Making strata for breakfast is easy, quick, and delicious! I love making it the night before so that I can simply throw it in the oven in the morning. Strata is a filling breakfast that everyone loves!
You will Love Making Strata!
Delicious and filling – Strata uses vegetables, eggs, and any stale bread you may have. Since it has quality ingredients this meal keeps my family full for most of the day.
Easy to make ahead – I make this breakfast the night before and let it sit overnight to be baked in the morning. It is easy to create as you are making dinner, so then you have two meals prepared at the same time! Having strata ready for baking in the morning helps everything run smoothly.
Great way to use up any vegetables or cheese you have – Whenever I have vegetables that are looking wrinkly, then I know that it is time to make some strata. Strata is a wonderful way to use up many vegetables all at once. You can use any vegetable you like in strata, because you can add seasonings that suit the vegetable.
Uses up any stale bread – Strata is one of my favorite ways to use stale bread. If the bread is stale, it soaks up more of the milk and egg mixture. You will never have to wonder how to use stale bread again!
Ingredients and Substitutions for Strata
Cubed Bread – Any bread will work for strata. Stale bread, savory flavored breads, fresh bread, frozen bread, dense bread, soft bread. Use whatever bread you have!
Eggs – I use large chicken eggs, but you can use any eggs.
Milk – I love using whole milk for this, but you can use any milk or cream. I have made it with alternative milks too, just be careful if your milk alternative is sweetened. This is a savory dish, so sweetened milk may not work.
Vegetables – I use frozen mixed vegetables most often, but I love using any vegetables that are in my refrigerator or freezer. If they are fresh, I sauté them on the stove first to add flavor and pre-cook them. If they are frozen, I defrost to remove the extra water.
Garlic Powder – Every savory recipe is better with garlic or garlic powder! I love garlic powder with a passion. You can add more or less easily.
Cheese – Any cheese you have will work well in strata. I love using sharp cheddar cheese for flavor, but I have used gouda, asiago, pepper jack, swiss, and so many more! You can add more or less cheese easily.
Salt – Any salt you use will be delicious in this bread!
Pepper – I use black pepper, but if you have other colors they will work too!
Other Spices – I like to change the spices up based on the ingredients. I have added taco seasoning, Italian herb, everything bagel seasoning, dill, chives, rosemary, and so many other flavors.
Let your imagination run wild with this and try a combination you think will be delicious!
How to Make Strata
Cube the bread. I like to have cubes of about half an inch each side. Feel free to go larger or smaller.
Add the bread to a large bowl. Make sure there is space to mix the bread up in the bowl.
Add the spices to the bread, mix, and taste. Seasoning the bread now lets you taste it and see if you need to add more.
In a separate bowl, add the eggs and milk. Mix until the eggs are incorporated with the milk.
Pour the egg mixture on top of the bread and mix the eggs into the bread to try to coat every piece.
Prepare the vegetables.
If you are using frozen vegetable heat them up to get rid of the extra water from the freezer.
If you are using fresh vegetables, then sauté them until they are as tender as you like them. Feel free to season them as you cook.
Butter a 9×13 inch pan and add a layer of bread at the bottom.
Add a layer of vegetables.
Next, a layer of cheese.
Repeat the bread, vegetable, and cheese layers until you are out of ingredients.
Bake at 375°F (190°C) for about 1 hour. The strata is finished when you poke it with a thermometer in the middle and the temperature is 165°F (74°C).
How to Store Leftovers
When we have leftovers of strata, I store it in the pan I baked it in. I store it in the fridge, and we eat it for breakfast until it is gone. Eat it up during the week!
Can I Freeze Strata?
Yes! Once it is baked, you can freeze the pieces. They can be thawed overnight and reheated in the oven or microwave!
Simple Breakfast Vegetable Strata
Equipment
- 1 9×13 inch Pan greased
- 1 Large Bowl
- 1 Medium Bowl
- 1 Large Spoon
- 1 Set of Measuring Cups
- 1 Set of Measuring Spoons
- 1 Temperature Thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 Loaf Bread most breads will work, avoid sweet breads
- 2½-3½ Cups Milk
- 12 Eggs
- 2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
- 2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- 1 lb Cheese sharp or extra sharp
- 2-3 Cups Vegetables frozen or fresh
Instructions
Bread Preparation
- Put the cubed loaf of bread into a big bowl.
- Add the spices and mix into the bread. Taste the bread to see if you want to add more spices. Once the spices are to your liking, set aside.
- In the separate bowl, mix together the eggs and milk.
- Pour the milk and egg mix on top of the bread cubes. Mix gently to let the bread soak up all the milk mix. Let it sit in the bowl for 15 minutes.
- If there is no milk mix at the bottom of the bowl, add another 1/2 cup milk.
Vegetable Preparation
- Most vegetables you like will work in this dish. Choose whatever you have in season and in stock in your home. Using in season vegetables keeps the strata new!
- If you are using frozen vegetables, put them in a microwave safe bowl and heat until they are thawed.
- If you are using fresh vegetables, then heat them in a pan until the vegetables have become soft.
Assembly Instructions
- Grease your 9×13 pan and layer in half of the bread mix.
- Then add a layer of half the vegetables.
- Then add a layer of cheese. You can use half and save some for the top, or you can use all of it in the middle.
- Repeat a layer of bread, vegetables, and cheese until you are out of ingredients.
Baking Instructions
- Cover the pan and label the top with baking instructions if you plan to bake it in the morning. In the morning, place the pan into the cold oven and bake at 375℉ (190℃). Bake for an hour or until the middle reads 165℉ (74℃) on a thermometer.
- If you wish to bake immediately, Preheat your oven to 375℉ (190℃). Bake for 45 minutes or until the middle reads 165℉ (74℃) on a thermometer.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
What are Your Favorite Strata Fillings?
Let us know in the comments below what your favorite fillings are for strata!
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