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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!
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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:
How to make breakfast strata:
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
Recipe FAQ's:
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.
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.
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!
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:
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Breakfast Strata with Antelope Sausage (Overnight Breakfast Casserole)
Equipment
- cast iron casserole pan (or other casserole pan)
- 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.
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