Sunday Sausage Strata Recipes

Steps:

• Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up any clumps with a wooden spoon, until brown, about 5 minutes; transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Add the bell peppers to the skillet with 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes. Set aside.
• Whisk together the half-and-half, Parmesan, parsley, eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper in a medium bowl.
• Layer half of the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella, followed by the sausage and peppers. Cover with the remaining bread cubes and pour the custard evenly over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and let soak at room temperature 30 minutes to 1 hour. (To make ahead, after adding the custard, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight and then let the strata sit at room temperature while the oven preheats.)
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Remove the plastic and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella. Bake until slightly puffed and no longer jiggly in the center, 40 to 50 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• In a skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. In a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish, layer the croutons, sausage and cheese. Combine eggs and milk; mix well. Pour over cheese; sprinkle with basil, salt and pepper. , Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the eggs, milk, bread, cheese, bacon and mustard. Transfer to a greased shallow 3-qt. baking dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight. , Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350° for 60-65 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• In a skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat, crumbling it with a spoon, until mostly brown but still a little pink, about 5 minutes. Drain on a paper towel; reserve the sausage fat separately.
• Butter both sides of the bread with the butter. Arrange half of the bread in 1 layer in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Top with half the sausage, followed by half the Gruyere. Repeat with another layer of the remaining bread, sausage and cheese.
• In a bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, 2 teaspoons of the salt and some pepper. Pour the mixture over the layers of bread, sausage and cheese. Cover in plastic wrap and weigh down the strata with a couple sacks of rice/beans in a zipper top bag to compress it. Refrigerate overnight.
• The morning of baking, remove the plastic wrap and weights. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Toss the broccoli with the reserved sausage fat, remaining 1 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Dot the top of the strata with the broccoli florets so the broccoli tops are still visible (to look like trees) but the stalks are submerged in the custard. Bake until the edges pull away from the dish and the center is puffed, about 45 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes. Right before serving, sprinkle with the Parmesan to mimic snow on trees.

Steps:

• Place bread cubes in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Drizzle with butter. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, mustard, Italian seasoning and pepper; mix well. Pour over bread. Crumble sausage over top; sprinkle with cheese. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight., Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 45-55 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Coat a 13 x 9 inch baking with cooking spray.
• Cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes.
• Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
• Add onion and bell pepper to the skillet; cook, stirring often, until softened, 3-4 minutes.
• Whisk eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a bowl, until blended.
• Spread bread in the prepared baking dish.
• Scatter sausage and the onion mixture evenly over the bread.
• Brush with the mustard.
• Sprinkle with cheese.
• Pour in the egg mixture; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350°; bake the strata, uncovered, until puffed, lightly browned, and set in the center, 55-65 minutes.
• Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving hot.

Steps:

• Brush a large gratin dish with some of the oil.
• To cook the sausage, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until it begins to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the onion and red and yellow bell peppers and saute until the onion is golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds.
• To assemble the strata, place half of the bread cubes in the prepared gratin dish and top with half of the sausage mixture. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the grated cheese over the sausage mixture and top with the remaining bread cubes and sausage.
• Whisk together the eggs, milk, sage, and parsley in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the custard over the strata. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 12 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Let the chilled strata stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• Bake the strata for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese; continue baking until the strata is puffed and golden brown, an additional 20 to 25 minutes. (If the top of the strata starts to get too brown, cover it with aluminum foil.) Remove to a rack to cool slightly. Serve hot or warm.