Strata, casserole, breakfast pudding—no matter what you call it, this Overnight Egg and Breakfast Sausage Strata is about to revolutionize the way you brunch.
Just imagine waking up, popping this prepared dish from the fridge into the oven and then kicking back with a cup of coffee. And by “cup of coffee,” I mean “Espresso Chocolate Chip Brownie Cookie.” All that’s left to do is count down the minutes while layers of crusty bread soaked in eggy custard melt together with shredded cheddar, tender asparagus and breakfast sausage crumbles.
Looking to spice up your morning? Swap in chorizo for breakfast sausage to add a smoky kick to every cheesy bite.
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Ingredients
- 1 pound bulk ground breakfast sausage (See Kelly's Notes)
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for greasing pan
- 1 cup diced onion
- 8 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cups whole or non-fat milk
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 10 asparagus spears, ends discarded and spears cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 pound white, whole wheat or French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 7 cups)
Instructions
- Grease a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with unsalted butter. Set aside.
- In a large nonstick pan set over medium heat, cook the breakfast sausage, breaking it apart into crumbles. Remove it to a paper towel-lined plate and drain any drippings from the pan.
- Add 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter to the pan. Once the butter has melted, add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it's soft and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Transfer the onion to a medium bowl then stir in the cooked sausage.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Stir in the cheese and asparagus.
- Scatter the bread cubes evenly in the greased baking dish, then top the bread with the sausage mixture and asparagus. Pour the egg mixture over the layers of bread and sausage. Cover the dish securely with plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight, or for about 8 hours.
- Remove the strata from the fridge, discard the plastic wrap, and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place the strata on a baking sheet and bake it, uncovered, for 35 to 45 minutes, until the eggs are fully cooked. Let the strata rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Kelly's Notes:
- Opt for any variety of breakfast sausage, such as chicken sausage, or kick up the heat with chorizo.
- Feel free to add any other veggies you'd normally include in scrambled eggs or an omelet.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
Nutrition
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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of JustaTaste.com.
Can you make this in muffin pans? If so, would you change the ingredients at all?
Thanks!
Hi Shelley – I’ve never made this recipe as muffins so, unfortunately, I’m not sure the exact bake time or what the results would be. Let me know if you give it a shot!
Kelly—Can this be made 2-3 days in advance and kept overnight in ref?
Hi Terri – Up to 2 days in advance should be fine. Enjoy!
Served this for breakfast and everyone loved it.
This is a fantastic recipe! So many times these casseroles are super heavy and greasy – this is delicious and the asparagus look beautiful on top. Made this for Mother’s Day today and it was a huge hit. The best breakfast casserole we have made…Thanks for the recipe!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I’ve always loved a good strata, and I prefer savory over sweet for breakfast. These flavors go well with lots of different vegetables so you can throw in whatever’s in season.
This is perfect for brunch!! YUM :)
During the summer, we have a lot of overnight guests at our cottage in Maine. This would be a perfect breakfast to serve before heading out on the lake.
This looks perfect for when my family comes up! Btw I bought your dummies book and you are the reason I finaly launched my blog. You said something in an interview that got me moving. Something about, don’t wait until everything is perfect, to start your blog… just do it.
This looks like the perfect breakfast to feed a crowd!
Wowzers. What a gorgeous casserole! My whole face wants to just dive right in.
I am so trying this!! I love statas and my hubby goes crazy for breakfast food. He’ll love this….
I love stratas and this looks so scrumptious, Kelly! Wonderful for overnight guests. Thanks for sharing!
Weekend mornings are so much better with beautiful dishes like this! Love this strata, Kelly!
Brunch is such a cool time to eat, a little later so more of an appetite but not quite having to wait until lunch :) This is a perfect example of easy peezy but maximum taste!
This looks great! Love the fact that you can get it ready the day before!
Sounds delicious, Kelly. I love veggies added to breakfast and I think the asparagus is perfect for this breakfast strata.
Yum, this looks and sounds totally delicious!
What a great idea! Breakfast is so hard to time because everything takes a different amount of time to cook. So, you are either having people eat in rotation as each pancake or waffle is completed, or you are eating together food that has been sitting out. This recipe reduces the timing stress immensely!
I couldn’t agree more, Dawn! This strata makes entertaining super easy and guarantees that everyone’s digging in at the same time. Enjoy!
I’m heading over for breakfast! This sounds fantastic. I think a Bloody Mary would wash this down nicely :)
Holy yum!! This looks GOOD! I absolutely adore asparagus :). I will have to give this a try, but with vegan sausage.
What an incredible breakfast! I will definitely be pinning this for a future brunch!
This looks so good!!! Love making breakfast casseroles!
Love adding chorizo to our breakfast egg bakes for some zip, Kelly! Your recipe looks superb. Thank you for sharing! xo
LOVE this! Now when can I come over for breakfast?
I am SO not a morning person, but I LOVE breakfast foods. So overnight casseroles are right up my alley! This one looks delicious…especially with the addition of asparagus. Perfect for spring!
My mom’s favorite thing to make during the holidays is strata. There is always a new recipe each year. She (and all of us!) will love this. Gorgeous pictures Kelly!
This strata sounds like the perfect morning breakfast on the weekends when you just want to be lazy.
I love a good breakfast casserole. They just make like simple on the weekends.
oh goodness. sounds amazing!
Good heavens my entire torso just went numb.
My mother-in-law loves to make strata anytime the whole family gets together. I can’t wait to share this with her. Great flavors, Kelly!
just shut up. I’m staying over at your house!
YUM! This looks amazing Kelly! Gorgeous pics!
LOVE!! The asparagus on top looks to good and then there is the crispy cheese!! Oh this just looks awesome!
This looks fantastic, I love the addition of the asparagus, I have a graduation brunch coming up, this just may need to be on the menu! anne
I’ve recently started throwing the sausages, bacon and pudding into the oven on a Sunday – all ready in 20 minutes, no smell, no standing over a hot stove, no fuss and I love it. Now… this is even better – I’m loving the strata idea for breakfast and I’m gonna try this with veggie sausages (for me) this Sunday. Thanks Kelly :)
I haven’t had strata in ages. This looks awesome. I like to add jalapenos in mine, for that extra kick.I love chorizo, but I actually got sick of it once because we had a shitload of it at work (for family meal), and we had to keep on using it every night for a week. But I haven’t had it for a while, so I miss it. Sounds good right about now. Your blog always makes me hungry.
This looks like a wonderful breakfast casserole um I mean strata :) everything on your blog look so delicious and eye catching so nice to visit your site.