Photo: Spinach and Pancetta Strata Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, coarsely chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 (10-ounce) box chopped frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 8 cups cubed Italian bread, from a 1-pound loaf
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
- 3 cups whole milk
- 10 large eggs
Directions
Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until crisp and golden, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a bowl. Add the onion to the pan drippings in the same skillet and saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the spinach and garlic. Saute over medium-low heat until the garlic is tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, nutmeg, and the cooked pancetta.
Place half of the bread cubes in a buttered 3-quart baking dish. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the bread, then top with half of the spinach mixture. Repeat layering.
Whisk the milk, eggs, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a large bowl and pour evenly over the strata. Chill the strata, covered with plastic wrap, at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake strata uncovered until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, 40 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
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By suzanneklausner...
Phoenix, AZ
on February 22, 2012
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I make a couple of different stratas, and this is one of my favorites but it requires a few tweaks. You really have to work to get as much moisture as possible out of the spinach. I let it defrost in a colander and then, one handful at a time, squeeze out the water. Then I squeeze it again in paper towels until it's as dry as I can get it. That really helps to prevent mushiness. The other thing I find is that this recipe has too much bread for my taste. I usually make a double portion, and this time I doubled the bread and eggs plus added 5 more eggs and it was still quite heavy on the bread. Next time I will cut the bread by 1/3 to 1/2. The flavors are great and it's always a huge hit with brunch guests.
By LuvlyKristen
on October 21, 2011
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I loved this dish! I made this for my monthly Book Club Meeting. After reading every single review...I made this dish with sourdough bread. I used bacon (THE WHOLE PACKAGE, used almost the whole bottle of Parmasean Cheese. I was skeptical about how many eggs and milk to put in (Per other reviews. I was only going to use 8 eggs and 2 cups of milk but after I put that in it wasn't much in the pan so I put the last 2 eggs and rest of the milk in (I guess it depends on how big the pan is?! I cooked it for 1hr. The top turned out great, it looked and smelled so good, BUT the bottom was stuck to the pan! Booooo! (I did butter the pan I guess next time I will cook for maybe 45-50min. Maybe in for too long? The dish was sooooo good and everyone loved it!
By volleybelle
on June 23, 2011
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I really liked how it smelled in the oven, and the top layer was delicious, but as for the bottom layer, it was mushy.
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