The best Breakfast Strata recipe

The essence of a strat breakfast is eggs, milk, cheese and bread. Personality comes from great fillers – choose the ones you like best. Make the casserole the night before and pop it in the oven the next day for a great comfort dish.

If you’re looking for a make-ahead breakfast casserole, this is a great one. Versatile, easy to prepare with our step-by-step instructions, and delicious with its moist, pillow-like texture.

A Strata is an entertaining meal perfect for weekend breakfasts, holiday breakfasts, brunch, or lunch. It’s like a tasty bread pudding.

This is a simple recipe for strata that you can make to your liking. You can stick to the basic basic ingredients and serve it with a dressing or you can choose some fillings that:

adapts to the preferences of your guests
Match what you have in the fridge or
they are easy to prepare

The recipes on the internet are very similar for breakfast strata. I went through many of them looking for some great tips to share along with the hack I discovered on my own (see shortcuts below).

A layered breakfast recipe can stand on its own or pair well with a tropical fruit salad or fig salad with pomegranates. A smoothie as a side is another good option.

If you prefer a make-ahead breakfast casserole that’s sweet rather than savory, try our Apple French Toast Casserole or Sinful Baked French Toast Casserole.

Why a Layered Breakfast Works Well for Entertaining

Next Day Prep: The best thing about a strata recipe is being able to prep everything the day before, allowing you to focus on other tasks for breakfast or lunch the next day.

Different Strokes for Different People – The other bonus is being able to split the basic mix with different fillings into two different casseroles to suit different tastes. I made this the other day with my daughter (the other nut) who is a vegetarian and her husband who is not. Vegetarian strata included onions, mushrooms, and spinach. The non-vegetarian version included sausage, onions, and spinach.

Adapt to your taste

Check out these variations and substitutes to try in your make-ahead breakfast casserole.

Bread

Anything goes, even use with or without crust. Stale bread or leftover bread is fine.
I love to use challah. Most strata recipes use large Italian bread, but whole-grain rye, French bread, or brioche work well.
Even gluten free bread.

Cheese

I use a combination of Gruyère and Parmesan.
Also try the sharp Cheddar, Fontina, Mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese.
If you really love cheese, feel free to add more.

Milk/cream options

Use any combination of milk and cream (depending on the level of richness you want) and any type of milk.
If you want to cut calories and fat, use 2% milk and low-fat cheese.

fillings

All the fillings should be cooked except the asparagus (which will have plenty of time to cook in the oven if it’s not too thick) and green onions.
Excellent complements are caramelized or sautéed onions, spinach, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, bacon, ham, and sausages.
Shredded goat cheese can also be added.
For a sweet layer, omit the cheese and add berries or bananas for the filling. And a splash of vanilla.

seasonings

I use thyme, Dijon mustard, salt, black pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.
You can also try paprika, a little hot sauce, rosemary, marjoram, or dry mustard.

coverages

If you want to stick to a layer with no filling (almost like a savory bread pudding), you can use toppings to enhance the flavors, such as chutney, Greek yogurt, or sour cream with chives.

Strata FAQ

How will I know when the strata are fully cooked?

The duration of cooking depends on the thickness of the layers in the pan. The layers are done when they don’t shift in the center when shaken or when a toothpick comes out clean. Try not to overcook the strata or they will dry out.

Can I bake the breakfast strata right away instead of leaving it in the fridge overnight?

It’s important that the bread soaks up all of the runny egg mixture, so it’s best to wait at least 30 minutes (60 minutes is even better) before baking.

shortcuts

Use previously grated cheeses.
Try fillings that don’t need to be cooked (for example, asparagus, green onions) or that are pre-cooked like ham.
Process shortcut: Many recipes will instruct you to layer bread, cheese, and fillings, then pour the egg-milk mixture on top, pushing things around to make sure everything is covered. My trick is to combine all the mixture in a bowl and then pour it into the saucepan. Easier. (I like to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible)