Strata is a savory, layered breakfast casserole made with bread, eggs, meat and vegetables. Make it the day before and bake it in the morning!
I’ve been making breakfast strata recipes in one form or another for the better part of 20 years. These layered egg casseroles are easy to make, easy to adapt to what you have on hand, perfect for meal prepping, and are the ultimate one-pan meals.
For this strata recipe, I layered crusty bread (my favorite is sourdough, but really any will do), prosciutto, roasted red peppers, chevre and parmesan cheeses, eggs and milk with some Italian seasoning tossed in for good measure.
The combination of tangy chevre, fresh spinach, roasted red pepper and a hint of saltiness from the prosciutto make this dish not only flavor packed but a colorful feast for the eyes. To make it vegetarian, simply skip the prosciutto.
If I’m hosting breakfast or brunch for my extended family and friends, I will make strata the night before and put it in the oven just before everyone arrives the next morning, but you can also make it and bake it all in one day. Like overnight Baked French Toast, strata recipes make me deeply happy because they make hosting easy and work on my schedule. (Leftovers make great next-day lunches, too!)
Table of Contents
What is in this Strata Recipe
- Crusty bread, cubed or torn. Whatever works for you.
- Chevre and Parmesan cheese pack a creamy and salty punch
- Spinach, garlic, and roasted red peppers add flavor, color and nutrition to this dish.
- Prosciutto is totally optional, but I like the meaty bites it adds to this strata recipe.
- Scallions or chives, chopped. Either will work. Use what you have on hand.
- 8 eggs: The key to a light and fluffy strata is to whip the eggs aggressively until they are cohesive. You don’t want the whites and yolks separate.
- Whole milk. I think it adds richness, but you can use 2% as well. No worries.
- Italian seasoning. If you don’t have it, swap it for a little oregano, thyme and basil. However, I kind of love our Homemade Italian Seasoning recipe. It’s worth it for me to whip up a batch to have on hand so I don’t have to measure out individual spices every time I cook.
- Kosher salt black pepper. Salt amplifies the other flavors. If anything you make ever tastes flat, it probably just needs a little salt. Pepper gives you that slight earthy heat.
How to Make Breakfast Strata
Breakfast casseroles are easy to make, which is why they are one of the more popular brunch recipes to feed a crowd. Use what you have on hand and don’t worry too much about the combinations. For this recipe I wanted a lot of bright colors and flavors, so I opted for spinach, roasted red peppers (from a jar), a little salty prosciutto and good crusty bread.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 baking dish with a little olive oil. Place it on a baking sheet.
- Set a large skillet over medium heat. Add a little extra virgin olive oil. Add the garlic. Saute for about a minute then add the spinach just until wilted and the moisture is released. (If you’re short on time and you don’t mind a little more bite from the garlic, you can skip this. Just let the casserole bake for an extra 5 minutes or so to help release the extra moisture from the spinach.)
- Arrange the bread in a single layer on the bottom of the pan. Layer on the cheeses, roasted red pepper, spinach and garlic, prosciutto, and scallions. Top with more bread and repeat the layering process until it’s all used up.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Pour it over the layered bread in the baking dish.
- Transfer it to the oven to bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Ways to Adapt this Strata Recipe
Among the many attributes one could associate with stratas the very best is flexibility. Get creative and use what you have when making a breakfast casserole. Here are few ideas to make this recipe your own.
- I use our Italian Seasoning blend because I love it, but if you don’t have a batch made already just use a combination of thyme, oregano and basil.
- Swap the roasted red peppers for a sliced cherry or grape tomatoes
- Leave the prosciutto out for a vegetarian option or swap it with cooked sausage, bacon or ham.
- Chevre is one of my favorite cheeses. It has a tangy flavor to it, but if you don’t have it or don’t like it, swap it for feta or mozzarella.
- Add chopped jarred artichokes if you have some laying around.
- If you don’t have whole milk, 2% will work just fine.
- You definitely want to use a sturdy crusty bread for this. If you only have tender sandwich slices around the house, hold off on making this recipe until you have a good crusty loaf. It makes all the difference.
Make it a Feast
I have a massive family. I’m one of six children so by the time we all get together with spouses and children a lot of food is needed even for casual family gatherings.
To round out my breakfast casserole main and make it a feast I will sometimes add a sweet option like this Overnight Baked French Toast, and a Smoked Salmon Platter to snack on while everyone is catching up and waiting for the food to come out of the oven. I also love to serve with with a bright winter fruit salad for a festive holiday brunch.
I always have a bevy of drink options: juice for the kids, coffee, and tea for me. I’m an avid gardener so I love how this Arabic Tea Recipe uses fresh mint. If breakfast rolls into lunch or dinner, I’ve been known to whip up a batch of sangria to finish the day out.
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Our Nocellara EVOO is the perfect choice for this strata!
This extra virgin olive oil is produced from hand-picked and cold extracted Nocellara olives, which produce an exquisite medium intensity oil. The results are aromas of freshly-picked tomatoes and vegetables, with a mildly bitter and spicy finish.
Strata (Baked Egg Breakfast Casserole)
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil, plus more for greasing the baking dish
- 3 cups chopped spinach, packed
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound about 6 cups crusty bread, cut into large cubes
- 4 ounces chevre cheese
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 3 large roasted red peppers, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 3 ounces prosciutto, torn to bite-size pieces
- 4 scallions or chives, chopped
- 8 eggs
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 baking dish with a little olive oil. Place it on a baking sheet.
- In a large skillet set over medium heat, add 2 teaspoons of olive oil. When it shimmers add the garlic, saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the spinach and stir until wilted and most of the moisture has evaporated. Remove from heat and turn off the burner.
- Arrange the bread cubes in a single layer on the bottom of the pan. Layer on 1/3 of the cheeses, roasted red pepper, spinach, prosciutto, and scallions. Top with more bread and repeat the layering process until the ingredients are used up.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Pour it over the layered bread in the baking dish.
- Transfer it to the oven to bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean and the strata is puffed up and slightly golden on the top.
Video
Notes
- For this recipe I use about 3/4 of a large round loaf of bread.
- Use 2% instead of whole milk if that’s what you have on hand.
- Skip the prosciutto to make this vegetarian.
- If you’re not into chevre then swap it for mozzarella.
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This was absolutely delicious – tasty and with very nice texture and crunch. I did find it to be a little bit salty though. Would it work to substitute gruyere for the parmesan? I also wonder if it would benefit from using caramelized leeks or yellow onion in lieu of the scallions.
Hi, Jenny! I think you could play with any of those swaps. This recipe is pretty forgiving. Enjoy!