This make-ahead, freezer-friendly casserole is a host’s dream come true. A spicy kick from chorizo is balanced by sharp cheddar cheese and bread cubes. Always a hit with guests, this is one of our family’s brunch favorites.
There is a fancy grocery store near my office that I sometimes stop by when I need some particularly hard-to-find ingredient (read: overpriced and imported) that I will inevitably carry around in my purse all day long. (This sometimes results in disaster like that time I broke an entire bottle of kalamata olives.)
On Thursday I stopped by the fancy grocery store for Sloane’s ridiculously good (and local!) chorizo and impulse-bought two U.S.-import peaches for $10. Worst carbon footprint ever, and I’m not even sorry. You won’t see a peach recipe here anytime soon because, for $10 you better believe I ate those peaches straight-up with juice running down my chin.
But the chorizo was destined for this beauty. Although we’ve tried hard to get ourselves back into our weekend breakfast routine with pancakes or bagels or some other leisurely Saturday fare, we’re still often dealing with baby-imposed distractions that result in burnt toast and cold coffee. But if you’ve been to our house for brunch since the girls were born (or come by any time soon…sorry to ruin the surprise all you future brunch guests), you’ll know this dish. We’re not high on creativity these days, but we know a good breakfast dish when we see one. And this strata, adapted from Bon Appetit, is the real deal. We prep it a day in advance, let it soak in the fridge overnight, and toss it in the oven 30 minutes before people are due to arrive.
30 minutes before people are due to arrive, I’m also likely running around the apartment, still in my pajamas having not yet brushed my teeth, with a baby in my arms, shoving toys in random bins.
But pulling that strata out of the oven in all its spicy, savory glory is like magic – ta da (!), we’ve totally got our act together around here. ;)
- 6 large eggs
- 2½ cups milk (I use 2%)
- ½ cup (about 3 stalks) sliced green onions
- ½ cup whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 pound chorizo, casings removed
- 1 large red bell pepper, halved, seeded, cut into ½-inch wide-strips
- 1 1-pound loaf rustic French bread, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 2 cups (loosely packed) grated sharp cheddar cheese
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch ceramic or glass baking dish. Whisk first 5 ingredients in large bowl; sprinkle generously with pepper. Set aside.
- Place sausage in large nonstick skillet; push to 1 side. Add bell pepper to other side of skillet. Sauté over high heat, breaking up sausage with fork, until sausage is cooked through and bell peppers are brown in spots, about 7 minutes.
- Arrange half of bread cubes in prepared dish. Pour half of egg mixture over. Sprinkle with half of cheese, then half of sausage-pepper mixture. Repeat layering. Let stand 20 minutes or refrigerate overnight, occasionally pressing on bread to submerge.
- Bake strata until puffed and brown, about 1 hour. Cool slightly.
OMG this looks delicious! Don’t feel bad, toddler plus shooting blog photos = cold food ALL the time for me! I think my husband has just come to terms with it! :)
Good thing is the food is still delicious either way and this looks down right tasty.. love the chorizo addition for a little kick! Gorg photos girl!
Krista @ Joyful Healthy Eats recently posted..Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Noodles
This sounds like the perfect breakfast when company over! I’m always running around at the last minute trying to clean things up. Time management seems to fly out the window when it comes to having house guests! I can’t wait to try this sometime!
Alexis @ Upside Down Pear recently posted..Green Smoothie
I have never made something like this for breakfast before. I definitely need to recreate the recipe, looks like a perfect start to the day!
Thalia @ butter and brioche recently posted..Belgian Mocha Mousse Layer Cake
Hehe i can relate to your broken olive bottle story!! And those peaches , I would have totally done the same!! No sharing even!! And this breakfast or brunch is just gorgeous!!
ami@naivecookcooks recently posted..Asparagus & Green Pea Salad “Grilled Cheese”
I love dishes like this that can be prepped the night before! It sounds delicious!
hehe and what a cute little photography assistant you got there! :)
Ashley recently posted..Meal Planning 101 – The How
Okay, I have this currently in the fridge ready to go into the oven for a breakfast themed dinner potluck this evening. My question, since I live in Shanghai and everything is metric here, is how much in volume should my 1 pound of bread end up making? Do you have an idea in cups, how much bread I should end up with after cubing it? Our local bakery here only sells tiny loaves or huge loaves, so just wondering how much is a close estimate of what you get with your “1 pound loaf” there. I’m a little worried I have too much bread. And I totally understand about the ridiculous price of imported goods! I have teenage sons who crave American breakfast cereal which runs $18 USD a box here. Which they can eat in one sitting. Sorry boys! Thanks for this recipe!
Heather Rose-Chase recently posted..Jedi Mind Tricks
Heather – $18 for American cereal! I think that’s even worse than here! There is a lot of flexibility in how much bread you use in this recipe, so as long as the dish doesn’t look too dry before you put it in the oven, you should be okay. I’d say that I usually end up having about 8-10 heaping cups of cubed bread, depending on how small I cut the cubes.
Hooray! The proportion I used ended up being absolutely perfect. The dish was a huge hit. I had to use evaporated milk in place of the whipping cream because all my local markets were out. It was soooo good, and I can see why you have been making it regularly! I’ll certainly be putting it in my regular rotation! Thank you!
Looks delicious but 2 cups sliced green onions, really? I can buy two small bunches for $1.00. I think I would need to buy about at least 20 bunches for two cups. It sounds like a lot to me.
Hi Kaye – you are exactly right! Thanks so much for you note. We just transcribed a number of our top recipes into a new format and what you caught was an error. It should be 1/2 cup, but three regular stalks should do the trick. We’ve updated the recipe with the correct measurement. Sorry for the confusion – this is one of my favorite breakfast dishes, so I hope you enjoy it too!
I’d like to know how many does it serve ?
Mira C.
Hi Mira – this recipe serves 8. Thanks for bringing this to my attention – there is an error in the recipe format, so the serving amount is not visible. We’re working on that now!
How can I freeze this? Before or after cooking?