Gluten Free Asparagus & Cheese Strata

Asparagus & Cheese Strata

For Christmas Day I decided to make this Strata for a little brunch after we finished with all the Christmas festivities. I woke up early that morning to make it and let it chill in the fridge until we were ready, but you could make it the night before and bake it in the morning. I had served it with some bratwursts (for the meat eaters of course) and fruit salad, but you could have it on its own as well.

Serves 6

Asparagus & Cheese Strata 2

Ingredients:

½ pound fresh medium-thick asparagus, trimmed
4 eggs
1½ cups skim milk
1 cup half-and-half
1 Tbs chopped fresh chives
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper
8 oz gluten-free sandwich bread, crusts removed, each slice cut in quarters
6 oz sliced provolone cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

  1. Lightly grease an 11 X 7 in baking dish. In a large stockpot filled with boiling water, boil the asparagus until tender, about 5 minutes, depending on thickness. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Drain well. Trim off the tips and cut the stalks lengthwise in half. Cut into 1-inch lengths. Pat dry between paper towels.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, half-and-half, chives, thyme, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Cover the bottom of the prepared dish with half of the bread. Cover the bread with half of the provolone, all the asparagus, remaining bread, and ending with the remaining provolone cheese. Pour the egg mixture over all. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours, or overnight.
  3. Preheat the oven to 325F.
  4. Place the strata in the center of the oven and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until the top is beginning to brown and the center is almost set. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese and transfer to the lower rake. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let stand for a minimum of 10 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.
Nutritional Facts: per serving
358 cal; 21g protein; 19g total fat (10g sat fat); 26g carb; 182mg chol; 833mg sod; 1g fiber
*This recipe is based off of  a recipe from The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen by Donna Klein

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