· In: eggs, recipes
I am always needing recipes that use a lot of eggs. This easy breakfast strata recipe, also known as a breakfast casserole with bread, is one of the easiest strata recipes you’ll ever make. The most amazing thing about strata is that you can make it any way you choose. You just need the basic strata recipe to get started. I’ve made several strata recipes, including this breakfast strata recipe.
Strata is extremely simple to make. You just need bread, lots of eggs, heavy cream or milk, cheese, and butter. Everything else is optional and uniquely you. Today, however, we’re going to focus on the very popular breakfast version.
Different Kinds of Strata
As I mentioned above, there are various different “flavors” of this breakfast casserole with bread, aka strata. I am listing some of my favorites below so that you can tailor each strata to your preferences. If you decide to play around with different ingredients that aren’t mentioned here, I’d love to read them in the comments below!
- Spinach and artichoke — add spinach and artichoke, a little pepper, and some onions
- Breakfast pizza — add pepperoni, sausage, extra cheeses, onions, and black olives (and some Italian seasoning)
- Tomato and feta — add cherry tomatoes, crumbled feta, diced scallions, fresh black pepper
- Bacon, ham, collards, and tomato — chopped bacon (cooked), cherry tomatoes, lots of cheese, ham, cooked collards
The list is endless. You can literally put all of your favorite things in a strata and call it a strata! This recipe is so incredibly versatile. You can’t mess it up!
What Kind of Bread to Use in a Strata
It’s always best to use a day old artisan loaf of bread, or a French bread. You want to avoid using regular sandwich breads. A good, thick loaf of artisan bread (homemade or store bought) works well because it soaks up some of the egg and doesn’t get too mushy. When you’re looking for recipes that use a lot of eggs, you also may want a recipe, like strata, that will help soak up some of those eggs. So, an artisan loaf works best.
You can switch it up a bit with flavor, though. I love using sourdough rye bread for a lot of my strata recipes. I even use it for my breakfast strata recipe in this blog post. Playing around with bread types and flavors is just as important as playing around with your ingredients like bacon, ham, and cheese.
How to Make Breakfast Strata
This easy to make breakfast strata recipe will surely have your family wanting more. Let’s get started! You can use this base recipe (minus the sausage) for endless possibilities with other strata recipes, as seen above.
6-7 cups artisan bread, roughly diced (large pieces, slightly packed)
20 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 lb sausage, cooked and crumbled
1/2 lb bacon, diced and cooked
1/4 onion, diced or shredded
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or cheese of choice)
salt and pepper to taste
METHOD:
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- Slice and dice bread, place in a buttered 9×13 dish
- Beat eggs and heavy cream in a separate bowl. Add diced onion, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Add cooked sausage and bacon to the pan with the bread. Mix around to evenly distribute throughout the bread pieces.
- Pour the egg mixture over the bread evenly. Top with cheese.
- Bake covered for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 more minutes until strata is puffy and completely done.
- Serve immediately or save for later. This strata recipe holds up well and is even fabulous the following day.
GRAB THE RECIPE BELOW!
Other Posts You May Enjoy:
- Seedy Bread | Healthy Wholegrain Bread Recipe
- Creamy Potatoes AuGratin with Collards
- Homemade Chicken Pot Pie with Rustic Crust
- Easy Sourdough Pizza Crust Recipe
- Easy Sourdough Pie Crust
- Sourdough Dinner Rolls (Long-Fermented)
- How to Make A Farm Fresh Frittata
Easy Breakfast Strata Recipe | Casserole with Bread
This easy breakfast strata is one of many recipes that use a lot of eggs, your family will love it!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Ingredients
- 6-7 cups artisan bread, roughly diced (large pieces, slightly packed)
- 20 eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 lb sausage, cooked and crumbled
- 1/2 lb bacon, diced and cooked
- 1/4 onion, diced or shredded
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or cheese of choice)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350º
Slice and dice bread, place in a buttered 9x13 dish
Beat eggs and heavy cream in a separate bowl. Add diced onion, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Add cooked sausage and bacon to the pan with the bread. Mix around to evenly distribute throughout the bread pieces.
Pour the egg mixture over the bread evenly. Top with cheese.
Bake covered for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 more minutes until strata is puffy and completely done.
Serve immediately or save for later. This strata recipe holds up well and is even fabulous the following day.
Notes
The more bread you use, the thicker the strata will be. But you want the strata to have more egg than bread.
