Recipe Box < Holiday Meal Planning  < Special Events < Egg Recipes

Spinach and Herb Strata

What is needed:

9 x 13 glass baking dish

Large skillet

Measuring cup for dry ingredients

Measuring cup for liquid ingredients

Measuring spoons

Two large mixing bowls

Electric hand mixer

Knife

Cutting board

Large spoon

Ingredients:

Shortening

1 lb. bulk Italian sausage (mild or medium)

7 oz. jar roasted red peppers

9 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk

1 cup shredded provolone cheese

1 Tablespoon fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil

1 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

8 large eggs

Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Grease 9 x 13 glass baking dish with shortening.  In a large skillet, brown sausage and onions breaking up sausage as it is cooking.  Remove from skillet.  Arrange sausage and onions in the bottom of greased baking dish.  Cut peppers into long strips then cut in half.  Sprinkle half of the peppers over sausage mixture.  Arrange spinach over top of sausage mixture and peppers.  In a large bowl, add flour, Parmesan cheese, salt and basil.  Mix well with a spoon.  In another large bowl, combine eggs and milk and beat well with electric hand mixer until smooth.  Make a well in the center of flour mixture.  Add egg mixture in the center of flour mixture.  With electric hand mixer, beat until well blended.  Pour mixture over sausage, peppers, and spinach mixture.  Bake at 425 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove strata from the oven.  Arrange remaining pepper slices over top.  Sprinkle evenly with provolone cheese. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 2-5 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes.  Cut into squares and serve.

Helpful hint:

You can make this dish the night before and bake the next morning.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Remove plastic wrap before baking.  Place the strata in the oven as the oven is pre-heating to prevent the glass baking dish from cracking.  Placing the cold baking dish directly into the pre-heated oven may cause the dish to crack.