Lara’s Better Breakfast Strata

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 1 -2 tablespoon oil (or butter if you want to be even more decadent)
• 8 cups bread cubes, dried
• 6 ounces ham, diced
• 8 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups colby-monterey jack cheese, grated
• 2 broccoli florets, cut up into small florets and stems into medium dice size
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup half-and-half (can use reduced calorie half-and-half)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 1 teaspoon fennel
• 2 teaspoons paprika

Recipe

• 1 put diced onions, garlic, and celery in a heated pan with oil. sauté them until the onions are translucent.
• 2 prepare a large casserole dish or use two 9 x 13 in cake pans by spraying with butter flavored pan spray or greasing with shortening.
• 3 toss in bread cubes, cheese and ham. add sautéed vegetables and raw broccoli; stir to mix.
• 4 beat eggs well, add seasonings, milk and half-and-half and mix well. pour over bread mixture. stir to mix.
• 5 cover and refrigerate over night.
• 6 the next day, heat oven to 350.
• 7 cook uncovered for 50 to 70 minutes or until a knife inserted into center of casserole comes out fairly clean and top is toasty brown. (you will use the shorter time if you are using the two 9 x 13 cake pans and the larger time if you are cooking it in a deeper pan.).
• 8 let sit for 5 minutes before serving. yum!