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    Home » Wild Game Recipes

    Breakfast Strata with Antelope Sausage (Overnight Breakfast Casserole)

    Published: Mar 31, 2022 · Last Modified: Apr 1, 2022

    Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.

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    Breakfast strata is all about layering: layers of flavor, layers of ingredients, and layers of goodness. It's the perfect breakfast for any holiday or weekend morning. The combination of egg-soaked brioche rolls, flavorful breakfast sausage, and loads of cheese makes for an excellent hearty breakfast. The best part is that all of the prep work is done the day before so all you have to do is pop it in the oven in the morning and enjoy your day!

    hand holding plate with breakfast strata.
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients Needed:
    • Equipment Needed:
    • How to make antelope breakfast sausage:
    • How to make breakfast strata:
    • What to serve with breakfast strata:
    • Recipe FAQ's:
    • Other breakfast recipes to try:
    • Breakfast Strata with Antelope Sausage (Overnight Breakfast Casserole)
    breakfast strata ingredients in pan.

    Ingredients Needed:

    Breakfast Sausage:

    • Ground Antelope (or other ground meat)
    • Fresh Thyme (or dried)
    • Fresh Sage (or dried)
    • Ground Fennel
    • Marjoram
    • Salt and Pepper
    • Red Pepper Flakes
    • Paprika
    • Ground Cloves
    • Maple Syrup

    Strata:

    • Breakfast Sausage (from above)
    • Lard (only needed if your sausage doesn't have fat ground in)
    • Brioche Dinner Rolls/Slider Rolls
    • Eggs
    • Half and Half
    • Salt and Pepper
    • White Cheddar, Shredded (or mix of white and orange cheddar)

    Equipment Needed:

    • Cast Iron Casserole Pan (or other casserole pan)
    • Parchment Paper
    • Aluminum Foil

    How to make antelope breakfast sausage:

    breakfast sausage spices and herbs.
    Start with a few fresh herbs (thyme and sage), dried spices ( fennel, marjoram, salt, pepper, paprika, red pepper flakes, and cloves), and real maple syrup.
    ground meat with herbs and spices in bowl.
    Place ground antelope, chopped herbs, and dried spices in bowl.
    pouring maple syrup onto antelope breakfast sausage.
    Pour maple syrup over meat and spices/herbs.
    mixing antelope breakfast sausage by hand.
    Mix together with hands until well-combined. Refrigerate for at least a few hours, preferably overnight.
    antelope breakfast sausage cooking in pan.
    If your meat doesn't have fat ground in, cook it in a few tablespoons of lard to give it a rich flavor.
    cooked antelope breakfast sausage in bowl.
    Enjoy as a part of many breakfast dishes! This strata recipe is delicious but biscuits and gravy is a close second!

    How to make breakfast strata:

    placing parchment paper into cast iron casserole pan.
    Line a cast iron casserole pan with parchment paper. If using a glass or ceramic casserole dish, you can grease the dish instead. Parchment paper helps protect the surface of the cast iron while it refrigerates overnight.
    cracking eggs into bowl for breakfast strata.
    Crack a dozen eggs into a large bowl.
    whisking eggs and cream together in bowl.
    Whisk the eggs with half and half, salt, and pepper.
    scrambled eggs in casserole dish.
    Pour ⅓ of the egg mixture into the casserole dish.
    cutting brioche rolls in half for breakfast strata.
    Slice brioche rolls in half.
    sprinkling cheese over brioche rolls.
    Place bottoms of rolls in the pan (on top of eggs) and sprinkle ⅓ of the cheese on top.
    spreading sausage over cheese in casserole dish.
    Place cooked breakfast sausage on top of cheese.
    sprinkling cheese over sausage in casserole dish.
    Sprinkle ⅓ of the cheese on top of the sausage.
    pouring eggs into breakfast strata.
    Pour ⅓ of egg mixture over cheese.
    squishing brioche rolls into casserole dish.
    Place tops of rolls on top of cheese/sausage filling. Squish rolls down into the eggs with your hands.
    pouring eggs over top of breakfast strata.
    Pour remaining eggs over rolls.
    sprinkling cheese on top of breakfast strata.
    Sprinkle remaining cheese over rolls.
    baked breakfast strata in cast iron pan.
    Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, bake until 165°F in the center (about 1 hour). Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. Let rest for 10 minutes. Cut into portions and enjoy!

    What to serve with breakfast strata:

    Breakfast strata is a filling meal on its own but can also be part of a brunch spread or served with something light like fresh fruit or a lightly dressed green salad. If you're planning on adding strata to your brunch spread, here are a few ideas to go with it:

    • Fresh Berries
    • Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus
    • Deviled Eggs
    • Homemade Bacon
    • Baked Brie
    • Blueberry Lemon Sourdough Babka
    • Sourdough Dutch Baby Pancake
    • Simple Green Salad with Vinaigrette
    • Roasted Potatoes
    • Blood Orange Mimosas
    cutting into breakfast strata on plate.

    Recipe FAQ's:

    What is a breakfast strata?

    Breakfast strata is a broad term for layered breakfast casserole dishes made up of bread, eggs, and other fillings. Fillings can be simple like meat and cheese or you can get creative by adding vegetables like spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, etc. Strata roughly translates to a "bed or layer" and often refers to things that are layered.

