Name: Sausage Strata
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons neutral oil, divided; 16 ounces breakfast sausage; ½ diced yellow onion; 2 minced garlic cloves; 4 ounces baby spinach; 8 large eggs; 1 1/2 cups heavy cream; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and divided; 22 ounces Italian loaf, torn into pieces; 8 ounces shredded white cheddar cheese; 2 sliced green onions, divided; salt and pepper to taste

Sausage strata recipe in a dish with a scoop out.

Breakfast foods are some of our favorite foods and our Sausage Strata is hard to beat! This super simple strata is so comforting, delicious and can feed between 8 and 10 people! Our strata is also a favorite because you can make it the night before and just pop it in the oven before you’re ready to serve it!

We make this recipe whenever we have overnight guests over, but especially when during the holidays. It’s one of the best Christmas morning breakfasts you could ask for!

What is a Strata?

A strata is a layered egg casserole, usually involving layers of bread with some sort of filling between the layers. It’s most popular as a brunch dish and is similar to a bread pudding, but more often made savory (like our recipe today!).

How to Make Our Sausage Strata Recipe

Ingredients to make our Sausage Strata recipe.

Process

Place a large skillet over heat. Add oil and brown sausage, breaking it up as it cooks.
Transfer sausage to bowl and set aside.
Add more oil to skillet and sauté onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

Add spinach and continue to sauté until spinach wilts.
Pour onion mixture into bowl with sausage and set aside.

Spinach, onions and garlic in a skillet.

Sausage and spinach and other ingredients for the filling of a strata.

Grease baking dish with butter.
In a liquid measuring cup whisk together eggs and cream until completely combined. Generously season with salt and pepper.

Eggs and cream whisked together in a bowl.

Add half bread pieces into the bottom of the baking dish in an even layer. Top with half the sausage, spinach and onion mixture. Pour half the egg and cream mixture over strata and sprinkle with half shredded cheese.

Torn bread in a baking dish for the base layer of a strata.

Process of layering the sausage strata recipe in a baking dish.

Repeat previous step until everything has been used and baking dish is full.
Top dish with half green onions.
Tightly cover strata with foil and refrigerate overnight (or at least one hour).

A completed sausage strata recipe in a baking dish ready to be baked.

Sausage strata wrapped in foil to be baked.

Preheat oven. Bake covered strata in oven. Uncover and continue to bake until the top has browned and slightly crisped at the edges and the center has just set.
Cool strata for several minutes, top with remaining green onion and serve.

Tools You Will Need

Variations

We love recipes like this Sausage Strata because there are endless flavor possibilities! Below we have some different ingredients that would taste delicious in our strata!

Different cheeses to use: fontina, gruyere, comte, havarti, gouda
Protein alternatives: crumbled bacon, diced ham, turkey breakfast sausage, diced and sautéed tofu
Vegetables to add: sautéed mushrooms, kale, bell peppers, asparagus

Sausage strate recipe in a baking dish with green onions on the side.

Tips and Tricks for Sausage Strata Success

We recommend using a hardier bread like sour dough or a crusty Italian loaf. Since the strata sits overnight, you want to use a hearty bread so the casserole maintains some body and bite to it. If using a softer bread like brioche, only allow the strata to sit for up to 3 hours in the refrigerator to avoid a soggy final product.
Whole milk can be used instead of cream, but it should be whole milk. Anything less than will produce too much water while baking and may cause the strata to be soggy with excess liquid pooled at the bottom.
Stick to great melting cheeses to help meld everything together. The options we listed above all melt very well.

Make Ahead and Freezing Our Sausage Strata Recipe

Make Ahead

Our recipe can be (and is encouraged) to be made the night before, tightly covered with foil and refrigerated. This allows the egg and cream mixture to soak into the bread, so when it bakes you end up with soft, custard-like pieces of bread loaded with flavor. This also makes this dish perfect for holidays, overnight guests and busy brunches.

Freezing

A whole strata can be frozen, after it’s baked. Just allow the strata to cool completely. Tightly cover with 2 layers of foil, completely wrapping the dish and place in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to serve, remove one layer of foil and bake (covered and frozen) for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the strata has heated through.

Leftovers can be frozen in individual portions, wrapped in foil and then stored in an airtight container for up to 2 months. When ready to serve, leftover portions can be unwrapped, placed onto a microwave safe plate, covered with a damp paper towel and heated for 3 to 5 minutes (depending on the strength of your microwave).