MEDITERRANEAN BREAKFAST STRATA

Filed under Breakfast and Brunch
Ingredients
2 (8-ounce) baguettes, cut into 1 inch-thick slices
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 (7 oz.) bags baby spinach
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
3-4 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 (4-ounce) package crumbled feta cheese
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated Asiago cheese, divided
3 cups fat-free milk
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 large egg whites, lightly beaten

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at  for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle flour over mushroom mixture; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add 1 bag of spinach and cook an additional 3 minutes or until spinach wilts. Repeat with additional bag of spinach. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Place half of bread slices in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread spinach mixture over bread. Top with tomato slices; sprinkle evenly with feta and half of the Asiago cheese. Arrange remaining bread slices over cheese. Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, milk, and remaining ingredients, stirring well with a whisk. Pour over bread.  Sprinkle with remaining Asiago cheese. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight.  In the morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Uncover strata and bake for 40 minutes or until lightly browned and set. Serve warm.

Let's Dish
This is one of the best overnight breakfast casserole dishes I've tried.  Don't be put-off by the long list of ingredients.  It's really quite simple to put together, and I love that it comes from Cooking Light.  My kids weren't crazy about it, probably because of all that spinach.  But don't listen to them! This was delicious, and it would make a great Christmas morning breakfast.  You could easily substitute other white cheese, such as Parmesan, Romano, or Provolone for the Asiago.

Who Dished It Up First
Cooking Light