Description
This savory Italian Breakfast Strata is a delicious make-ahead dish perfect for feeding a crowd. Layers of crusty bread, flavorful Italian sausage, sautéed spinach, and gooey fontina cheese are soaked in a rich egg custard before baking to golden perfection.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Bread Mixture:
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- 1 large loaf Italian or French bread
- 1 tablespoon olive oil plus more to grease baking dish
Sausage and Spinach Mixture:
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- 12 ounces Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 pound baby spinach
Egg Custard:
- 12 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 cups milk
- 8 ounces fontina or fontal cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Bread: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cube the bread and spread it out on a baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes until slightly dried out.
- Cook Sausage and Onion: In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until browned, breaking it up with a spoon. Add diced onion and spices, cooking until onion is softened.
- Prepare Spinach: Add spinach to the skillet and cook until wilted. Drain any excess liquid.
- Assemble Strata: Grease a baking dish with olive oil. Layer half of the bread cubes, sausage mixture, and cheese in the dish. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
- Make Custard: In a bowl, whisk together eggs, salt, and milk. Pour over the bread mixture, pressing down to ensure everything is soaked.
- Bake: Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes until set and golden.
- Serve: Let the strata cool slightly before slicing and serving.
Notes
- This dish can be assembled the night before and refrigerated, then baked in the morning.
- Feel free to customize the ingredients with your favorite meats, cheeses, and vegetables.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 200 mg