When you have a houseful of guests or are planning a big special meal just for your family, it’s great to have a make ahead breakfast option that you can just pop into the oven and serve family style. I love a strata – which is essentially just an egg bake that includes bread or a savory bread pudding. I’ll often make a simple ham and cheese version with leftover Christmas ham but this strata includes mushrooms, breakfast sausage and tangy sourdough. You can assemble this the night before then pop it into a warm oven in the morning making it easier than pouring coffee. Just don’t do what SJP did in The Family Stone and you’ll be in good shape 😉

Sausage & Mushroom Strata

Gather:

1 tsp olive oil

1 lb breakfast sausage

2 1/2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms

1/3 cup chopped yellow onion

1 420 g loaf sourdough bread, cut into 1.5 inch cubes

8 large eggs

2 cups milk

8 ounce block sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Cook:

Grease a 9×13 pan with butter. In a medium sized skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the breakfast sausage and chop into pieces while it cooks. When it’s cooked through and browned, remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Leave about 1 tbsp of fat in the pan and add the onions and mushrooms. Sauté until onions are cooked and mushrooms are browned – about 8 minutes. Add the sausage back into the pan and mix into the vegetables. Set aside and assemble the strata.

To the prepared pan, add the bread cubes and spread out evenly. Add the sausage and mushroom mixture and gently toss with the bread. Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk. Add the milk and season with salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes slowly. Sprinkle the cheese all over the top. Cover and refrigerate for an hour or overnight. When ready to bake, put the strata in a 350 degree oven uncovered for about 50-60 minutes. Cover with foil for the last 10-15 minutes of baking. Let rest for about 10 minutes before serving!