Vegetable Strata -- The Sunday Evening I Want to Keep

Presidents Day and the hospital running at modified staffing which means I was there because someone has to be. I don't mind holiday shifts -- they have a different pace, the building quieter, the sky outside the ward windows a specific holiday gray. I like the nurses I work with on holiday shifts. We have been through enough together that the conversation is different on a long quiet holiday: more personal, more real, the kind of talk that doesn't happen on a full regular day.

Nora took her first independent steps on Saturday. Three steps, no assistance, from the coffee table to Sean's arms. He was sitting on the floor and she looked at the gap between the table and him and decided the gap was acceptable and crossed it. She was eleven months and two weeks. Liam was eleven months when he walked. We have two walkers. Sean said "she's going to be walking by her birthday." She will be walking by her birthday. She already is.

My mother came over Sunday to see the walking and Nora performed for her -- back and forth across the living room floor while my mother narrated and Liam cheered from the couch. My mother said "she walks like she's been walking for years." She walks like she knows where she's going, which is the same thing. I made my mother stay for dinner and we had the leftover soup and good bread and she held Nora for an hour while I did the dishes and it was one of those Sunday evenings that I want to keep somewhere.

That Sunday —Nora walking back and forth across the living room, my mother narrating every step, leftover soup warming on the stove with good bread alongside it —is exactly the kind of evening this vegetable strata was made for. It’s the sort of dish that layers simple things together and comes out as something more: bread, eggs, vegetables, cheese, all of it quietly becoming a meal that feels like staying. I’ve been making it on weekends when I want dinner to feel like an occasion without requiring much of me, and after a holiday shift and a week of small miracles, that’s exactly what I needed.

Vegetable Strata

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 55 min | Total Time: 1 hr 15 min (plus 30 min rest) | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 8 cups day-old French or sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 8 large eggs
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyère or sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Prep the bread. Spread bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet and let sit out for at least 30 minutes to dry slightly, or toast in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes. Set aside.
2. Sauté the vegetables. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add zucchini and garlic and cook another 3 minutes. Stir in spinach, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper and cook until spinach is just wilted, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
3. Make the custard. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, heavy cream, and Dijon mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 1 cup of the shredded cheese.
4. Assemble the strata. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Spread half the bread cubes in an even layer. Spoon half the vegetable mixture over the bread. Repeat with remaining bread and vegetables. Pour the egg custard evenly over the top, pressing gently so the bread absorbs the liquid.
5. Rest. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight if making ahead. This allows the bread to fully absorb the custard.
6. Bake. Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove strata from the refrigerator while the oven heats. Scatter remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese and Parmesan over the top. Bake uncovered for 50—55 minutes, until puffed, golden, and set in the center. A knife inserted in the middle should come out clean.
7. Rest and serve. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 380 | Protein: 19g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 27g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 490mg