This lightened-up Broccoli & Mushroom Breakfast Strata is a hearty, healthy, and DELICIOUS breakfast! It’s great for a crowd and is made ahead of time for easy morning prep.
Oh my stars! I mean strata.
We’re brunching reeeeeal strong today. Raise your hand if you know what a strata is. I only do because of my mom. Hello, mumsy! She’s the first to read my blog posts (and send me typos) every morning while she sips her coffee. And she makes a mean brunch! I see her more in me every day, like when I make fruit salad and plate in a glass pie platter. Or when I fish through my purse for my keys for ten minutes beside my car. Or when I plan brunch and deem strata the star because…bread. And because my mom used to always make it.
A strata is basically an egg casserole with a bunch of bread and cheese in it. Twist my arm!
I love quiche, but when your laziness level leans towards tearing leftover bread into cubes rather than making a crust, strata it is.
I’ve served this twice for brunch so far and there were no crumbs left behind. It’s super satisfying, simple to whip up, and it makes a big pan to easily serve a crowd. If you’re on team whip-up-a-strata-or-do-laundry-on-saturday-night, you’ll be pleased to know that you can make this at night, cover it with plastic wrap, and then bake it off in the morning.
Setting the table and making enough coffee and perhaps baking muffins is enough pre-company work. There’s something magical about getting a little cooking done Saturday night, too. Such a good feeling come the Sunday scaries!
Most strata recipes call for all the heavy cream/whole milk/cheese in the land, so my mission for this breakfast dream casserole was to create a flavorful, filling recipe that wouldn’t make me feel like I had to unbutton my pants, if you will. I found unsweetened almond milk to work wonders here. The greek yogurt and cream cheese (I used my Vegan Cashew Cream Cheese) add amazing tang without needing a bunch of extra cheese.
Do yourself a favor and drizzle your strata with a hefty splash of Frank’s hot sauce. Flavortown!
Funny story. The second time I made this, I accidentally used unsweetened vanilla almond milk. No bueno. No one noticed…or so they said. But do as I say, not I do, and use unsweetened and unflavored milk of choice. Cow, coconut, rice, pea, cashew, they’ll all be just marvelous.
This baby is not only insanely hearty and satisfying, but it’s also super customizable. I used a big onion, organic baby bella mushrooms, broccoli, and tomatoes, but I’ve also made it with asparagus and bell peppers. Kale or spinach would be lovely, too. And you can use whatever cheese you like! Cheddar, feta, Swiss, gruyere, parmesan, I mean I really can’t think of a cheese that wouldn’t be magnificent all huggy huggy with eggs and bread.
K FINE BLUE CHEESE. Ew.
Oh, and you should totally make this for easter brunch! I’ll be eating…matzah.
Hello, brunch bombshell!
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This lightened-up Broccoli & Mushroom Breakfast Strata is a hearty, healthy, and DELICIOUS breakfast! It’s great for a crowd and is made ahead of time for easy morning prep.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 crowns broccoli, cut into florets
- 8oz mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 6 heaping cups cubed bread (stale is best, I like sourdough)
- 8 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup cream cheese, softened
- 1 heaping tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar or feta cheese, divided
- Hot sauce, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Spray a 9x13in baking dish with cooking spray.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and a pinch of salt and saute for 5-7 minutes, or until softened. Add broccoli and mushrooms and sauté for another 7 minutes. Add tomatoes and another pinch of salt and sauté for 3 more minutes. Place vegetables in a strainer to drain liquid.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, yogurt, cream cheese, Dijon, salt, and pepper. Stir in 1 cup of cheese. Add bread cubes and veggies and toss to combine. If mixture is dry, add a splash more milk.
- Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish and flatten with a spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for 8 hours.
- Remove from fridge and place on stove to warm up while oven preheats to 350F.
- Bake for 55 minutes. Sprinkle the top with 1/4 cup cheese and bake for 5 more minutes or until set.
- Let stand on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with Frank’s hot sauce, if desired.
Thank you for introducing me to strata! It looks and sounds amazing, and broccoli and mushroom is an unbeatable combo. Can’t wait to try this recipe out! 😀
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
WHAT A DREAM. I made this yesterday for brunch and everyone loved it.
★★★★★
That sounds wonderful. When you mentioned quiche, I wonder if you could put all the bread cubes on the bottom, maybe smash them down a bit, and it would be kind of crust like? I may try that but sounds great as a strata too!
Hey, Lisa! Hmmm it would absorb some of the liquid regardless (a lot of recipes actually call for putting the bread on bottom and covering with egg mixture) so I think it’s best to mix it all together well 🙂 enjoy!
I cannot wait to make this for me and Matt! I’ll have to get my paws on some delish GF bread (delish + GF bread don’t normally go together, ha! But I’ve found some frozen baguettes that are actually tasty). I love how you talked about the ways you see your mom in yourself. I, too, see so many of my mom’s qualities in myself. <3
It looks delicious.I love both mushroom and broccoli. I am now imagining how tasty the combination is not to mention the easy recipe.I must try this.Thank you for sharing
★★★★★
this strata is speaking to me!
Ummmmm… YUM!
Hello look Yummmyyyy
what size pan should be used?
★★★★★
Thank you! See #1 in the recipe—a 9×13 pan.
So sweet that your mom is your proof reader! I would brunch the shit out of this frittata. I would also eat it for lunch and dinner. Looks so damn good!
I made this this weekend. Another amazing creation!!!! Thank you so much!
Twist my arm? 🙂 The stata looks great.
I don’t like recipes that give vague ingredient amounts. What is a heaping cup for one person may not be the same for another. That being said, I made this and it is really good but a little dry eventhough I did add more milk. I probably used to much bread. I used Food for Life Ezekiel Low Sodium bread to cut down on the sodium. I also used gouda cheese which is what I had on hand and I love the way it melted. I always enjoy your recipes but wish you would be more specific on amounts. Thanks!
★★★★★
Nancy, Ezekiel bread is pretty dry so I’d say that’s the culprit. I think this is the only recipe I’ve posted that uses “heaping” but thanks for the feedback.
Thanks! I was wondering if maybe that was the cause. I definitely will be making it again to try and fix it because it is really good. 🙂
★★★★★
I love the recipe! Healthy broccoli for breakfast is a great idea!
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