Breakfast Strata With Sausage And Monterey Jack Recipes

BREAKFAST STRATA WITH SAUSAGE AND MONTEREY JACK

Steps:

• 1. Ingredients: 16-20 (1/2-inch thick) slices supermarket French or Italian bread 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for the baking dish 1 pound bulk breakfast sausage 2 large shallots, minced (about 1/2 cup) 1 pound white button mushrooms, wiped clean and quartered Salt and ground black pepper 1 cup dry white wine or vermouth 12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 3 cups) 12 large eggs 3-1/2 cups half-and-half 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
• 2. Directions: 1. Adjust 2 oven racks to the upper middle and lower middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Spread the bread out over 2 baking sheets and bake until dry and light golden brown, about 25 minutes, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through the baking time. Let the bread cool completely and then spread buter evenly over 1 side of each bread slice. 2. Meanwhile, cook the sausage in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat, breaking the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until beginning to brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in the shallots and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and cook until their liquid is released, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the wine to the skillet and simmer over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes; set aside to cool. 3. Butter a 13 by 9-inch baking dish and tightly fit half of the bread slices, buttered sides up, into a single layer in the dish. Sprinkle half of the sausage mixture, then 1 cup of the cheese evenly over bread slices. Repeat with the remaining bread slices, sausage mixture, and 1more cup of the cheese. 4. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until combined, then whisk in the reduced wine, half-and-half, parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread layers and sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheese evenly over the top. 5. To Store: Wrap the strata tightly with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap flush to the surface of the strata. Weigh the strata down and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. 6. To Serve: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Meanwhile, unwrap the strata and let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Bake the strata, uncovered, until puffed and the edges have pulled away slightly from the sides of the dish, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

EASY SAUSAGE STRATA

Steps:

• Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and set aside.
• Layer bread cubes, sausage, and Cheddar cheese in a lightly greased 7x11 inch baking dish. In a bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, salt, and mustard. Pour the egg mixture over the bread cube mixture. Cover, and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Remove the casserole from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

HOLIDAY BREAKFAST STRATA WITH SAUSAGE (OR NOT)

Steps:

• In a medium saute pan, heat the olive oil and saute the onion, green pepper, and mushrooms until soft, about 7-8 minutes. Set aside.
• If using sausage, brown it in a medium saute pan and drain.
• If using veggie sausage, heat it in the microwave for a minute or so and crumble.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, half and half, salt, and pepper.
• Spray two approximately 4" x 8'' baking pans/casserole dishes with non-stick cooking spray.
• Layer two slices of the bread in the bottom of each pan.
• Sprinkle 1/4 of the veggies over the bread in each pan.
• Spread half the crumbled sausage over the sausage version.
• Sprinkle on 1/4 of the cheese over each.
• Pour about 1/2 cup of the egg mixture over the top.
• Add a layer of the remaining bread, two more slices each, then veggies, then sausage over the sausage side, then cheese.
• Pour the rest of the egg mixture evenly over the top of each.
• Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight, or for at least three hours.
• In the morning, uncover and bake at 325 degrees for about 40 - 50 minutes, until set.

BREAKFAST STRATA WITH COUNTRY SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Brush a large gratin dish with some of the oil.
• To cook the sausage, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until it begins to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the onion and red and yellow bell peppers and saute until the onion is golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds.
• To assemble the strata, place half of the bread cubes in the prepared gratin dish and top with half of the sausage mixture. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the grated cheese over the sausage mixture and top with the remaining bread cubes and sausage.
• Whisk together the eggs, milk, sage, and parsley in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the custard over the strata. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 12 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Let the chilled strata stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• Bake the strata for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese; continue baking until the strata is puffed and golden brown, an additional 20 to 25 minutes. (If the top of the strata starts to get too brown, cover it with aluminum foil.) Remove to a rack to cool slightly. Serve hot or warm.

DOUBLE-CRUSTED SAUSAGE EGG CASSEROLE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking it into crumbles; drain. Stir in Monterey Jack cheese., Unroll 1 tube of crescent dough into a long rectangle; press perforations to seal. Press onto bottom of a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Top with sausage mixture., Separate 1 egg; reserve egg white for brushing top. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolk, milk, salt, pepper and remaining eggs until blended; pour over sausage mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese., On a lightly floured surface, unroll remaining crescent dough and roll into a 13x9-in. rectangle; cut crosswise into 13 strips. Twist each strip and place over filling; brush with reserved egg white. Refrigerate, covered, overnight., Remove casserole from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.