Recipe: Spinach, bacon and gruyère breakfast strata

This recipe screams springtime with its fresh assortment of veggies. Plus, it can be customized with more vegetables like asparagus, mushrooms or peppers.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 4 center-cut bacon slices or can substitute Morning Star bacon
• 1 ½ cups chopped yellow onion, about 1 medium onion
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 6 ounces fresh spinach, chopped
• 6 ounces crusty whole-grain bread, cut into 1-in. cubes
• 3 ounces cave-aged Gruyère cheese, shredded (3/4 cup)
• Cooking spray
• ¾ cup 1% low-fat milk
• ¾ cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt or plain non-fat Greek yogurt
• 4 large eggs or 1 cup liquid Egg Beaters
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving ½ tablespoons drippings in skillet; discard remaining drippings. Finely chop bacon; set aside.

Add onion and garlic to drippings in skillet over medium-high heat; cook, stirring occasionally until onion is browned and tender, about 10 minutes. Add spinach; cook until spinach wilts, about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Toss together chopped bacon, onion mixture, bread cubes and cheese in a large bowl. Arrange mixture evenly in an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Combine milk, yogurt, eggs, egg whites, mustard, pepper and salt in a large bowl; stir with a whisk until well combined. Pour evenly over bread mixture. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Uncover baking dish; let strata sit at room temperature as oven preheats. Bake strata in preheated oven until top of strata is browned and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let strata sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition facts for recipe without modifications (per serving):

287 calories, 14g fat (6.1g saturated fat), 546mg sodium, 21g carbohydrates, 19g protein, 6g sugar, 3g fiber

Nutrition facts for recipe with modifications mentioned above (per serving):

230 calories, 7g fat (3g saturated fat), 610mg sodium, 22g carbohydrates, 19g protein, 7g sugar, 1g fiber

Adapted from: Cooking Light

Reviewed by PeaceHealth dietitians and nutritionists