If your spring cleaning includes a good fridge clearing, we’ve got the perfect recipe for you. This anything goes strata uses up lots of fridge staples like left-behind bread ends and the last of those greens you just can’t seem to get through.
Not only can you change up the ingredients you use, but you can also change up the whole flavor profile: the possibilities are endless! Stale bagels pair perfectly with leftover salmon, sourdough partnered with ham and Gruyere are a classic. Whatever you use to flavor your strata: keep the egg-to-dairy ratio the same, but feel free to use our measurements for the bread, cheese, and salty meat as a rough guideline.
This recipe is also easy to make ahead: You can assemble the strata while cleaning out the fridge and bake it the next morning.
Perfect!
PrintClean-Out-the-Fridge Strata
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Description
This easy egg bake is endlessly flexible: you can use nearly anything you clean out of the fridge at the end of the week. Keep the egg-to-dairy ratio the same and use the provided measurements for the bread, cheese, salty meat, and cheese as a rough guide.
Ingredients
Butter or nonstick cooking spray for greasing the dish
8 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
1 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3 handfuls (about 1 cup packed) chopped dark, leafy greens, such as spinach or kale
1 cup diced salty meat, such as leftover pulled pork, cooked bacon, or ham
8 ounces (about 2 1/2 packed cups) leftover bread torn into 1-inch pieces, such as English muffins, bagels or sourdough
3/4 cup shredded melting cheese, such as cheddar, Gruyere, provolone or Gouda
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 1 1/2 quart baking dish with butter or cooking spray; set aside. Whisk together the eggs, milk, half-and-half, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne in a large bowl. Fold the greens, meat, bread and 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese into the mixture. Pour into the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake until the strata is puffed, golden brown at the edges and set in the center, about 15 minutes more. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
This dish is excellent assembled ahead — say on Saturday afternoon – and baked the next day. Just give the strata 20 to 25 minutes at room temperature before baking, which is about the amount of time it takes the oven to preheat.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour