Ellie’s Sunday Strata

Yield: 12 servings
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 38 mins

Feel free to leave out the meat for a vegetarian version.

Ingredients

Cheese sauce:: 2tablespoons butter; 2 1/2tablespoons all-purpose flour; 2cups 2% reduced-fat milk; 1/2teaspoon salt; 1/8teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1cup shredded American cheese
Strata:: -- Vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray; 3tablespoons butter; 1cup diced lean ham or Canadian bacon; 1/4cup chopped green onions; 12-- eggs, beaten; 1/4pound sliced mushrooms; 1/4cup melted butter; 2 1/4cups 1-inch bread cubes; -- Paprika-optional

To prepare the cheese sauce, melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Blend in flour and cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. Gradually add milk; cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Add salt, pepper and cheese, stirring until mixture is smooth.
For the strata, oil a 13-by-9-inch glass baking dish or coat it with cooking spray. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet. Add ham and green onions and sauté until ham is lightly browned and onions are tender. Add eggs and cook over medium-high heat, stirring to form large soft curds. When eggs are set, stir in mushrooms and cheese sauce.
Spoon egg mixture into baking dish. Combine melted butter and bread cubes, mixing well; spread evenly over egg mixture. Sprinkle lightly with paprika. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
The Next Day: Preheat oven to 350F and remove dish from refrigerator.
Bake strata, uncovered, about 30 minutes, until thoroughly heated and lightly browned on top.

Recipe reprinted with permission from Carol Gordon’s Sleep On It (Hyperion, 2006).