Meatless Monday: Artichoke, Spinach and Goat Cheese Strata

posted on August 29, 2011 by Beth // 29 Comments »

Lately I can’t get enough goat cheese, so when I was rifling through a stack of magazine tear-outs and happened upon this Cooking Light recipe, I knew it would be our next Meatless Monday meal.

The first time I made it, I followed the directions exactly. It was good. Not great, but good. One of the main problems was that I couldn’t taste enough of the goat cheese. I knew it had potential to be delicious and perhaps even become a permanent dish in our meatless rotation, but it needed some help.

After adding more spices, a larger portion of goat cheese, and some spinach and extra veggies to up the nutrients, we’ve got a winner!

While we had it for dinner served alongside some sliced fresh tomatoes, it would be a wonderful brunch dish as well.

 

Artichoke, Spinach and Goat Cheese Strata

Serves 6. Recipe adapted from Cooking Light.


Print Recipe

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 (12 oz) package frozen artichoke hearts*, thawed

2 cups roughly chopped fresh spinach

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp dried herbes de Provence

1 3/4 cups milk

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp crushed red pepper

4 large eggs

1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/2 (1-pound) loaf country-style white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 5 cups)

Cooking spray

5 oz crumbled goat cheese, divided


Directions:

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in artichoke hearts, garlic, and spinach; cook for 8 minutes or until artichoke hearts begin to brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and stir in herbes de Provence. Cool 10 minutes.


Combine milk, black pepper, salt, crushed red pepper, and eggs in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and bread; toss gently to combine. Stir in artichoke mixture, and let stand for 20 minutes.


Preheat oven to 375°. Spoon half of bread mixture into an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with half of goat cheese, and top with remaining bread mixture. Sprinkle remaining half of goat cheese over top. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until browned and bubbly.


*I purchase my frozen artichoke hearts at Trader Joe's.