Wake up to a breakfast that feels like a gift! This make-ahead casserole is your secret weapon for busy mornings-think Christmas chaos or a house full of hungry guests. Assemble it the night before, stash it in the fridge, and let the oven work its magic while you soak in the holiday vibes. The best part? You can tweak it to your heart’s content and make it totally yours. Say hello to stress-free mornings and delicious bites!
I love making this breakfast strata for Christmas when you want to spend all your time with the kids or grandkids opening gifts and having fun. This easy breakfast strata is the perfect timesaver. The whole dish comes together the night before, cover, and refrigerate. Remove it from the refrigerator when you preheat your oven. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, cover with aluminum foil and bake an additional 30 minutes. Breakfast is served!
- Stale bread is perfect for this dish as it soaks up the milk and egg mixture better than fresh!
- This strata is totally customizable.
- Use the breakfast meat of your choice
- Use spinach or kale in place of Swiss chard
- Add more veggies OR go totally vegetarian!
- Use any cheese of your choice
- Make a French Toast Casserole by leaving out all the veggies, meat and cheese, add a teaspoon of vanilla and cinnamon to the milk/egg mixture. A great bread choice would be cinnamon raisin loaf. Serve with real maple syrup
Breakfast Strata
This make-ahead casserole is your secret weapon for busy mornings, like Christmas or a house full of hungry guests. Assemble the night before, stash in the fridge and bake in the morning.
Ingredients
- 8 cups Day old bread cubed, about a 12-ounce loaf
- 1½ cups Breakfast Sausage
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- ½ cup onion chopped
- 2-3 cloves Garlic finely minced
- 3 cups Swiss chard chopped
- 1½ cups White Cheddar Cheese shredded
- 9 large eggs
- 2 cups Whole Milk
- 1 teaspoon Ground Mustart
- 1 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Grease a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish or spray with nonstick spray
- Arrange cubed bread in a single layer in the pan and set aside
- Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it apart. When cooked through, remove from the skillet and drain off the grease. Sprinkle over the bread cubes.
- In the same skillet over medium heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil and add the onion. Cook until soft and translucent (about 4 minutes), stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and the Swiss chard and cook until it is wilted (about2-3 minutes). Remove from the heat and spoon evenly over the bread/sausage, then sprinkle all the cheese on top
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, salt, ground mustard, and salt and pepper together. Pour evenly over the entire casserole and press down on the bread, ensuring the bread is absorbing the egg/milk mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight (up to 12 hours)
- Remove the strata from the refrigerator and allow it to sit out at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes while the oven is preheating.
- Preheat oven to 375℉
- Bake the strata, uncovered, for 20 minutes then loosely cover with aluminum foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes. The strata will be browned on the sides and buffy in the center.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving
Notes
- Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave.
- Freeze cooked strata covering with plastic wrap and store in a sip top bag (label and date). Thaw in the refrigerator overnight then reheat in the microwave, oven or toaster oven until heated through
- Reheating Instructions from Frozen: Prepare strata through step 5, then cover with plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature then continue with step 7
- Bread: Use crusty bread such as artisan loaf, sourdough or baguette. For best texture, cut the loaf into large bite-size chunks, then let them sit out for several hours or overnight *uncovered, to dry out. This allows the bread to soak up more liquid. You can also use Gluten Free bread.
- Customize your strata with bits and ends of what you have in your refrigerator.
- Substitute the Swiss chard with spinach or kale
- Substitute the Breakfast sausage with bacon or cubed ham or Italian Sausage
- Add more veggies! Roasted red peppers, caramelized onion, roasted garlic, green onions, mushrooms, broccoli, etc. OR go total vegetarian!
- Substitute any kind of cheese you may have on hand
- Make it into a French Toast Casserole. Leave out all the veggies, meat and cheese, add a teaspoon of vanilla and cinnamon to the milk/egg mixture. Go really crazy and add dried cranberries, or even chocolate chips! Continue with step 6. Serve with real maple syrup. This kiddos will love this one!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
