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Summer Vegetable Strata A CSA Week 3 Delight

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Delicious and easy Summer Vegetable Strata recipe, perfect for brunch or any meal, featuring fresh seasonal vegetables and a food processor for quick prep.

Effortless Summer Vegetable Strata: Your Go-To Brunch Casserole

There are few kitchen gadgets that bring as much joy and efficiency to my cooking routine as the shredder attachment of my food processor. Just last night, with a bounty of fresh produce filling my vegetable bin, I turned to this invaluable tool. In mere seconds, one vibrant zucchini, a plump summer squash, a whole head of broccoli (stem and all!), and a block of sharp cheddar cheese were transformed into perfectly delicate wisps, ready to be incorporated into a truly exceptional dish.

This quick and efficient prep laid the groundwork for what I’ve come to discover as one of the most versatile and rewarding recipes: a vegetable strata. Into a large bowl, these beautifully shredded vegetables and cheese joined a creamy mixture of eggs, milk, and cubed bread, along with freshly chopped parsley, cilantro, and fragrant garlic scapes. The beauty of strata lies in its sheer simplicity and remarkable adaptability.

The Undeniable Appeal of a Vegetable Strata

A strata is much more than just a casserole; it’s a culinary canvas waiting for your creativity. Its merits are truly endless: it’s incredibly no-fuss, making it ideal for busy mornings or relaxed weekend cooking. It effortlessly feeds a crowd, transforming a few humble ingredients into a satisfying meal perfect for family gatherings, potlucks, or even just ensuring delicious leftovers for days. Moreover, it’s exceptionally well-suited for incorporating any number of vegetables you might have on hand, especially those from a CSA share or a farmer’s market haul.

While delicious on its own as a hearty vegetarian option, a strata can easily be elevated. A little bit of breakfast meat — think savory sausage, crispy bacon, diced ham, or delicate pancetta — can transform this comforting bake into the perfect brunch casserole. A splash of Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce can add a delightful kick, awakening the flavors and adding an unexpected layer of warmth. For an extra touch of wholesome goodness and a virtuous feeling, consider using a loaf of homemade peasant bread, lending an incomparable texture and depth of flavor.

Whether you’re planning a celebratory brunch, a comforting weeknight dinner, or simply looking for a creative way to use up your garden’s bounty, this summer vegetable strata promises to be a delightful addition to your recipe collection. Embrace the joy of seasonal cooking and enjoy a truly wonderful meal with your loved ones this weekend!

Your Kitchen MVP: The Food Processor Shredder Attachment

Beyond its stellar performance in whipping up this strata, the shredder attachment on your food processor is truly a kitchen workhorse. It significantly cuts down on prep time, making healthy eating more accessible and less daunting. The consistency it achieves is often superior to hand-grating, ensuring even cooking and better texture in your dishes. If you’re not already utilizing this attachment regularly, now is the time to embrace it!

More Clever Uses for Your Shredder Attachment:

  • Slaws and Salads: Easily shred cabbage, carrots, bell peppers, and other crunchy vegetables for vibrant slaws or robust salads. The uniform shred ensures every bite is balanced.
  • Hash Browns & Fritters: Quick grating of potatoes for homemade hash browns or zucchini for delicious fritters.
  • Cheese Galore: Grate large blocks of cheese in seconds, saving money compared to pre-shredded varieties and often providing a superior melt.
  • Gratins & Bakes: Perfectly shredded vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, or even root vegetables for creamy gratins and savory bakes.
  • Quick Soups & Stir-fries: Expedite the preparation of vegetables for quick-cooking soups or stir-fries where finely shredded ingredients cook faster and absorb flavors better.

For another fantastic example of how this attachment shines, check out this Cauliflower Broccoli Pepita Salad – a fresh and crunchy side dish that perfectly highlights its capabilities.

Embracing the CSA Share: Week 3 Highlights

Cooking with seasonal produce from a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share is an exciting adventure, often introducing you to new vegetables or inspiring fresh ways to prepare familiar ones. This week’s CSA box was particularly generous, offering a vibrant array of ingredients that perfectly complement our summer strata. Here’s a glimpse into the bounty and some ideas for making the most of it:

CSA week 3 haul: beets, lettuce, tatsoi, cone cabbage, mustard greens, scallions, parsley, cilantro, garlic scapes, snow peas, broccoli, zucchini.

Fresh Greens: Lettuce, Tatsoi, and Mustard Greens

These tender greens are the stars of any refreshing summer salad. We’ve been enjoying them tossed with a simple yet decadent crème fraîche salad dressing. For an added layer of texture and savory goodness, consider topping your greens with toasted breadcrumbs and delicate shavings of Parmesan cheese. These greens are also fantastic wilted into a quick stir-fry or added to sandwiches and wraps for a peppery bite.

Versatile Cone Cabbage

The mild, slightly sweet flavor and tender texture of cone cabbage make it incredibly versatile. I’ve been eyeing this tempting cabbage vegetable pad Thai recipe for a while now, and this week’s share provides many complementary ingredients such as scallions, zucchini, garlic scapes, tatsoi, and snow peas, all of which would work beautifully in such a dish. Alternatively, while better suited for cooler days, this braised cabbage with anchovies and garlic was one of my absolute favorite things to eat last winter – don’t hesitate to bookmark it for when the temperatures drop.

