Burger Bun Strata with Leeks and Asparagus
with strawberry lime smoothie
We're trying something new with tonight's meal - an egg-based casserole ("strata") that uses leftover cubed hamburger buns for the base. The fluffy hamburger buns soak up the eggs, giving this dish a light but satisfying texture.
Smarts: If you didn't make the burgers earlier this week or don't have any hamburger buns left over, any cubed bread will work just fine here.
Ingredients
- Hamburger buns, gluten-free - 4, sliced into cubes (sub any type of gluten-free bread 2 oz / serving)
- Leeks - 1, chopped
- Asparagus - 1 bunch, chopped
- Eggs - 8
- Milk - 1/3 cup
- Salt - 3/4 tsp
- Black pepper - 1/4 tsp
- Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
- Peas, fresh or frozen - 1 cup
- Cheese, feta - 4 oz, crumbled
- Strawberries, fresh or frozen - 8 oz
- Bananas - 1
- Yogurt, plain or Greek - 1 cup
- Ice - 1 cup
- Lime juice - 2 tsp
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Hamburger buns / Leeks / Asparagus - (If prepping right before cooking, get oven heating first.) Prep as directed. Store separately. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Make smoothie - Combine strawberries, bananas, yogurt, ice, and lime juice in a blender. Blend until smooth, adding water as needed to help it blend.
- Eggs - Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and black pepper.
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Make
- Heat oven to 350F / 177C. Spray an 8” / 20 cm square baker with nonstick cooking spray or rub with some cooking oil. (Note: Use this size for 4 servings; adjust with a smaller or larger baking dish if customizing servings.)
- Heat a large skillet or Dutch oven with oil over medium heat. Add leeks and saute until very tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add asparagus to leeks and continue cooking until asparagus is tender, 3 to 5 minutes more (depending on thickness of asparagus spears). Season leeks and asparagus with some salt.
- Stir peas into vegetables and cook until peas are warmed through, ~2 minutes. (Note: If using fresh peas, be sure to continue cooking until the peas are tender.)
- In the prepared baking dish, layer half the bread cubes, then half the vegetables, and crumble half the cheese over top. Repeat those layers, finishing with cheese on top. Pour egg mixture evenly over other ingredients. Gently press down to soak bread in eggs.
- Transfer strata to oven and bake until the middle is set, 45 to 50 minutes. (Note: If the top starts to get too brown before the middle is set, cover the strata lightly with a piece of foil.)
- Remove strata from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy with smoothie on the side.
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
24 reviews
I didn't bother with making the smoothie. But I also appreciate this as a way to use up the extra buns! And it was delicious.
0 HelpfulI thought this was great! The asparagus texture was definitely weird leftover, but it was alright. However, I will never understand why smoothies are listed as sides on here...we didn't want strawberry banana lime whatever with this very savory dish! Maybe a side salad would be a better side next time vs. a totally unrelated smoothie?
0 HelpfulThis turned out pretty well overall. After reading some comments about the dish being bland, I made sure to season the vegetables while cooking, and added some garlic powder and red pepper flakes to the egg mix. I really liked the combination of vegetables and feta in this. The only issue I had was that the egg mixture didn’t have time to soak all the way into the bread. When I’ve made stratas in the past I’ve let the egg mixture soak in overnight, so I’ll try preparing this ahead of time when I make it again.
0 HelpfulVery good and LOVED that it used up old buns. I always end up throwing some away when we have burger or hot dog buns! Skipped the peas, added crumbled bacon a little garlic powder and Italian seasoning. We love smoothies as a side too! I add some spinach to sneak more veggies into the kids (and the adults).
0 HelpfulGenius to use hamburger buns in this dish. I feel extra proud of myself when I use up my leftover bakery buns from the freezer. Added ground sausage for the hubby and had to sub onions for leeks. Omittedn peas. Tastes better the next day.
0 Helpful