Cheese Strata Food

CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Arrange half the bread in a buttered 2 1/2 quart baking dish or 8x8 pan.
• Drizzle half the melted butter over the bread.
• If adding veggies or meat layer those on next.
• Cover with the shredded cheese.
• Top with remaining bread and drizzle remaining butter over.
• In a small bowl, beat the milk, eggs and seasonings.
• Pour over the bread.
• Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes.
• Can be refrigerated unbaked up to 1 day.

CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Lightly grease a 9x9 baking dish.
• Remove the crusts from bread and cut 4 of the slices into quarters.
• Place the quartered bread on the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
• Pour the melted butter over the bread.
• Sprinkle the cheese over the bread slices.
• Crumble the remaining bread over the cheese layer.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the cream of asparagus soup, milk, eggs, salt and dry mustard; pour over the crumbled bread.
• Cover and refrigerate over night or at least 2 hours.
• Bake uncovered for 1 hour.

CLASSIC CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Trim crusts from 4 slices of bread.
• Cut slices into 2 triangles each (total of 8).
• Arrange trimmings and uncut bread slices to cover the bottom of a 9x9x2 pan.
• Place cheese slices over the bread.
• Arrange the bread triangles in 2 rows over the cheese - overlap the points slightly on the bases.
• Beat the eggs and blend with milk, onions, salt, mustard and pepper.
• Pour over bread and cheese layers.
• Let stand 1 hour at room temperature or for several hours in refridgerator.
• Bake uncovered at 325 for approximately 1 hour - until knife at center comes out clean.
• Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

GRANDMA'S ANYTHING GOES STRATA

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease a 1 1/2 quart baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
• Whisk the eggs, milk, half-and-half, nutmeg, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a large bowl. Fold the greens, meat, bread and 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese into the mixture. Pour into the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining cheese.
• Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake until the strata is puffed, golden brown at the edges and set in the center, about 15 minutes more. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

CHEESY HAM AND MUSHROOM STRATA

Steps:

• Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Whisk the half-and-half, Parmesan and eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper together in a large bowl.
• Layer half of the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups of the Swiss cheese, followed by the cooked mushrooms and the ham. Cover with the remaining bread cubes and pour the half-and-half mixture evenly over top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. (This can also be assembled the day of; just let soak at room temperature 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking.)
• On the day of baking, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Let the strata sit at room temperature while the oven preheats. Remove the plastic and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Swiss cheese. Bake until slightly puffed and just no longer jiggly in the center, 40 to 50 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

HAM 'N' CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Arrange six slices of bread in the bottom of a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Top with ham and cheese. Cover with remaining bread. , In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt, pepper and cayenne. Stir in onion and green pepper; pour over all. Cover and refrigerate overnight. , Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Pour butter over bread; sprinkle with cornflakes. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

TEX-MEX CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Arrange tortilla chips in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish; sprinkle with cheese and set aside. In a large skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. , In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, onion, chilies, ketchup and hot pepper sauce; pour over cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight., Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-45 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

BACON, EGG, AND CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Toss cubed bread with bacon, cheese, and mushrooms, and pour into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Whisk together eggs, half-and-half, and mustard until smooth, then pour evenly over cubed bread. Cover dish with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Remove plastic wrap from the baking dish, and bake strata in preheated oven until the top is golden brown, and the eggs are set, about 1 hour. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

START-RIGHT STRATA

Steps:

• Place bread in an 8-in. square baking dish coated with cooking spray; set aside., In a small nonstick skillet, cook the sausage and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Spoon over bread. In a small bowl, combine the milk, egg substitute and sour cream. Stir in cheese. Pour over the meat mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight., Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with salsa., Or before refrigerating, cover and freeze strata for up to 3 months., To use frozen strata: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake according to directions.

OVERNIGHT EGG & CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/gas 4. Butter a small 4-cup/960-ml ovenproof baking dish.
• Remove the crusts from the bread and cut into slices; you should have about 3 cups. Lay the slices across the baking dish, slightly overlapping and allowing some edges to hang over the sides.
• Whisk together the eggs and milk in a large bowl. Stir in half of the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Pour three-fourths of the egg mixture over the bread cubes.
• Peel the bottom half of the asparagus and break off the stem ends where it snaps naturally. Discard any woody stems.
• Layer the mortadella over the bread and top with asparagus spears. Pour the remaining egg mixture over the top and finish with the remaining cheese. At this point, you can bake the strata immediately, or cover with plastic wrap/cling film and refrigerate overnight for a surprise breakfast in bed.
• Bake the strata until just set, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool slightly, sprinkle the top with chopped chives, and serve in the baking dish.

HAM AND CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Butter a 2 1/2- to 3-quart baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, mustard, paprika, and salt.
• Place half of the bread in the bottom of a baking dish. Top with half each of the ham, scallions, and cheese. Repeat with a second layer of the remaining ham, scallions, and cheese, pressing down as necessary to fit in the baking pan.
• Carefully pour the egg mixture over into the bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Pull strata out of fridge and let come to room temperature for 15 minutes. Bake the strata, uncovered, until puffed and lightly golden brown, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

EASY BREAKFAST STRATA

Steps:

• Place bread cubes in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. In a large skillet, cook and crumble sausage with pepper and onion over medium-high heat until no longer pink, 5-7 minutes. With a slotted spoon, place sausage mixture over bread. Sprinkle with cheese., In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, mustard and milk; pour over top. Refrigerate, covered, overnight., Preheat oven to 350°. Remove strata from refrigerator while oven heats., Bake, uncovered, until a knife inserted in center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting. Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked casserole. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake casserole as directed, increasing time as necessary to heat through and for a thermometer inserted in center to read 165°.

SAUSAGE AND CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F degrees. Cut loaf of bread into 1 inch slices, then roughly tear into large pieces (around 3 inches). Place on baking sheet and toast in oven for 10 minutes tossing once. (You may skip this step if using day old bread, as long as it's fairly dry.).
• Heat large skillet over medium high heat, crumble loose sausage into pan and cook until no longer pink (about 7-9 minutes). Remove sausage from skillet and place in bowl large enough to accommodate sausage and bread.
• Pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from skillet and add onion. Cook over medium low heat until soft and brown, 5-7 minutes. Add onion and torn bread to sausage and toss. Add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and toss again.
• Butter a 9 x 13 x 2 inch Pyrex baking dish. Beat eggs well then beat in milk and sour cream til smooth; season with salt and pepper.
• Place sausage/bread/onion/cheese mixture into buttered dish and pour milk/egg mixture over, pressing down on the bread with a spatula to insure that the egg begins to soak up the liquid. Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese and scallion (if using), cover and place in fridge overnight.
• The following morning (or early afternoon) preheat oven to 350°F Bake until browned and puffy, about 45-50 minutes. Serve hot with a Bloody Mary. Pass sour cream, hot sauce in general (sriracha specifically), ketchup, salsa, or sliced avocados; if you have the energy, top each serving with a runny fried egg.