    Why does strata have to sit overnight?

    Allowing strata to sit overnight makes sure the bread soaks up all the eggy goodness. If you don't let it sit overnight, the bread can be dry and hard. But when it soaks up the eggs, the bread will be moist and soft.

    Why choose strata for holiday breakfasts?

    The best part about making breakfast strata is that all the hard work is done the day before. When you wake up the next day, all that's left to do is pop it in the oven and enjoy your holiday! It's perfect for Easter, Mother's Day, Christmas, and more!

    Can you freeze egg strata?

    Yes! But make sure you bake it first. Then, cut it up into individual portions and freeze for an easy weekday breakfast.

    Other breakfast recipes to try:

    • Corned Venison Hash with Horseradish Cream Sauce
    • Venison Biscuits and Gravy
    • Homemade Bacon
    • Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits

    If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating at the bottom of the page! This provides helpful feedback to me and fellow readers. And if you want more delicious, wild game recipes you can subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram and Pinterest!

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    cutting into breakfast strata on plate.

    Breakfast Strata with Antelope Sausage (Overnight Breakfast Casserole)

    Peak to Plate - Annie Weisz - peaktoplate.com
    Breakfast strata is a classic choice for holiday or weekend mornings. It can be prepped and refrigerated overnight and baked in the morning for a delicious special breakfast or as part of a brunch spread.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr 25 mins
    Total Time 1 hr 35 mins
    Course Breakfast
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12
    Calories 459 kcal
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • cast iron casserole pan (or other casserole pan)
    • Parchment Paper
    • aluminum foil

    Ingredients
      

    Breakfast Sausage:

    • 1 lb ground antelope (or other ground meat)
    • 1 ½ tablespoon thyme, finely chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried)
    • 1 ½ tablespoon sage, finely chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried)
    • 1 teaspoon fennel
    • 1 teaspoon marjoram
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (more or less depending on spice preference)
    • ½ teaspoon paprika
    • 1 pinch ground cloves
    • 2 tablespoon maple syrup

    Strata:

    • 1 lb breakfast sausage (from above)
    • 3 tablespoon lard (only needed if your sausage doesn't have fat ground in)
    • 12 brioche dinner rolls/slider rolls
    • 12 eggs
    • 1 cup half and half
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • 16 oz white cheddar, shredded (or mix of white and orange cheddar)

    Instructions
     

    Breakfast Sausage:

    • Combine all ingredients except ground meat and maple syrup in a medium bowl. Add in ground meat and maple syrup. Mix together with your hands until spice mixture is well-distributed in the meat. Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours, preferably overnight.

    Strata:

    • Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
    • Add lard to pan and heat until melted. Add in breakfast sausage. Break up meat until it makes a layer on the bottom of the pan. Let it cook for a while (3-5 minutes) before stirring or flipping it.
    • Once the bottom layer of meat has a nice crisp to it, flip the meat and redistribute in the pan. Continue cooking until all meat is browned, about 5 minutes longer. Set aside.
    • In a large bowl, combine eggs, half and half, salt, and pepper. Whisk until well combined.
    • Slice rolls in half so that they resemble slider buns. You can slice them all at once if they are stuck together.
    • Line cast iron casserole pan with parchment paper. If you are using a glass or ceramic pan, this step is not necessary but it does help keep the strata from sticking to the pan. If you're using cast iron, this step is necessary to keep the liquid from soaking in the pan overnight which can lead to rust.
    • Pour ⅓ of egg mixture into parchment paper-lined pan. Place bottom halves of rolls in pan.
    • Continue layering in this order: ⅓ of the cheese, all of the sausage, ⅓ of the cheese, ⅓ of the eggs, the tops of the rolls, and the remaining ⅓ of the eggs.
    • Squish the rolls down into the eggs my spreading your hands out over them. This will be messy but it is essential to make sure the rolls soak up the eggs.
    • Top with remaining ⅓ of the cheese. Grease a piece of foil with oil or butter and place on top of the pan to cover. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
    • In the morning, place pan in cold oven. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake for 1 hour or until internal temperature reaches 165°F. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is browned.
    • Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Cut in between the rolls to serve. Enjoy!

    Freezing Instructions:

    • Follow all steps above. Once strata is cut into portions, place them on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan and freeze until solid. Once frozen, place in an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
    • Thaw individual portions under refrigeration. Reheat in microwave or oven until internal temperature reaches 165°F.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 459kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 28gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 244mgSodium: 852mgPotassium: 320mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 762IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 412mgIron: 4mg
    Love this recipe?Mention @peak.to.plate on Instagram and tag #peaktoplate
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients Needed:
    • Equipment Needed:
    • How to make antelope breakfast sausage:
    • How to make breakfast strata:
    • What to serve with breakfast strata:
    • Recipe FAQ's:
    • Other breakfast recipes to try:
    • Breakfast Strata with Antelope Sausage (Overnight Breakfast Casserole)
    Share this...
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    • Yummly
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    Hi, I'm Annie! I'm a wife, mom of 2 boys, Registered Dietitian, Wyoming native, lover of all things food, and the creator of Peak to Plate. I believe that preparing delicious meals and enjoying them mindfully is the best way to pay respect to animals harvested for our consumption. I hope to inspire you to take your cooking skills to new creative heights.

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