Cheddar Strata With Grilled Onions Recipes

BACON, CHEDDAR AND SPINACH STRATA

Steps:

• Oil bottom and sides of a 9x13-inch baking dish with about a tablespoon of bacon fat.
• Place bread cubes in a large mixing bowl.
• Crack eggs into a separate mixing bowl. Season with salt, pepper, cayenne, and nutmeg. Add cream and whisk mixture thoroughly.
• Pour egg/cream mixture over the bread cubes and mix to distribute ingredients evenly. Allow bread mixture to sit about 15 minutes to absorb the liquid.
• Transfer half of the bread mixture to the baking pan; spread evenly over the bottom and press mixture down a bit. Top with half of the grated Cheddar cheese. Add cooked bacon pieces in an even layer over the cheese. Place the cooked spinach over the bacon; top with half of the remaining cheese. Finish with the rest of the soaked bread cubes, spread evenly and pressed down slightly. Sprinkle with the rest of the grated cheese. Cover and let strata sit at room temperature for 1 hour before baking.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake strata in preheated oven until set, about 45 minutes. Optionally, you can broil the strata for a minute or two to brown the top.

HAM AND CHEDDAR STRATA

Steps:

• Spray a 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with the cooking spray. Peel and thinly slice the green onions; you will need about 1/2 cup. Trim crusts from the bread.
• Arrange 6 bread slices in baking dish. Layer the ham, cheese and onions on bread in dish. Cut remaining bread slices diagonally in half; arrange on onions.
• In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, milk, mustard and pepper sauce with a fork or wire whisk; pour evenly over bread. Cover with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate up to 24 hours.
• Heat the oven to 300°F. Uncover strata and sprinkle with paprika. Bake uncovered 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until center is set and bread is golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into serving pieces.

TOMATO-CHEDDAR STRATA

Steps:

• Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Whisk together the half-and-half, Parmesan, eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl.
• Layer half of the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups of the Cheddar, followed by the sun-dried tomatoes and scallions. Cover with the remaining bread cubes and pour the egg mixture evenly over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. (This can also be assembled the day of; just let soak at room temperature 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking.)
• On the day of baking, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Let the strata sit at room temperature while the oven preheats. Remove the plastic and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Cheddar. Bake until slightly puffed and just no longer jiggly in the center, 40 to 50 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

CHEDDAR CHEESE AND RED BELL PEPPER STRATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper to skillet and sauté until just tender, about 4 minutes. Mix in green onions; sauté 1 minute longer. Remove from heat.
• Spread 1 1/2 tablespoons butter thinly on bread. Cut bread into 1/2-inch pieces. Layer half of bread in 8 x 8 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Cover with half of cheese, then half of bell pepper mixture. Repeat layering with bread, cheese and bell pepper mixture. Beat milk, eggs, Dijon mustard, dry mustard, salt and pepper in medium bowl to blend. Pour over strata.
• Bake strata until lightly browned on top and set in center, about 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes; cut into squares.