Sausage, Egg + Cheese Breakfast Strata

Baked breakfast casserole with sausage, peppers, and melted cheese in a baking dish with a spatula.

Sausage, Egg + Cheese Breakfast Strata

A make-ahead sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast strata that’s the perfect savory solution for serving a house full of guests. Assemble the night before, bake it in the morning.

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1 44

10 24

Breakfast

American

to 12

466 kcal

Equipment

9x13-inch baking dish

Ingredients

1 pound challah loaf, or brioche
1 pound breakfast sausage, bulk or casings removed (pork or poultry)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, or olive oil, if needed
1 yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
8 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
1½ tablespoons dijon mustard
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
8 ounces freshly shredded cheese, (cheddar, gruyere, fontina, monterey jack or a combo)
fresh thyme or sage, whole, torn or sliced (to garnish)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Tear the bread into chunks and place in a single layer on a sheet pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes to dry it out. Stir halfway through. Allow to cool completely.

Don't skip drying the bread, even if it already feels a little stale — this is what keeps it from turning to mush once the custard hits it.

Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it into crumbles as it cooks, 6-8 minutes, until no pink remains. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat behind.
In the same skillet, add butter/oil if the pan looks dry, then cook the onion and red bell pepper over medium heat until softened, about 5-6 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Using poultry sausage instead of pork? Don't skip the butter or oil here — it renders far less fat, and the pan will be too dry without it.

In a large bowl or big measuring cup, whisk the eggs, milk, dijon, salt, and pepper until fully combined and no streaks of yolk remain.
Butter a 9x13 baking dish. Layer half the torn bread, then half the sausage, half the onion-pepper mix, and half the cheese. Repeat with the remaining bread, sausage, veg, and cheese. Pour the custard evenly over the top being sure to get into the corners and edges. Press down gently on the bread with a spatula so it all gets a good soak.

It looks like too much for one dish — it isn't. It all fits in a standard 9x13.

Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours, or up to 24.
The next morning, set the strata on the counter for 30 minutes while the oven preheats to 350°F, so it's not going in ice-cold. Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes, then uncover and bake another 25-30 minutes, until puffed, golden on top, and set in the center (a knife inserted in the middle should come out clean, or it should register about 165-170°F).

Hold the full 40 minutes covered before uncovering — that, combined with the milk amount above, is what gets you a fully set center instead of a soggy one.

Rest for 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh herbs before slicing and serving.

Notes

Servings: This recipe makes 10 generous, filling servings. Cut it into 12 if you're serving it with fruit or a light salad on the side, or into even smaller squares if it's part of a larger brunch spread.
Make ahead: Assemble through step 5, cover tightly, and refrigerate up to 24 hours ahead. This is the whole point of the recipe — don't rush the process to save time, the overnight rest is what makes the morning easy.
Cheese swap: Cheddar, gruyère, fontina, monterey jack, or havarti all melt well — use what you have or a combination of any.

Nutrition

holidays, make ahead, oven, stove top

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