Country Breakfast Strata Food

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BREAKFAST STRATA

Steps:

• Use a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Cut the stale bread in cubes and place it on the baking dish.
• Add shredded cheese, but keep a handful of cheese to sprinkle on top of the dish before you bake it.
• Add meat and vegetables.
• Separately, beat the eggs and add milk or sour cream(according to your preference). Add salt and pepper to your taste.
• Mix well and pour over the bread.
• Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top and cover with foil.
• Place the dish in the refrigerator overnight.
• Next morning, preheat oven at 350F.
• Bring the dish to room temperature for about 30 minutes.
• Bake the strata for 40-45 minutes if you added milk and 35 minutes if you made it with sour cream.(See the notes on the blog about that).
• Check the temperature of the strata in the middle. It should be 160F. The dish is ready when it does not giggle in the middle when shaken. The color should be golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and allow it to rest for 5-10 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°.

FARMER'S BREAKFAST STRATA

Steps:

• 1. In a skillet, over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp; add ham, onion and mushrooms. Cook and stir until onion is tender; drain.
• 2. Coat a 13x9x2-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Layer half the bread cubes, potatoes and cheese. Top with all of the bacon mixture. Repeat layers of bread, potatoes and cheese.
• 3. In a bowl, beat the eggs; add milk, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour over all. Cover and chill overnight. Remove from refrigerate 30 minutes before baking.
• 4. Preheat oven to 325F.
• 5. Bake, uncovered at 325 degrees for 65-70 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes and cut into 12-16 squares to serve.

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

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325˚F.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Fold in the croutons and semihard and semisoft cheeses and set aside.
• In a small skillet, sauté the prosciutto until golden and crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove the prosciutto from the skillet and let it cool on a plate lined with paper towels. Pour the drippings that remain in the skillet into a 9 × 13-inch baking dish, using a spatula to spread the oil until the dish is lightly coated.
• Add the cooled prosciutto and the green onions and sun-dried tomatoes to the crouton mixture. Gently fold the ingredients until they are evenly distributed. Spoon the mixture into the baking dish and pat it down. (The croutons should form a bumpy surface.) Top with the Parmesan.
• Bake for 35 minutes, rotating the pan after 20 minutes. Bake until the top of the dish is very brown and the middle is springy. Let the strata cool for 10 minutes before serving.
• The strata tastes best the day it is prepared; otherwise, the croutons become soggy.

COUNTRY BREAKFAST STRATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
• Cube approximately 2C. day old (stale) bread and place in casserole dish. (I used 3 whole grain english muffins that were drying out)
• Melt margarine in microwave and pour over cubed bread and lightly season with garlic powder. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes till it starts to get golden brown. (Make it quicker: broil for 5 minutes - watch it closely so it doesn't scorch)
• Meanwhile get the egg mixture into a mixing bowl and scramble well. Set aside. *dried thyme or sweet basil works in this too...
• Chop veggies & meats (my combo was baby spinach, chopped broccoli, mushrooms, green onion, deli ham & sausage)
• After bread bcomes browned pour egg mixture over it and top with 1/4 shredded cheese, all the veggie & meat mixture, then another 1/4 cheese & finally frozen hash browns (season if desired). Bake for 30 minutes. *to crisp up hashbrowns broil for last 5 minutes or pre fry on stovetop*
• Remove casserole from oven and top with remaining cheese blend (my combo was colby jack & pepper jack) bake for 5 minutes to melt cheese then let stand on stovetop for 5 minutes. Cut into squares and serve immediately. Great for Brunch or even a lighter dinner.

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.