Strata
Strata is a savory bread pudding. I have one in the oven right now.

Strata is a great way to deal with leftover bread and veggies.

It's one of those things that probably originated as a way to make things go
further, but if you want to do a really good strata you may end up
sacrificing perfectly good bread and veggies rather than marginal, iffy bread
that's starting to support its own life, and limp veggies were on their last
leg yesterday.

Here's a simple recipe for strata:

preheat an oven to 350 degrees

take a bunch of bread - 1/2 to 3/4 of a loaf - cut it into slices, maybe 1/2"
thick. Then take a stack of slices, cut it into strips, maybe 1/2" thick.
Then take the strips and cut them into cubes, maybe 1/2" thick.

take all these cubes, dump them in a bowl, pour 2c of milk over them.

now raid your refrigerator for old veggies. Leeks, peppers, asparagus,
spinach, mushrooms, scallions, tomatoes, onions would all work well. I'd
avoid starchy vegetables like carrots and potatoes, and strong leafy greens
like chard.

cut up your veggies into small pieces. Veggies like leeks, peppers,
asparagus, onions and mushrooms will benefit from a brief sauteeing in olive
oil over medium high heat - say 5 or so, long enough that the onions go
translucent or the veggies start to lose their structure, but aren't
completely cooked.

Now you're also going to want some kind of meat, some kind of cheese, and
some eggs and more milk. If the meat is something like sausage or bacon, cook
it first; if it's something you can use without further cooking (ham, smoked
salmon) then you're all set. Chop the meat up.

And you'll need some kind of cheese. Pick a cheese that goes well with your
other ingredients. I tend to use mild cheeses (not, say, blue cheeses) in
strata.

Beat five eggs and mix in 1 and 3/4c of milk.

Now take a 9x9 pan, coat it lightly with oil or butter (I like to use spray
olive oil; it's easy to apply a very small amount of oil on the surface).

Put a shallow layer of the bread cubes in the bottom - try to use about half
of them.

Layer about half your veggies over the bread.

Layer half your chopped meat over the veggies.

Layer half the cheese over the meat.

Pour half the egg and milk mixture over this. Try to distribute it evenly.

This is a good time to add lightly add some salt & pepper, or herbs, if you
want to.

And repeat with the second layer.

Pop it in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. Before you pull it out of the
oven, insert a tester to try to see that the middle isn't liquid anymore.
Strata can be pretty dense and it may take a while for the center to cook.

Let it rest for a few minutes, and enjoy.

Strata are good for lunch with the addition of a side salad and possibly some
pickles. They take well to ketchup or tomato jam.

You may or may not care how well the ingredients of the strata go together.
I'd suggest trying to match ingredients that are traditionally used together,
and avoiding what might be awkward combinations (though I'm sure someone out
there would enjoy smoked salmon, gorgonzola and mushrooms).

Here are a few suggestions:

goat cheese, bacon and sun-dried tomatoes

proscuitto, leeks, asparagus, tomatoes, basil, roasted red peppers

cheddar, onions, red and green peppers, ham

cream cheese, smoked salmon, dill

feta cheese, black olives, roasted red peppers

If you're concerned about calories, by all means reduce them where you can.
Use egg beaters instead of eggs (though I'd suggest still using a single egg
in with the egg beaters), use 1% or skim milk, use imitation sausage instead
of meat, skimp on the cheese. And eat the strata in moderation.