Caprese Strata

Although most Italian restaurants in America have a similar menu.

In Italy, the food is regional. One of the most popular dishes from Campania, the Caprese Salad, beautifully combines the prized ingredients of its region: fresh tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella. And it is those fresh flavors that make this Caprese Strada so yummy!

If you’re a Caprese Salad fan, you’ll love it!

A strata, sometimes referred to as egg strata, is a healthy breakfast casserole similar to a frittata made with eggs and soaked bread.

The best part is that this Caprese Strata is a terrific make-ahead breakfast for a crowd or for one. You can even use this recipe as a base and come up with your own strata recipes!

Caprese Strata Recipe

Servings: 4

Ingredients
6 slices whole grain bread
1 cup part skim shredded mozzarella
16 slices roma tomato
2 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 quart egg whites
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
2. Spray 24-ounce baking dish or cast iron pan well with cooking spray.
3. Break up bread into small pieces, and place on the bottom of the baking pan.
4. Sprinkle cheese evenly on top of the bread.
5. Lay tomatoes (putting a few aside for the top) & basil evenly on top of the cheese.
6. Whisk eggs with garlic, and salt and pepper and pour evenly over the contents of the container.
7. Gently pat the bread sticking above the egg, to push it under the egg. Let bread soak up the egg at least 10 minutes before putting in oven.
8. Lay remaining tomatoes on top of the strata.
9. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Rotate the pan and cook another 10 minutes until egg is cooked through. If it starts to brown but is not done, cover with foil and continue until cooked through.

Tips
1. Any kind of bread will work here, even gluten-free.
2. You can use chopped tomatoes if you prefer, but I like the look of the sliced.

Meal Prep
1. This will last in your fridge prepped and ready to cook, or cook it ahead, and it can even be a grab-and-go breakfast.