American
Sausage and Cheddar Breakfast Strata
An overnight savory bread pudding with breakfast sausage, sharp cheddar, peppers and scallions baked puffy and golden.
- Assemble the night before
- Feeds a holiday crowd
- Crispy cheesy corners
A strata is the host's best friend: you do all the work the night before and simply bake it in the morning. Cubes of day-old bread soak up a mustard-spiked egg custard overnight, so the finished casserole is custardy in the middle with crisp, cheesy corners. Browned breakfast sausage and sharp cheddar make it hearty enough for holiday mornings. Serve it with fresh fruit and a big pot of coffee.
Instructions
Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking it into crumbles, until browned with no pink remaining (160 degrees F).
Add the bell pepper and cook for 3 minutes, until softened. Transfer the mixture to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the sausage mixture, scallions and 1 1/2 cups of the cheddar, then spread evenly in the baking dish.
In the same bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, mustard, salt, pepper and cayenne until smooth.
Pour the custard evenly over the bread, pressing down gently with a spatula so all the cubes are moistened.
Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
Take the strata out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar.
Bake uncovered for 50 to 60 minutes, until puffed and golden, the center no longer looks wet and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean (160 degrees F). Tent with foil if the top browns too quickly.
Let the strata rest for 10 minutes before cutting into squares.
Test kitchen tips
- Sturdy, slightly stale bread is essential; very soft sandwich bread turns mushy after an overnight soak.
- Leftover squares keep for 4 days refrigerated and reheat well, covered, in a 325 degree F oven for 15 minutes.
- For a vegetarian strata, replace the sausage with 12 oz sauteed mushrooms and 2 cups wilted spinach, squeezed dry.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520
- Protein
- 27g
- Carbs
- 33g
- Fat
- 30g
- Fiber
- 2g
- Sugar
- 6g
- Sodium
- 1040mg
Nutrition values are estimates calculated per serving. See our disclaimer.
