With the warm weather we’ve been having, you might not need hot comfort food. On the other hand, if you’re looking for an easy way to use up whatever vegetables you have on hand, a strata like this one is simple to put together, delicious, and meat-free.
In this case, we baked them right in these little brown Brunswick casserole dishes, but any oven-safe dish from Corning Ware to Le Creuset will do nicely. Something enamelled, glass, or glazed will be helpful if you include acidic veg like tomatoes.
To make the strata, spray the dish with cooking spray or oil lightly. If you are making multiple servings in a larger casserole dish, you can line with parchment paper instead. Preheat your oven to 400F.
Slice any vegetables you like, about 1/4″ or 1/2cm thick. Root veggies are great, but any veg will work, so this is great for using things up. Place a single layer in your dish, and grate in a small amount of cheese (you don’t need a thick layer, just enough for flavour). Repeat, ending with parmesan or some other very flavourful cheese. Cover with a lid, or a layer of foil.
Bake for 30 minutes, then remove lid or foil and give it 10-15 minutes more until cheese is bubbly and golden.
In this version, we used potato, golden beet, onion, diced fresh tomato, broccoli, and celery, along with aged cheddar and parmesan.