Spinach and Bacon Strata

I sure do love strata, hence this being the second one featured on my blog.  It is a really nice gourmet breakfast dish that can feed a lot of people for not a lot of money.  Plus it is really nice to make it the night before and then just pop it in the oven in the morning.  It definitely isn't a healthy meal but everyone needs a little bacon and cheese in their life sometimes.  My boyfriend and I made this during our last trip to the coast with his family and we didn't hear any complaints :)  The strata kept us nice and full so we were able to take HWY 101 home and hit up the Oregon Coast Aquarium, the jellyfish were the coolest by far!  I found and adapted this recipe from this blog. 

Serves 8-10

The Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups yellow onion, finely chopped
1 bag fresh spinach, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
8 cups cubed French bread, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
2/3 cup Italian blend or Parmesan cheese, shredded
10 eggs
3 cups milk


The Process
1.  In pan skillet melt butter over medium-high heat.  Add onions and cook for about 5 minutes or until soft.  Then add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and spinach and cook for 2 more minute.  Take off heat and set aside.

2.  Grease a 3-quart baking dish.  Layer the bottom of the dish with 1/3 of the bread, top with 1/3 of spinach and onion mixture, and 1/3 of the cheeses.  Repeat these layers twice more with bread, spinach, and cheese.

3.  Then in a medium bowl combine eggs, milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Whisk together until well blended.

4.  Then pour the mixture over the layers of bread, cheese, and spinach.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 8 hours or up to 1 day.

5.  Remove dish from refrigerator (and remove plastic wrap) after these 8 hours and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake uncovered until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through about 45-55 minutes.  Then let stand for 5 minutes and serve.

<---Cutting up the bread and watching the cooking onions.