Thursday, March 24, 2011

Easy Strata Florentine





As I type this, I have four dozen eggs in my refrigerator.  I have happy chickens, and happy chickens make prolific layers.  I give lots of them to friends, and still have lots left over.  So it was out of a sense of desperation that I discovered strata.
According to Wikipedia, strata is "a family of layered casseroles" that are often served at brunch and are comparable to quiche and frittata.  As far as I can tell, the main resemblance lies in the preeminence of eggs and cheese.
I define strata a little differently.  I define strata as the vegetable soup of egg casseroles, because you can add most anything to it's base of egg and cheese, and end up with something yummy.
This recipe is especially easy as it incorporates "Stovetop Stuffing Mix" which is, in my opinion, a little bit of magic inside a box.  As you probably know by now, I don't believe in killing myself if I know I can't improve on convenience.

What's In It:


1 small sweet onion, chopped
1/2 c. red bell pepper, chopped
4 c. fresh spinach, chopped or shredded, as you desire
1 box (6 oz) Stovetop Stuffing Mix, any variety (And, no.  Store brands are not as good in this case.)
2 tbs. fresh parsley, chopped (Just this once, don't use dry.  It matters.  Fresh has so much more flavor and color.)
6 eggs (Thank you Pat, Sylvia, Chloe, and Lucy!)
3/4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese (I actually prefer a mix of "Italian" cheeses.  You can find this in the shredded cheese section of your market.)
Olive oil

How To Make It:


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Spray 8" square baking pan with baking spray.
Drizzle large skillet with olive oil before adding chopped onions and peppers.
Saute over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until softened.
Stir in spinach and remove from heat.
Prepare stuffing according to package directions.  Add spinach mixture, stirring well.  Stir in parsley.
Beat eggs and pour into stuffing mixture.
Pour mixture into prepared pan.
Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake 35 minutes or until browned and firm.
Cool 15 minutes before cutting.
Serve immediately.


© Copyright 2009-2011 Stacye Carroll All Rights Reserved

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