I rely heavily on new cookbooks and food bloggers for dinner inspiration.  The monotony  of the same old meals is unbearable to me. At least once a week, I attempt something new to feed my people! One Pan & Done by author and food blogger Molly Gilbert is a pretty incredible resource for fantastic ideas that can be made in one pan…veggies and all.

This is a five-star cook book for its ease of use, variety of ideas, and full flavor offerings. The true test of a great cook book for me is the number of recipes I dog ear my first time flipping through the pages. I have quite a list of Molly’s recipes on my menu this week. Saturday morning I made her Skillet Strata. It was amazing to eat and beautiful to see. I would also add, this recipe for Skillet Strata was so easy to make and could be easily used as a base recipe. There are so many ways I could change this recipe and still be left with a delicious breakfast, brunch, or even lunch.

Here is what you need to make this lovely strata!

2 tablespoons evoo

12 ounces of maple breakfast sausage links cut into 1/2 thick slices

1 small onion, thinly sliced (I diced)

2 cups cremini mushrooms sliced

6 large eggs

1 cup whole milk or half-and-half ( I used 2% b/c that’s what I had on hand, worked great)

1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

4 cups 1-inch bread cubes (I used her suggestion of ciabatta)

1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese, about six ounces

10-inch iron skillet

Preheat oven to 400.

Heat olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Make your life easy and chop everything before you get started. Once oil is shimmering, add sausage to pan and saute until well browned and cook through. Stir in onion and mushrooms to soften, about 7 minutes.

While veggies cook, in a separate bowl,  whisk together eggs, milk, mustard, chives, and some salt and pepper. (again, do this before you get started to make it less stressful)

Add the cubed bread to the skillet in a single layer. and top with the cheese. Remove from heat and pour over egg mixture, distributing it evenly over the pan. Press the bread down with a spoon to help it soak up the mixture. (I sorta tossed the bread a little to get some of the sausage to the top to make my end product look as pretty as Molly’s.

Transfer skillet to the oven and bake until the strata is browned, about 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle more chopped chives over strata and serve warm.

This was really delicious!! I can highly recommend this recipe and the book! This week I am also making her Shepherd’s Pot Pie and her Oat and Date Breakfast Bars.I received a review copy of this book from BloggingforBooks. You can find more from Molly Gilbert at dunkandcrumble.com.