Earthy Beets

Beets offer a wonderful sweetness and earthy depth. This salad featuring salt-roasted beets with goat cheese and toasted walnuts is an enduring favorite. While salt-roasting yields an intense flavor, don’t shy away from boiling the beets until tender for a less fussy, yet equally delicious, result. Beets are also excellent roasted with other root vegetables, pickled, or even grated raw into salads for a pop of color and nutrition.

Ingredients laid out for a vegetable strata: fresh eggs, milk, vegetables, bread, and herbs.
Cubed two-day-old peasant bread soaking in a bowl of whisked eggs and milk, forming the base of the strata.
Close-up of a food processor shredder attachment quickly grating squash, zucchini, broccoli, and cheddar cheese.

The shredder attachment truly makes for very fast prep work: squash, zucchini, broccoli, and cheddar cheese grated in a flash.

All the strata ingredients combined in a bowl: shredded vegetables, cheese, cubed bread, eggs, milk, and freshly chopped herbs like parsley and garlic scapes.

Use any fresh herbs you have on hand to customize the flavor profile of your strata!

Vegetable strata mixture poured into a 9x13 inch baking dish, ready for the oven.
Freshly baked vegetable strata, golden brown and puffed, just out of the oven.
A glorious close-up of the golden-brown Summer Vegetable Strata, highlighting its rich texture and savory appeal.
A perfect square slice of vegetable strata on a plate, revealing the layers of bread, eggs, and colorful shredded vegetables.

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A golden-brown summer vegetable strata cooling on a wire rack.

Summer Vegetable Strata | CSA Week 3


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.5 from 2 reviews


  • Author:     Alexandra


  • Total Time:     1 hours 15 minutes


  • Yield:     8 to 10 1x
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Description

This Summer Vegetable Strata recipe is a simple yet elegant way to use up fresh seasonal vegetables, especially perfect for CSA hauls. It’s a comforting, crowd-pleasing casserole ideal for brunch, breakfast, or a light dinner. The key to its success lies in using stale bread to absorb the rich egg and milk custard, combined with your favorite shredded vegetables and cheese. It’s incredibly adaptable, allowing you to swap ingredients based on what’s available or to suit your taste. Add a little breakfast meat for a heartier meal, or keep it vegetarian and enjoy the vibrant flavors of the season!

Bread Notes: I used 1 loaf of two-day old peasant bread, crust and all. It was stale but still soft, and I didn’t take any further steps to dry it out (like toasting in the oven or slicing and drying overnight). The loaf weighed just under 13 oz. If you are using an artisan bread with a particularly thick or very hard crust, I suggest removing it for a more consistent texture in the strata. Softer, slightly stale bread works best for soaking up the custard.

Vegetable & Cheese Suggestions: Feel free to use whatever fresh, seasonal vegetables and cheeses you have on hand. Everything I used here (with the exception of the fresh herbs and garlic scapes) was effortlessly shredded in the food processor with the shredder attachment. I used one 8-oz block of Cabot cheddar cheese, which I simply halved lengthwise and sent down the shredder chute. Gruyère, Swiss, or a blend of cheeses would also be delicious.

Optional Additions: Some sort of breakfast meat — such as cooked and crumbled sausage, crispy bacon, diced ham, or savory pancetta — would make an excellent addition for a protein boost and extra flavor, transforming this into a truly decadent brunch item.

Ingredients

  • 10 large eggs
  • 2 1/2 cups whole milk (2% milk would also work well)
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 medium zucchini, shredded
  • 1 medium summer squash, shredded
  • 1 very small head of broccoli (about 1 cup florets and stem), shredded
  • 8 oz. block of sharp cheddar or Gruyère cheese, shredded
  • 13 oz. two-day-old bread, such as peasant bread (see notes above), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1/2 cup fresh herbs, finely chopped (e.g., parsley, basil, cilantro, chives)
  • 2-3 garlic scapes, finely chopped (if seasonal and available; substitute with 1-2 cloves minced garlic if not)
  • Optional: 1/2 cup cooked and crumbled breakfast sausage, bacon, or diced ham for a meatier strata
  • Optional: A dash of Tabasco or other hot sauce for a hint of spice

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Egg Mixture: Preheat your oven to 350ºF (175ºC). In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and kosher salt until well combined. Set this custard mixture aside.
  2. Shred Vegetables and Cheese: Using the shredder attachment of your food processor, effortlessly slice up the zucchini, summer squash, and broccoli. If using block cheese, send it down the shoot as well, creating perfect shreds in seconds.
  3. Assemble the Strata Base: Cut your two-day-old bread into uniform 1/2-inch cubes. Add these bread cubes to the large bowl containing the egg mixture. Now, add all the shredded vegetables and cheese to the bowl. Finely chop your chosen fresh herbs and garlic scapes (or minced garlic), then add them to the bowl. Gently toss everything together with a spoon or your hands, ensuring the bread and vegetables are thoroughly coated in the egg mixture. Allow the mixture to sit for about 10-15 minutes, giving the bread time to absorb the liquid.
  4. Bake and Serve: Lightly butter a 9×13-inch baking dish. Pour the entire strata mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes with the foil on. After 20 minutes, remove the foil and continue baking for another 40 to 50 minutes, or until the strata is golden brown on top, puffed, and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the strata rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. This resting period allows the strata to set, making for cleaner cuts and better texture. Enjoy!
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 60 minutes

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