Make Ahead Breakfast Strata
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❤️ Why You'll Love Make Ahead Breakfast Strata
🍲 Ingredients
Eggs - I use eight large eggs. That's about 1 ½ cups of eggs if you're going to be using small or medium-sized eggs.
Milk & Half and Half - You can use any type of milk you have on hand.
Greens- They add freshness and nutrition. If you use arugula, it adds a bit of pepper flavor.
Bread: A good time to use up any leftover bread you have on hand: leftover bread torn into 1-inch pieces, such as English muffins, white or sourdough bread.
Cheese: Use a good melting cheese: shredded mild melting cheese such as Gruyere, provolone, goat cheese, or Gouda.
Veggies and Meats: chopped cooked vegetables, cooked bacon ham or sausage.
👩🍳 How to Make Make Ahead Breakfast Strata
It's so easy to make, combine the ingredients, let sit overnight if you have time, and bake.
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- Pro tip on the difference in egg labeling. Organic eggs come from hens that eat a natural diet and aren’t given unnecessary extras. Free-range eggs mean the hens get outdoor time, but how much varies. Cage-free eggs sound nice, but the birds are still indoors—just not in small spaces. Pasture-raised is the gold standard, with plenty of outdoor space to roam and snack. Bottom line? More outdoor time usually means happier birds and richer yolks!
- This strata can be baked immediately or assembled the night before and refrigerated until baking the following morning.
- If using hearty veggies like broccoli, microwave them first to be sure they will be completely cooed in the Strata.
- Ovens vary. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake until the strata is puffed, golden brown at the edges and set in the center, about 15 minutes more.
🗒 Variations
Strata recipes for breakfast vary depending on the ingredients you use. A breakfast strata is the ultimate mix-and-match dish—you can swap ingredients based on what you have on hand or are craving. The key is a good balance of bread, eggs, and mix-ins, so every bite is flavorful! Here are three classic combos:
- Ham, cheddar, and green onions – A timeless favorite with melty cheese and savory bites.
- Spinach, feta, and sun-dried tomatoes – A Mediterranean twist with a little tang.
- Sausage, peppers, and pepper jack – A bold, slightly spicy option with tons of flavor.
🗒 Substitutions
The most common bread in breakfast Strats recipes is a day-old artisan loaf or French bread. The day-old bread gives the Strata the classic texture. Similar to a bread pudding. But they are equally as great made with the following.
- Croissants – Day-old, buttery and rich, perfect for a more indulgent texture.
- Sourdough – Adds a little tang and holds up well to the egg mixture.
- Bagels – Chewy and hearty, great for a denser bite.
- Brioche – Slightly sweet and soft, ideal for a more delicate strata.
- English muffins – Soaks up the egg mixture while keeping some texture.
- Cornbread – Adds a bit of sweetness and a crumbly texture.
- Gluten-free bread – To make a gluten free Strata, use gluten free bread.
- Leftover Crostini- Yes, I've even made it with leftover crostini, and it was delicious! See below.
🗒 Best served with:
👝 How to Store Leftovers
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🤔 Common Questions
Yes! A breakfast strata is a perfect overnight egg bake casserole. Strata is better when made the night before so the bread can soak up the egg mixture. Just bake it in the morning!
It should be puffed up, golden on top, and set in the middle. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean. It often looks done when it isn't so best to test the middle. But it should be a soft bread pudding type consistency.
Too much liquid or not enough baking time could be the culprit. Make sure the bread-to-liquid ratio is balanced, and let it bake fully.
Cottage Cheese Pasta Sauce
Equipment
- 1 Sheet Pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk of choice see Notes
- ½ cup cottage cheese see Notes
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt more or less to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper more or less to taste
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder plus more to taste
- ½ cup grated fresh parmesan or fresh romano plus more for serving
- dash of ground nutmeg
- 8-10 ounces cooked pasta
- dried basil or Italian seasoning optional
- Chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Add 1 cup milk of choice, ½ cup cottage cheese, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, ¼ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, and ½ cup grated fresh parmesan to blender or bulliet. Blend ingredients together until mixture is completely smooth, pausing to scrape down sides of blender as needed.
- When mixture is smooth, transfer mixture to small saucepan. Place saucepan on stovetop over medium-low heat. Low simmer mixture, stirring frequently, until sauce is heated through completely. Don't boil!
- Once sauce is heated through, taste sauce and add additional salt and pepper.
- Toss sauce with hot pasta water adding some of the pasts water if you'd like it more loose. Garnish with parsley and extra Parmesan!
Notes
- Top with cooked shrimp, chicken or steak.
- Add cooked vegetables if desired.
- If you like it more garlicky, saute 3 garlic cloves in olive oil before adding the sauce to the pan to heat.
- Milk: Most types of milk work, though whole milk is best for creaminess. Unsweetened almond or oat milk can be used if you’re aiming for a dairy-free cottage cheese alfredo sauce.
- Parmesan: Pecorino Romano or even a sharp cheddar can bring a delightful flavor twist to your cottage cheese cheese sauce.
- Pasta: While I often choose fettuccine, you can try spaghetti, rigatoni, or even spiralized vegetable noodles for a gluten-free variation of cottage cheese pasta sauce.
- Herbs and Spices: Fresh parsley or basil is ideal, but if unavailable, dried basil or an Italian seasoning blend works in a pinch. If nutmeg is missing, a tiny pinch of cinnamon may work—use very sparingly!
