Overnight Asparagus Strata

Name: Overnight Asparagus Strata
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 8 servings.
Ingredients: 1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces; 4 English muffins, split and toasted; 2 cups shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese, divided; 1 cup cubed fully cooked ham; 1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper; 8 large Nellie’s Free Range Eggs; 2 cups 2% milk; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon ground mustard; 1/4 teaspoon pepper

I've made this tasty egg dish for breakfast, brunch, even dinner as a side dish. This is not your run-of-the-mill strata. —Lynn Licata, Sylvania, Ohio

Ingredients

1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 English muffins, split and toasted
2 cups shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1 cup cubed fully cooked ham
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
8 large Nellie’s Free Range Eggs
2 cups 2% milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

In a large saucepan, bring 8 cups water to a boil. Add asparagus; cook, uncovered, 2-3 minutes or just until crisp-tender. Drain and immediately drop into ice water. Drain and pat dry.
Arrange six English muffin halves in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish, cut side up. Trim remaining muffin halves to fill spaces. Layer with 1 cup cheese, asparagus, ham and red pepper.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt, mustard and pepper. Pour over top. Refrigerate, covered, overnight.
Preheat oven to 375°. Remove strata from refrigerator while oven heats. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

Nutrition Facts

1 piece: 318 calories, 17g fat (9g saturated fat), 255mg cholesterol, 916mg sodium, 20g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 1g fiber), 21g protein.

Originally published as Overnight Asparagus Strata in Taste of Home April/May 2004

Reviews

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Rebecca

Feb 1, 2018

Has anyone successfully frozen this for a week before cooking?
hughesbambi

Feb 27, 2016

I made this for a get together with friends we had not seen recently. It was a big hit. Not only was it delicious it is pretty with the green asparagus and red pepper. I did use chicken in place of the ham as our guests do not eat pork. Very good.
gwen210

Feb 21, 2016

This goes right into my recipe file -- loved it. Missed the direction to toast the English muffins and will never bother doing it in the future - not needed. I also let the egg mixture sit on the English muffins only 1 hour and it was fine - would not have known it had English muffins in it. BTW - used total of 4 English Muffins. I put onions and garlic in most everything, so I boiled the asparagus on the stove with some salt and Mrs. Dash, emptied the pan and then chopped the red pepper, some red onion and 3 garlic cloves and sauted a few minutes in a bit of butter in the pan the asparagus had been in. With the added onions I decided to up the eggs to 12 instead of 8, and my 2 c milk mixture included a bit of whipped cream (leftover from another recipe). I really liked the egg to bread to fixin's ratio so would do it the same again (I did include ham in it). I also used up a bit of sharp cheddar cheese in with the Monterray Jack and thus had a little more cheese than the recipe called for but I figured was justified with the 4 extra eggs. It was wonderful and my guest requested the recipe.
ZHammer

May 21, 2015

This is going to be one of my go-to breakfast recipes. I tried it for the first time this week, and there were no leftovers, much to my disappointment. I did as someone suggested and microwaved the asparagus (cut into pieces first), and also used pepper jack cheese for a kick. I never imagined asparagus would make such a great breakfast dish. When asparagus isn't in season, I think I'll try it with broccoli.
Easybake13

May 19, 2015

Delicious breakfast meal! Try it with Hollandaise sauce!
popsnmams

Dec 9, 2014

I increased the ham to 1 lb. and I covered the bottom of the dish with toasted and buttered muffins. Doubled the recipe and made 2 dishes and I served 16 for lunch with many positive comments. I covered with foil for half the baking time.
mrsh318

Sep 11, 2014

I made this recipe gluten free. I used a gluten-free French bread type of baguette and cut it into fairly thin slices. This gluten-free bread is buttery tasting and added to the . flavor. It was very light tasting. I found the whole recipe bland tasting but very good. So next time I would use sharp cheddar cheese for the cheese in the recipe.
joycerm53

Mar 27, 2014

Great recipe! I have made this often since it was first published. My family enjoys it for a light supper. A keeper!
Colorado Grilling

Aug 9, 2013

Wonderful blend of flavors! I made this for a potluck and it was very well received. Leftovers are ok, definitely not as good as fresh out of the oven. I will definitely make this again and maybe experiment with the ingredients for a new flavor combination. Thanks for an easy, very tasty recipe!
ReneeMurby

Jun 30, 2013

I enjoyed everything about this recipe. The convenience of preparing it all the night before and just sprinkling a little cheese on top and baking it in the morning. Amazing eye appeal. The flavor combination was perfect. A very filling and satisying breakfast.