
Let’s talk about a classic breakfast favorite: the strata! It’s fluffy, custardy, and perfect for feeding a group of hungry folks. Packed with Italian bread, sautéed veggies, ground breakfast sausage, and mixed with a tasty egg custard, this dish is a winner!
Breakfast strata is an awesome breakfast casserole that’s great for a lazy weekend brunch or for preparing ahead for a quick weekday meal.
Usually, it’s a mix of bread, eggs, milk, cheese, and whatever else you fancy tossing in there. Our version gets its savory kick from sautéed veggies and breakfast sausage. Yum!

Classic Breakfast Strata
- Prep Time: 13 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Total Time: 14 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Breakfast
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb. ground breakfast sausage (or chorizo, or sofrito)
- 1 medium white onion (minced)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (divided)
- 8 oz. Bella mushrooms (roughly chopped)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 10 oz. fresh spinach
- 12 large eggs
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 cups milk (any kind)
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 loaf Italian bread (ripped (~9 cups))
- 1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese (divided)
- 1.5 cups shredded gruyere cheese (divided)
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add the breakfast sausage and cook until partially done. Remove the sausage from the pan, leaving the drippings.
- Saute the onion in the sausage drippings until soft. Add mushrooms, olive oil, and cook for 5 more minutes. Then, add garlic and spinach, cooking until wilted.
- Whisk eggs, heavy cream, and milk in a bowl.
- Spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish and add ripped bread pieces. Add cooked veggies, sausage, 1 cup cheddar cheese, 1 cup gruyere cheese, salt, pepper, and toss.
- Pour egg mixture over the ingredients and press down gently.
- Refrigerate the strata overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF, toss strata, and bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 30 minutes.
- Add remaining cheese on top and bake until golden brown.
- Let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Chorizo adds spice to the strata.
- You can use more milk instead of heavy cream.
- Any artisan-style bread works.
- Fluff the strata before baking for a fluffy result.