Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella Egg Bake (Strata)

This Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella Egg Bake (Strata) is a cross between a fritatta and a bread pudding. Super cheap and you’ll definitely impress your guests!

Some of my favorite recipes involve pulling random bits from the fridge and transforming them into something quick and delicious. I also REALLY love breakfast for dinner. My normal breakfast is a chai protein shake or some yogurt and granola while I’m on the run, so it’s nice to have an excuse and some extra time to actually make all my breakfast favorites like pancakes, quiche, or biscuits eggs and bacon. So to be honest, I use this recipe as a dinner meal, but it’s also perfect for a special breakfast or brunch. Even better if you can get fresh tomatoes and basil from your garden or local farmer’s market!

If you’ve never had a strata before, it’s essentially a cross between a fritatta and a bread pudding. Strata literally means “layers” so it makes sense that you would assemble the dish in layers like a lasagna. I like to use up odds and ends of bread in my strata, so it’s great when you have an extra bit of crusty french bread or if you fall victim to the hot bread at the grocery store checkout. (Anyone else always tempted by the hot french bread or is it just me? Mmmm bread…)  The layers and the support added by the bread make this a hearty, cheap, and pretty dish. All the ingredients combined cost me less than $15 and you get about 12 servings, so it’s a great dish for feeding a crowd! It’s also a pretty one for a potluck or having guests over. I won’t tell them how little work it took to put it together. 

Since you’re adding bread, it’s important to let the egg mixture soak into the bread, so you’ll want to plan enough time for the dish to rest. You can save time by assembling it the night before and let it rest in the fridge until morning, or you can be impatient like me and pop it in the oven after about 20 minutes on the counter. Either way you go, the important part is to soak and press down the bread in the dish to get it under the surface of the egg mixture so it all bakes together rather than leaving the bread to dry out in the oven.  Enjoy! 

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Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella Egg Bake (Strata)

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• Author: Stephanie Powers
• Prep Time: 30
• Cook Time: 60
• Total Time: 90

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Ingredients

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• 6 eggs
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 2 Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 medium tomatoes, sliced
• 1lb loaf french bread, cut in 1/2″ slices
• 2 cups shredded or fresh mozzarella cheese

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a 9×13 casserole dish.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, onion powder, basil and Parmesan cheese.
4. Line the bottom of the dish with half the bread slices, pour over half the egg mixture, add half the mozzarella cheese, and layer in half the sliced tomatoes.
5. Repeat layers of bread, cheese, and tomatoes and pour the remaining egg mixture over the top.
6. Press the bread down to make sure the egg mixture has covered it and let it rest on the counter for at least 20 minutes, or overnight in the fridge.
7. Bake for about 1 hour, or until top has browned and the sides begin to pull away from the edges of the pan. It may puff up during baking, but it will settle again once it’s out of the oven.
8. Slice and serve while warm!

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Notes

• Gluten-free: This will work with gluten-free bread or you can leave out the bread entirely and make a caprese fritatta.
• Vegetarian: This is vegetarian.
• Vegan: This dish is pretty much all about the eggs and milk, so it’s not vegan.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 12