Squash Strata
Don’t let the name fool you, Squash Strata sounds like it would be fattening and hard to make but it’s actually quite the opposite! I came up with this recipe after a “weekend migraine”. I didn’t want to brave the grocery store or take a nose dive off of my healthy eating campaign yet I was craving comfort food. Anyone who’s ever suffered a migraine, understands the need for some comfort after the storm has passed. I recalled a strata recipe that I pulled from a magazine a couple of months ago but I didn’t have half of the ingredients required so I started digging around in my freezer and came up with this alternative. This squash strata turned out to be exactly what I was craving and now, I think it will be one of my favorite recipes. I made this for my Meatless Monday meal but you could serve these little beauties as sides with just about any kind of meat. So, file this strata away under Impressive Sides or keep it as a Meatless Monday dish.
First of all, I am so glad I froze that extra sliced squash back in September! I microwaved the squash with a little water.
Meanwhile, I toasted 8 thinly sliced pieces of wheat sourdough bread.
Then I cut the toast into 3/4 inch cubes. I drained the squash and then mixed it with the bread cubes.
I preheated the oven to 375° and greased 6 ramekins (mine are the 4.5 inch size) and placed them on a baking sheet.
In a large mixing bowl, I combined milk, green onions, garlic, thyme, nutmeg, salt, pepper and eggs.
Then I added the bread/squash mixture and divided it among the ramekins.
I shredded a little bit of Gruyere cheese over each and popped them into the oven.
I rotated them halfway after 10 minutes of cooking. The total cook time was about 20 minutes.
Squash Strata Recipe:
8 slices of wheat sourdough bread
3 Tbsp water
1 1/2 cups of sliced squash
1 cup 1% milk
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 eggs
1/2 c. gruyere cheese
6 ramekin dishes
Preheat oven to 375°. Toast bread slices and then cut into 3/4″ cubes. Place squash in microwaveable dish and cover with water. Place lid on dish and cook in microwave for 6 minutes. Drain squash and mix with toasted bread cubes. Set aside. Next, mix together milk, green onions, garlic, and all remaining seasonings. Beat in 6 eggs and transfer all into the squash and bread mixture. Fill each greased ramekin with mixture and top with grated gruyere cheese. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes, then turn pan and bake an additional 10 minutes. The squash stratas should be puffy and an inserted knife should come out clean, when they are completely cooked.
Looking for more delicious, healthy strata recipes? I have been really loving Cooking Light magazine lately. Their strata recipes inspired this one! I found many more (that I want to try) on their website.
Happy eating!
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