As most of you know, I love brunch. But I also love lazy weekend mornings. How do I make that work for me? I also happen to love stratas — breakfast casseroles featuring bread and eggs as the foundation. And you know that's something even more amazing when everything bagels are standing in for the bread:
This is actually an idea that was born out of a bag of day-old everything bagels from the grocery store. They were sitting there on the rack with a price tag of less than a dollar and my brain went: "Ping! I know what to do with those." So in my cart they went, along with cream, eggs, and a mix of cheeses I love. I was going to have an amazing brunch and the opportunity to sleep in, read headlines while sipping coffee, and enjoy a beautiful brunch plate while wrapped in my fluffy bathrobe. I really love weekend, don't you?
This dish really ends up being a meal on its own, but brunch is often about overindulgence, so know it plays very well with other dishes. As pictured here, sliced oranges pair well with it. Actually, fruit pairs well with it, as does crispy bacon, tender pork sausages, breakfast pastry, light green salads, even crab cakes. Now I'm wondering if I can find more of those day-old bagels at the grocery store!
Everything Bagel Strata
- 2 everything bagels, cut or torn into pieces
- 1 medium sweet onion, coarsely diced
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 c. heavy cream, half & half, or milk/li>
- 1/2 c. shredded cheese (choose your favorite variety)
To Make Ahead: Spray an 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray and arrange the bagel pieces and diced onion inside it. Whisk together the eggs and heavy cream, half & half, or milk. Carefully pour the egg mixture over the bagel pieces. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and cover the baking dish. Refrigerate overnight.
When you are ready to bake the strata, preheat the oven to 350° F. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Yields: 6 serving
- Preparation Time: 1 hour