Easter Strata

April 11, 2022

Need an Easter brunch idea? We’ve got you covered with our Easter Strata recipe! 

First things first, what exactly is a Strata? Strata is defined in many contexts as layers of items. This is why we often call our Strata a savory casserole, savory bread pudding, or lasagna. This recipe is a crowd favorite, very quick to put together, can be served hot right out of the pan after baking, or cold the very next day! Our Strata works great as a main dish or can be used as a side dish to your best-loved brunch items. Our go-to pairing options are fresh fruit or cinnamon rolls.

Let’s peel back some layers to uncover some truths to this dish. 

  • Meat: Use any sort of meat you’d like, but we suggest using sausage or bacon
  • Bread: We recommended using Kneaders Focaccia bread to give the essence of this dish an undeniable quality boost. 
  • Half and Half: If you need a replacement for this ingredient. half and half is half whole milk, half heavy cream. You might already have these ingredients! 
  • Cheese: colby-jack cheese is a great option for the entire family, but feel free to try some other cheeses as well! Play around with it. 
  • Time with the family: Make Easter morning more wholesome by prepping the recipe the night before and baking it for about an hour while finding Easter eggs with the family. 
  • Reheating: The strata still tastes fantastic when it’s reheated. 

Main or side dish approved: This can certainly be used as a main dish, but it also works fabulously well on the side.

Ingredients

Serving size: 12 

  • 1 lb Italian sausage
  • 1 loaf of Kneaders Focaccia Bread
  • 4 oz sliced mushrooms sauteed
  • 3 oz fresh spinach leaves (2 packed cups)
  • 2 c grated colby-jack cheese
  • 8 eggs
  • 3 c half and half
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground mustard

Directions

  1. Cook sausage, or your meat of choice, over medium-high heat until evenly browned. Drain and set aside.
  2. Layer bread cubes, sausage, mushrooms, spinach, and cheese in a 9×13” baking dish. 
  3. In a mixing bowl, beat together eggs, half and half, salt and mustard.
  4. Pour egg mixture over layered ingredients in the baking dish.
  5. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours.
  6. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
  7. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

*Chilling the meal isn’t required, but allow time to chill for the best results.