Chicken and Spinach Strata (Bread Bake)

Dinner in a snap! No chopping, and a great way to use up leftovers.

Ingredients

• 7 cups french bread (, cut into 2 cm / 1 inch cubes)
• 1 cup grated cheese ((any melting cheese is fine - tasty, cheddar, mozzarella))
• 250 g / 8 oz frozen spinach ((2 packets, chopped))
• 1 cup shredded or diced chicken (, or any other cooked protein, ham or bacon)
• Parsley (, finely chopped (garnish - optional))
• 6 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 1 tsp salt
• Black pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   Defrost the spinach in the microwave (4 minutes on high), then squeeze out excess water.

2. 2

   Make Egg mixture: Place ingredients into a bowl and whisk until combined.

3. 3

   Spread half the bread into the base of a baking dish 25cm x 25cm (10" x 10").

4. 4

   Layer with the spinach, then chicken then top with half the cheese.

5. 5

   Top with remaining bread. Squish the bread down to compress (this helps the egg mixture to be soaked up evenly).

6. 6

   Pour over egg mixture - try to cover all the bread evenly.

7. 7

   Top with remaining cheese, then squish down to help the bread soak up the egg mixture.

8. 8

   Set aside for at least 15 minutes, preferably 30 minutes.

9. 9

   To freeze: Cover tightly and place in freezer. Defrost completely before cooking.

10. 10

    Preheat oven to 180C/350F.

11. 11

    Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil, then bake for a further 10 minutes until golden on top.

12. 12

    Serve immediately, sprinkled with parsley if desired.