Easy Overnight Strata

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This easy breakfast is a total win and if you haven't ever tried one, you must make it!

After all of the holiday madness, preparing a complicated breakfast is the last thing you want to think about. That’s why we love this Easy Overnight Strata! It’s hearty, incredibly delicious, and so easy to make.

If you’ve never heard the term strata, it’s essentially a layered casserole generally made with bread, eggs, and cheese.

WOT we love about this recipe: You can get creative and use your favorite ingredients to make it yours! You can use turkey breakfast sausage, pork, or your favorite vegan sausage. Change up the cheese, keep the peppers, or leave them out, it is still going to taste great!

Easy Overnight Strata

Equipment

9x13 baking dish

Ingredients

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. breakfast sausage, no casing
8-10 slices of regular sandwich bread
2 cups whole milk
4 medium eggs
½ cup shredded mild cheddar cheese, divided
¾ cup yellow onion, diced
¾ cup green or yellow peppers, diced
1 jalapeño, optional
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a skillet over medium heat, add one tablespoon of olive oil. Heat until the oil shimmers.
Add the breakfast sausage meat without any casing. Using two forks and both hands, break the sausage meat apart to get small bite-size pieces. Sauté sausage until it is well browned. Once browned, remove the sausage from the skillet and set aside.
In the same skillet, add the diced onions and peppers. Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes or until onions and peppers are tender. Turn the heat off the skillet.
In a buttered 9x13 baking dish or similar, place one layer of bread on the bottom of the baking dish. Add half of the browned sausage meat on top of the first layer of bread.
Top the sausage meat with half of the onion and pepper mixture then top layer with ¼ cup of shredded cheese. Repeat to make a second layer.
In a large glass jar, combine the milk with the eggs. Shake until combined. You can also use a mixing cup or something with a spout to make pouring easier.
Slowly, pour the milk and egg mixture evenly over the top of the strata. Cover the strata and place in the refrigerator overnight.
In the morning, remove the strata from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place covered strata in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until the strata rises and is golden brown. Depending on your oven you may need to bake longer.
Let rest for five minutes before serving.