Tomato Pie With an Italian Twist: Caprese Strata

Although most Italian restaurants across America have similar menus, in Italy, the food is regional.

One of the most popular dishes from Campania, the Caprese Salad, deliciously combines the prized ingredients of its region: fresh-picked tomatoes, aromatic basil, and creamy mozzarella. And it is these vibrant flavors that make this Caprese Strada so yummy!

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

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

One of the great things about this Caprese Strata is that it is a terrific make-ahead breakfast for a crowd—or for just one. You can choose to use this recipe and fall in love with this strata as it is, or you can use this recipe as a base and come up with your own strata variations!

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
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 275°.
2. Spray 24-ounce baking dish or cast-iron pan with a generous coating of 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) and basil evenly on top of the cheese.
6. Whisk eggs with garlic, salt, and pepper, then pour evenly over the contents in the baking dish or pan.
7. Gently pat down 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
This will last in your fridge prepped and ready to cook. Or you can cook it ahead, slice and heat when ready, and you’ve got a great grab-and-go breakfast.