Meals Matter

California Cheese Strata

Contributed By: cmab
California Milk Advisory Board

You can make this great dish ahead of time...even the night before.

Ingredients

12 slices White bread, crusts removed and cut into halves

2 cups (8 ounces) grated California Cheddar cheese

3 cups Nonfat milk

1 cup Liquid egg substitute

1/4 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon Salt

3/4 teaspoon Dried sage, crushed

1-1/2 teaspoon Dried thyme, crushed

Preparation

Spray a 13- x 9-inch baking dish with a nonstick vegetable cooking spray. Line the dish with half of the bread slices, overlapping to make them fit. Top with half of the grated cheese. Combine all remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pour half of the liquid mixture over the bread and cheese in the dish. Continue layering and cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight before baking. Remove from the refrigerator 2 hours before baking.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Place the strata in the preheated oven and bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to stand for five minutes before cutting.

Recipe Comments

Commented by: lizzieh

I really like the idea in the first comment about using another kind of bread and even cheese as a way to use up holiday leftovers. (I have a whole loaf of rye bread in the freezer that was extra from St. Pat's with no clue what to do with it!) This could be a great way to use up breads and odds and ends from other holidays as well. We too use healthy whole wheat breads but often some get stale. Another great idea for a "use up"...we are trying not to waste food these days!

 

Commented by: tlcarder

I, too, swapped out the white bread since we never have it on hand (prefer whole grain or stoneground whole wheat). However, I didn't use wheat, we had pumpernickel & light rye with caraway seeds on hand since we did the corned beef & cabbage/potato/carrots/pearl onioin gig for St. Patricks Day so I used a little of each. YUMMY!!! The extra layer of flavor sensation was to the moon & stars!! Plus mixed in a little left over Swiss cheese with shredded (once again because it was left over from the 17th leftovers from the Ruebens and the combo of cheeses was great! Guess this revised strata will become a March/St. Patrick's Day breakfats/brunch/lunch here on out since I got TOTAL raves over it from my husband.

 

Commented by: californiajody

I replaced the white bread with whole wheat- good and healthier.

 

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Recipe Details

Total Preparation Time: Less than 15 minutes
Actual Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Number of Servings: 6
Special Features: Make Ahead
Vegetarian
Nutrition Content: Good Source of Calcium
Meal Type: Breakfast & Brunch

Nutrient Information

Calories: 362
Total Fat: 15.5 g
Saturated Fat: 8.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.7 g
Carbohydrates: 32 g
Protein: 22 g
Vitamin A: 778 IU
Vitamin C: 0 mg
Calcium: 522 mg
Sodium: 894 mg
Iron: 3 mg
Fiber: 1 g