Artichoke/GoatCheese Strata

Another Cooking Light recipe.  I wanted some breakfast ideas and stratas seem like they would freeze well (we'll see!).  Plus, I can get loaves of french bread for free, so...

Here's a link to the original recipe
And here's what I did...  (added mushrooms, swapped out herbs, used a different bread, used skim milk)

• 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots (about 1 large)
• 1.5 tsp of butter
• 5 oz of baby portabello mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
• 1.5 cubes of frozen basil
• 1/2 tsp of dry mustard
• 1 3/4 cups skim milk
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 10 oz extra sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 5 cups)
• Cooking spray
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled goat cheese, divided

Preparation

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cooking spray, add shallots, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove shallots.  Sautee mushrooms in butter, until wilted.  Stir in artichoke hearts; cook for 8 minutes or until artichoke hearts begin to brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and stir in shallots. Cool 10 minutes.

2. Combine milk, black pepper, salt, and eggs in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add basil and mustard. Add Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and bread; toss gently to combine. Stir in artichoke mixture, and let stand for 20 minutes.  (Mine sat for 4 hours.)

3. Preheat oven to 375°.

4. 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.

This made six pretty sizable portions.  I used the nutrition info off my products and calculated this at 255cal per serving.

Not the most photogenic dish, but...

"Serving suggestion"  :D

This is pretty good.  It reheated well from the fridge.  Haven't tested the frozen ones yet.  I like the sort of burnt or "very-well browned" crusty edges.  The goat cheese is good.  I don't love the frozen artichokes -- missing the salt of the canned variety.  Liked the addition of the mushrooms.  Need to get some new herbs.  All in all, successful and I like it, but it makes me want to experiment more with different veggie/cheese/meat to get a great version!  I also pulled recipes for sweet, frenchtoast/fruit baked dishes.