Description
This Italian Strata recipe is a fun and delicious twist on a family classic! Make this for a fabulous holiday brunch.
Ingredients
- 6 ounces spicy Italian sausage, removed from casings
- 8 slices white sandwich bread, regular or gluten-free*
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- 4 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 ½ cups (about 10 ounces) shredded provolone or mozzarella, divided
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, optional
- 4 tablespoons giardiniera or more, drained and chopped
- Your favorite hot sauce, for serving
Instructions
- In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, potato masher or spatula as it cooks. Lower heat to medium and continue cooking the sausage for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cooked through. Remove sausage to a paper-towel lined plate with a slotted spoon to drain and set aside.
- Butter one side of each bread slice, then cut off the crusts and cut each piece into 1 1/2-inch squares. Depending on the size of your bread, that could be cutting the slices into quarters or sixths. Use any leftover butter to butter a medium-sized baking dish then lay the cut bread, buttered side up, in a single layer.
- In a bowl or extra-large measuring cup, beat the eggs, milk, dry mustard, and salt together. Sprinkle ½ cup of the cheese and the sausage over the bread and then pour egg mixture over everything, evenly distributing it in the pan. Press strata lightly to ensure all the bread is fully soaking in the liquid. It will be filled to the top and soak up as it sits overnight. Top strata with remaining 2 cups cheese and sprinkle the Italian seasoning, if using. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- When you are ready to bake, remove the pan from the refrigerator and let the strata rest at room temperature for 30-45 minutes, you do not want to bake right out of the fridge. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake until golden brown, approximately 1 hour. At 30 minutes, rotate the pan for even baking. Check to see if fully cooked at 50 minutes and cook an additional 10 minutes or until the center feels firm and the strata is golden brown and bubbly around the edges. If the strata is browning too much, loosely tent with foil. Remove the strata from the oven.
- Spoon the chopped giardiniera over the strata and serve with hot sauce on the side, if desired!
Notes
- Gluten-free bread slices are usually smaller than regular sandwich bread. You’ll need about 9 ounces of bread for this recipe.
- You can easily make this in 6-7 individual baking containers. I have made this in small single serving Dutch ovens which made my eaters feel so special! This would also be grand in individual ramekins. Simply divide your ingredients among your mini dutch ovens and follow the same instructions. Once I pour the liquid in, I push the bread down to make sure it is fully submerged.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 scoop
- Calories: 384
- Sugar: 3.9 g
- Sodium: 817.2 mg
- Fat: 30.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 10.2 g
- Protein: 18.8 g
- Cholesterol: 121.7 mg