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Bagel Strata

Ingredients

• 8 cups bagels cut into 1-inch cubes (from approximately 1.5 pounds or 570 grams bagels, see notes)
• 8 ounces (225 grams) cream cheese, chilled, cut into irregular small bits
• 1/4 medium red onion, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced (quarter-moons)
• 1 1/2 cups (1 pint or 10 ounces) tomatoes, preferably grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half, or quartered if on the large side
• 8 large eggs
• 2 1/3 cups (555 ml) milk or half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Lox and capers, for serving

Directions

1. Spread a third of the bagel cubes in a 9-by-13-inch pan (or other 4-quart baking dish, if necessary). Dot the bagels with a third of the cream-cheese bits, and mix in the red onion and cherry tomatoes. Repeat in two more alternating layers.
2. Whisk eggs with milk, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Pour the egg mixture over bagel-and-cheese mixture, and feel free to turn any seedy sides of the bagel croutons faceup, in order to pretty up the dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
3. The next morning, remove casserole from the fridge and preheat your oven to 350ºF. Bake on a tray, uncovered, in the middle of the oven until it has puffed, turned golden brown, and cooked through (a knife inserted into the center of the casserole and rotated slightly shouldn’t release any liquid), for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let it rest 10 minutes before serving.
4. Serve in big scoops with a sprinkle of capers and a side of lox.

Notes

Bagel sizes tend to be very inconsistent, making it difficult to estimate the number you will need. You might need up to a dozen freezer-aisle bagels or merely four or five large ones from a bagel shop. Do your best to eyeball what you’ll need and if you overestimate, well, nobody ever complained about a freezer full of bagels.

Reference

• The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, p. 42 (as “New York Breakfast Casserole”)