Make Ahead Spinach And Mozzarella Breakfast Strata Recipes

SPINACH & CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and drained spinach and cook 2 minutes more. Set aside.
• Butter a 3-quart or 9x13-inch baking dish. Spread one third of the bread cubes in the dish and top evenly with one third of spinach mixture. (Try to break it up as much as possible so there are no huge clumps of spinach.) Sprinkle with one third of each cheese. Repeat layering twice, ending with cheeses.
• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the half-and-half, mustard, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and whisk until well combined. Pour the custard mixture evenly over the strata. Cover the strata with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Bake the strata, uncovered, until puffed, set and golden brown all over top, 70-80 minutes. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving. It will settle a bit as it cools.
• Note: The cook time is based on the strata going immediately from the fridge to the oven. If it sits out at room temperature before baking, the cook time will be about 10 minutes less.

MAKE-AHEAD SPINACH AND MUSHROOM BREAKFAST SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray or grease with butter.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted and beginning to brown; about 5 minutes. Add the spinach, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook until spinach just begins to wilt, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and set aside to cool.
• Whisk the eggs, milk, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper together in a large bowl. Gently whisk in the cooled mushroom mixture, then pour the egg mixture into the prepared pan. Bake until puffed and set, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
• Place the English muffins cut-side up on a baking sheet and brush with some butter if using. Bake until slightly toasty, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Once the eggs are cool enough to handle, use a large round biscuit cutter (about 3 3/4 inches in diameter) or the rim of a juice glass to cut out 6 rounds of egg. (For ways to use the leftover egg scraps, see Cook's Note.) Using an offset spatula or a butter knife, remove each egg round from the pan and place on bottom half of an English muffin. Top each with a slice of Swiss cheese and the other muffin half. Wrap each sandwich individually with aluminum foil, put in a resealable plastic bag and freeze up to 1 month or refrigerate for up to 1 week.
• To reheat, unwrap a sandwich and place on a paper towel on a microwave-safe dish. Microwave 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, until the cheese is melted and eggs are warmed through. Alternatively, thaw a foil-wrapped frozen sandwich overnight in the refrigerator, then bake in a 425-degree F oven until warmed through and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.

SPINACH, MUSHROOM AND CHEESE BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Grease a 9-by-13-inch (3-quart) casserole dish with oil.
• Toss the bread cubes with 2 tablespoons of the oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bread to the skillet, and cook, tossing occasionally, until toasted and golden brown, about 8 minutes. Return the toasted bread to the bowl to cool.
• Wipe out the skillet. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until it starts to shimmer. Add the mushrooms in one layer (resist the urge to stir right away), and cook until they start to brown, about 3 minutes; stir, then continue to brown for 2 minutes more. Add the garlic, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt and some pepper, stir continuously for 1 minute, then fold in the spinach and another 1/4 teaspoon salt. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the spinach is wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Place half the bread cubes in the prepared casserole dish, and sprinkle them with half each of the Gruyere and Parmesan. Add the mushroom-spinach mixture in an even layer. Top with the remaining bread cubes, Gruyere and Parmesan.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper. Pour the egg mixture into the casserole dish. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours up to overnight. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the casserole until the custard is set and the top is golden brown, 50 to 55 minutes. Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving warm or at room temperature.

MOZZARELLA & SPINACH BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, cook and crumble sausage over medium heat until no longer pink, 6-8 minutes; drain. Mix hash browns and cheddar cheese. Layer an 11x7-in. baking dish with half of each of the following: hash brown mixture, sausage, spinach and tomatoes. Repeat layers; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper; pour evenly over top., Bake, covered, 35 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, until bubbly and cheese is melted, 10-15 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving., Make-Ahead: Refrigerate unbaked casserole, covered, several hours or overnight. To use, preheat oven to 350°. Remove casserole from refrigerator while oven heats. Bake as directed.

SPINACH AND CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Squeeze handfuls of spinach to remove as much liquid as possible, then finely chop.
• Cook onion in butter in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in spinach, then remove from heat.
• Spread one third of bread cubes in a buttered 3-quart gratin dish or other shallow ceramic baking dish and top evenly with one third of spinach mixture. Sprinkle with one third of each cheese. Repeat layering twice (ending with cheeses).
• Whisk together milk, eggs, mustard, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl and pour evenly over strata. Chill strata, covered with plastic wrap, at least 8 hours (for bread to absorb custard).
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Let strata stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
• Bake strata, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

EASY SPINACH & MOZZARELLA BRUNCH STRATA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F.
• Cook and stir onions and peppers in large skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 5 min. or until crisp-tender. Remove from heat. Stir in spinach.
• Prepare stuffing as directed on package. Add to spinach mixture along with the eggs and basil; mix well.
• Spoon into 8-inch square pan sprayed with cooking spray; top with cheese.
• Bake 35 min. or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 min. before cutting to serve.