Tomato-Cheddar Strata with Broccoli

By ClaudiaJan

An impressive brunch dish, strata casseroles are generally assembled the night before their baked, giving the bread time to soak up the dish's flavors.

Ingredients

• 4.5 cup(s) (about three-quarters of a French loaf) 1-inch bread cubes
• Butter, for greasing dish
• 6 ounce(s) shredded Cheddar (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 cup(s) halved grape tomatoes
• 1 cup(s) frozen broccoli florets
• 1.5 tablespoon(s) chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 8 large eggs
• 3 cup(s) milk
• 1.25 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/8 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
• 4 ounce(s) (1/2 cup) ricotta cheese
• 1 teaspoon(s) herbes de Provence

Details

Servings 8
Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 175mins
Adapted from countryliving.com

Preparation

Step 1

Place bread in a buttered 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Top bread with 1 cup Cheddar, tomatoes, broccoli, and 1 tablespoon parsley.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour egg mixture over bread and gently press to soak every cube. Add dollops of ricotta over top. Sprinkle strata with herbes de Provence and remaining Cheddar. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or up to overnight.

Remove strata from refrigerator and bring to room temperature, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake until strata is puffed and lightly golden brown, about 1 hour. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Garnish with remaining parsley.
Serve warm or at room temperature.