It’s the perfect dish for brunch, luncheons, or dinner and embodies my favorite type of home cooking: rustic, adaptable, and easy to make ahead. All of which means less stress when mealtime rolls around.
What’s in This Strata?
I make this vegetarian casserole with mushrooms and Brussels sprouts, flavored with a hit of onion, garlic, and thyme. For the bread, sourdough is my go-to. As for cheese, I love how the grassy tang and subtle barnyard funk of fresh chèvre plays with the earthy mushrooms and bitter sprouts, so I dot the strata with generous dollops of the fresh goat’s milk cheese. Strata is incredibly flexible, so once you’ve made a few, you can really start to have fun by playing around with different fillings, using other kinds of bread, or swapping out one cheese for another.
Mix It Up: Ways to Adapt This Casserole
If goat cheese isn’t your thing, that’s fine! Don’t like Brussels sprouts? Leave them out! Not a fan of sourdough? Any rustic country-style loaf will work. Cheese Swaps:
Crumbles of briny fetaGrated ParmesanSmoked mozzarellaShredded GruyèreEmmental
Vegetables Swaps:
Double down on mushroomsToss in a handful of spinach, swiss chard, or kaleUse up chunks of leftover roasted delicata or other winter squash
Bread Swaps:
As a longtime San Francisco resident, I’m obligated to use sourdough in my recipes. Just kidding, but I really do love the tang of a good sourdough loaf and always have some on-hand in my kitchen.
Tender and buttery briocheCroissantsCountry loafSandwich bread? If that’s what you have, use it!
Strata: The Easiest Make-Ahead Meal
Strata is best when served warm, but it’s also pretty dang good at room temperature. I don’t like to freeze my stratas, but in terms of time-saving do-aheads, you have options. Step by Step: You can toast the bread and sauté the mushrooms and sprouts one to two days ahead. All at Once: Assemble the whole shebang the night before you plan to bake it. For this method, once you’ve cooked the veggies in the skillet, assemble the strata in a 9x13-inch glass baking dish. Cover and store the baking dish in the refrigerator overnight (don’t worry; the bread loves the extra long soak in the custard). The next morning, set the baking dish on the counter while the oven warms up, and bake according to the recipe instructions.
More Savory Vegetarian Casseroles
Kale, Mushroom, and Cheddar Bake Breakfast Casserole with Butternut Squash and Kale Cheesy Grits Souffle Bake Asparagus and Artichoke Breakfast Casserole Vegetarian Gratin with Blue Cheese Sauce
Add the mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook until tender and most of their liquid has been released, about 7 minutes. Add the Brussels sprouts, and another 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook until just tender and the pan is mostly dry, another 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, thyme, and crushed red chile flakes; cook until aromatic, another 30 seconds.
