Breakfast Strata With Sausage Spinach And Leeks Food

SPINACH & CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and drained spinach and cook 2 minutes more. Set aside.
• Butter a 3-quart or 9x13-inch baking dish. Spread one third of the bread cubes in the dish and top evenly with one third of spinach mixture. (Try to break it up as much as possible so there are no huge clumps of spinach.) Sprinkle with one third of each cheese. Repeat layering twice, ending with cheeses.
• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the half-and-half, mustard, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and whisk until well combined. Pour the custard mixture evenly over the strata. Cover the strata with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Bake the strata, uncovered, until puffed, set and golden brown all over top, 70-80 minutes. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving. It will settle a bit as it cools.
• Note: The cook time is based on the strata going immediately from the fridge to the oven. If it sits out at room temperature before baking, the cook time will be about 10 minutes less.

THE ULTIMATE BREAKFAST FOR DINNER: SAUSAGE AND SPINACH EGG STRATA

Steps:

• Defrost the spinach in the microwave, and then wring out any excess liquid.
• Heat the EVOO in a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown and crumble the spicy breakfast sausage, and then remove the crumbles to a plate. Return the skillet to the heat. Reduce the heat a little and melt the butter. To the skillet, add the onions and garlic and cook to soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Then add the spinach and season with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg. Turn off the heat and combine with the sausage bits.
• Arrange half of the bread in a casserole dish.
• Whisk the eggs with the milk, Dijon and some salt and pepper.
• Scatter half of the sausage-spinach mixture over the bread, top with half the cheese, pour over half the eggs, repeat. Cover and store in the fridge.
• Bring the strata to room temperature for about 30 minutes before you bake. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with the rack in the center of the oven.
• Set the casserole on a baking sheet and bake uncovered 1 hour. Let stand 10 minutes and serve.

BREAKFAST STRATA WITH SAUSAGE, SPINACH, AND LEEKS

Steps:

• Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a large skillet, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add leeks and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Remove leeks, and add sausage. Cook over medium heat until browned, 6 to 8 minutes; remove sausage and let drain. In same skillet, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are browned and tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in spinach; cook until wilted. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, milk, mustard, pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. In another large bowl, place cubed bread. Pour egg mixture over bread. Add leeks, garlic, sausage, mushrooms, and spinach; toss to combine. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove from refrigerator, and let stand for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.

CHEESY SAUSAGE AND SPINACH BREAKFAST STRATA

Steps:

• 1. Butter a 9x13 casserole dish and add half the croissant cubes.
• 2. Melt the butter in a medium skillet and saute the onion on medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
• 3. Stir in the drained spinach until mixed.
• 4. Spoon spinach and onions on croissant cubes.
• 5. Brown the sausage.
• 6. Sprinkle sausage and half the cheese in baking dish.
• 7. Top with remaining croissant cubes and the rest of the cheese.
• 8. In a blender, mix eggs, half and half, mustard, salt, pepper, and basil.
• 9. Pour evenly over the casserole to moisten all of the croissant pieces. Gently press down with a fork to get all of the croissants dampened.
• 10. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• 11. Heat oven to 350. Remove plastic wrap and bake until puffed and golden brown. About 45-55 minutes.
• 12. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

EASY SAUSAGE STRATA

Steps:

• Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and set aside.
• Layer bread cubes, sausage, and Cheddar cheese in a lightly greased 7x11 inch baking dish. In a bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, salt, and mustard. Pour the egg mixture over the bread cube mixture. Cover, and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Remove the casserole from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

BREAKFAST STRATA WITH COUNTRY SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Brush a large gratin dish with some of the oil.
• To cook the sausage, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until it begins to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the onion and red and yellow bell peppers and saute until the onion is golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds.
• To assemble the strata, place half of the bread cubes in the prepared gratin dish and top with half of the sausage mixture. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the grated cheese over the sausage mixture and top with the remaining bread cubes and sausage.
• Whisk together the eggs, milk, sage, and parsley in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the custard over the strata. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 12 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Let the chilled strata stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• Bake the strata for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese; continue baking until the strata is puffed and golden brown, an additional 20 to 25 minutes. (If the top of the strata starts to get too brown, cover it with aluminum foil.) Remove to a rack to cool slightly. Serve hot or warm.

BREAKFAST STRATA WITH SPINACH AND MUSHROOM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Arrange bread slices in a single layer on 2 large baking sheets and bake until dry and crisp, about 40 minutes, turning slices over halfway through drying time. (Alternatively, leave slices out overnight to dry.) When cooled, butter slices on one side using 4 tablespoons of butter; set aside. (Note: I used Smart Balance® with just a thin coating on each slice).
• Heat 3 1/2 tablespoons butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sauté shallots and mushrooms until shallots become fragrant and translucent, about 3 minutes.
• Add spinach to skillet. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach and shallots are combined, about 3 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl; set aside.
• Add wine to skillet, increase heat to medium-high, and simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup, 3 to 4 minutes; set aside.
• Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter.
• Arrange half the buttered bread slices, buttered-side up, in single layer in dish. Spread half of spinach mixture, then lay half of the cheese evenly over bread slices. Arrange remaining bread slices in single layer over cheese; spread remaining spinach mixture and the remaining cheese evenly over bread.
• Whisk eggs in medium bowl until combined; whisk in reduced wine, half-and-half, 2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread layers; cover surface flush with plastic wrap, weigh down (see note, below), and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
• Remove dish from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature 20 minutes. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Uncover strata and bake until both edges and center are puffed and edges have pulled away slightly from sides of dish, 60 to 65 minutes (or about 50 to 55 minutes for halved recipe). Cool on wire rack 5 minutes; serve.
• NOTE: By weighing down the strata, all of the bread is able to soak in the custard. To weigh down the assembled strata, two 1-pound boxes of brown or powdered sugar, laid side by side over the plastic-covered surface, make ideal weights. A gallon-sized zipper-lock bag filled with about 2 pounds of sugar or rice also works. This recipe halves easily; use one 8x8-inch baking dish greased with only 1 tablespoon butter and reduce the baking time as directed in step 8.
• A word about substituting fat-free half-and-half: The second time I made this recipe, I used fat-free half-and-half. The strata was soggy, not like the original recipe, even though I baked it longer. I think the custard needed more fat from the half-and-half in order to set properly.
• If you try this with fresh spinach, cook it first, squeeze it dry, then use it in place of frozen.

BREAKFAST STRATA

Steps:

• Generously grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
• Heat a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir sausage until crumbly and completely browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer cooked sausage to the prepared casserole dish.
• Cook and stir mushrooms in the same skillet over medium heat until liquid has been released and mushrooms are lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes; drain.
• Mix mushrooms, eggs, bread, milk, Cheddar cheese, ham, spinach, flour, mustard powder, salt, butter, and basil together in a large bowl; pour over sausage. Cover casserole dish and refrigerate, 2 hours to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven until a knife inserted into the center of the strata comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes.

BREAKFAST SAUSAGE AND SPINACH STRATA (EMERIL GREEN RECIPE)

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and saute, until crisp and golden, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausages to a plate. Add the onion to the pan drippings in the same skillet and saute, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the spinach and garlic. Saute, over medium-low heat until the garlic is tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, nutmeg, and the cooked sausages.
• Place half of the bread cubes in a buttered 3-quart baking dish. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the bread, then top with half of the spinach mixtures. Repeat layering.
• Whisk the milk, eggs, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a large bowl and pour evenly over the strata. Chill the strata, covered with plastic wrap, at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Bake strata uncovered until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serve hot.