top 9.

    We invite you to share this post and some of your favorite posts on Food Frenzy.
    Please check out our community at http://blogstew.net/foodfrenzy

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  15. This looks fantastic! I would make this sans ham, but the combo of flavors (especially the goat cheese :D) sounds amazing!

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  16. This is a great recipe of flavors. My suggestion of "just" putting the bread on the bottom of the dish, and layer from there, would make this dish less dense with more egg and vegetable flavored.

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  17. We'll see, I have it in the oven now! Thanks for the recipe.

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  18. Everyone loved it! The goat cheese was awesome. Less bread is the key. Thanks again1

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