Here’s a recipe you can whip up so quickly any morning of the week because you can prep it the night before: Easy Breakfast Strata
This recipe comes from a new book by Lisa Huff (SnappyGourmet.com): Kid Chef Bakes- The Kids Cookbook for Aspiring Bakers. This is such a great holiday gift idea for the young cooks and bakers in your life!!
I like that the book includes great, step-by-step instructions for the recipes. Nothing is complicated, and it’s all laid out in an easy-to-read format. There are side notes on each recipe sharing tips for substitutions, helpful hints, troubleshooting and food facts.
Here’s the food fact on this breakfast strata: A strata is similar to a bread pudding. It’s a dish generally made up of layers of bread, cheese and meat or vegetables, with a mixture of egg and milk poured over top. It’s usually refrigerated for a while before it’s baked.
I really love that these food facts are included. It gives your kids a little bit of education about the recipe they’re making!
Here are a few recipes from the book that I’d be excited about if I were an aspiring kid chef >> Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Fudge Frosting, Homemade Pizza Dough, Blueberry Muffin Tops with Cheesecake Drizzle, Homemade Mini Cheese Bagels, Pick-Your-Flavor Ice Cream Cake, Honey Roasted Peanut Butter Cookies, No Campfire S’Mores Bars, Chocolate Chunk Brownies, Double Crust Blueberry Pie, Skillet Baked Peach Cobbler, Sausage and Ricotta Calzones and Pepperoni Pinwheels.
There are so many recipes in the book that would be appealing to kids– and there are plenty that would have them trying new things too. I’m always on the hunt for kid cookbooks, and I think this is a pretty good one!
And now, back to this breakfast strata! I made this one morning over the Thanksgiving holiday week for the gaggle of relatives who were visiting us. It’s only made in an 8×8-inch pan, so it doesn’t make a huge amount.
That being said though, since a strata is made with a lot of bread that is soaked with an egg and milk mixture… you really only need a small slice for breakfast. I served it with a bowl of fruit, and everyone was happy.
The recipe calls for cooked sausage crumbles. Those are easy to find nowadays in the breakfast sausage section. You can also sub chopped veggies if you don’t wish to add meat.
This recipe couldn’t be any easier to make >> bread cubes topped with an egg/milk mixture, then sausage and cheese. I made it the night before to give the milk and egg time enough to properly soak into the bread cubes. In the morning, you just pop it in the oven and that’s it!
It’s a stress-free breakfast recipe to make for company. Those are the best recipes!
Remember to check out the cookbook mentioned above >> Kid Chef Bakes by Lisa Huff. Let’s get kids into the kitchen!
Easy Breakfast Strata
Ingredients
- butter, for greasing the pan (or nonstick spray)
- 4 cups cubed day old French bread
- 1 cup cooked breakfast sausage, crumbled or chopped
- 1 cup shredded cheese (such as cheddar or Swiss)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup milk (2% or whole)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Lightly grease an 8-inch square pan.
- Add half the bread cubes to the pan. Sprinkle half the sausage and half the cheese on top. Repeat with another layer of bread, sausage and cheese.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until beaten. Whisk in the milk, mustard, salt and black pepper until well-blended. Pour the mixture in the pan over the bread. Gently press down on the bread with the back of a fork or a spatula to help the bread absorb the liquid.
- Lightly cover the strata, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove the strata from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Bake for 50 to 65 minutes, or until the center appears set and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool 10 to 15 minutes before cutting and serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Here are a few more breakfast casserole recipes you might enjoy:
- Avocado Breakfast Casserole by Dine and Dish
- Overnight Ham and Cheese Bake by Recipe Girl
- Spinach Artichoke Egg Casserole by Two Peas and Their Pod
- Farmer’s Breakfast Casserole by Recipe Girl
Disclosure: There are Amazon affiliate links included within this post.
Great recipe! I added a little bit of chopped green onions and a thin layer of sour cream before the last layer of cheese – yum!
Looks delicious! Thank you so much for reviewing my cookbook!!