This easy overnight breakfast strata is cheesy, delicious, and perfect for holiday mornings! When time is tight and a special breakfast is in order, this fits the bill on both counts.
Yield: 12
Ingredients
1tablespoonolive oil
1cupchopped onionabout 1 small onion
1cupchopped green bell pepperabout 1 medium green bell pepper
In a medium saute pan, heat the olive oil and saute the onion, green pepper, and mushrooms until soft, about 7-8 minutes. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until well blended. Add the milk, salt, and pepper.
Spray a 9"x13" casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Layer half the bread in the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle 1/2 of the veggies over the top, then half the cheese. Pour 1/2 cup of the egg mixture over the top. Repeat with the remaining ingredients - first the bread, the rest of the veggies, the cheese, then the eggs. Press any bread down gently that's floating so that it becomes submerged.
Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight, or for at least three hours.
In the morning, uncover and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 50 minutes, until set and no longer jiggly in the middle.
Garnish with parsley, cut into squares, and serve.
Notes
Recipe update 4/3/2024:I've rewritten this recipe to simplify it, making one large vegetarian strata instead of two smaller stratas. If you like, you can easily divide this recipe between two smaller pans, adding cooked sausage to one, and baking so that you have two versions, one for the meat-eaters and one for the vegetarians.
Old recipe:
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
3/4 cup white button mushrooms
6 eggs
2 cups half and half
1/2 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper
8 slices white bread (crusts removed)
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
For the meat half, if making:
1/2 pound sausage
Instructions
In a medium saute pan, heat the olive oil and saute the onion, green pepper, and mushrooms until soft, about 7-8 minutes. Set aside.
If using sausage, brown it in a medium saute pan and drain.
If using veggie sausage, heat it in the microwave for a minute or so and crumble.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, half and half, salt, and pepper.
Spray two approximately 4" x 8'' baking pans/casserole dishes with non-stick cooking spray.
Layer two slices of the bread in the bottom of each pan.
Sprinkle 1/4 of the veggies over the bread in each pan.
Spread half the crumbled sausage over the sausage version.
Sprinkle on 1/4 of the cheese over each.
Pour about 1/2 cup of the egg mixture over the top.
Add a layer of the remaining bread, two more slices each, then veggies, then sausage over the sausage side, then cheese.
Pour the rest of the egg mixture evenly over the top of each.
Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight, or for at least three hours.
In the morning, uncover and bake at 325 degrees for about 40 - 50 minutes, until set.