To be fair, when I eat breakfast tacos they have potatoes, bacon, cheese and salsa on them too so it isn't overly eggy (it's a word now…trust me), so when I saw this recipe for Cheese Strata on Pinterest from Cooking Tip Of The Day I figured that I'd be able to enjoy them.
I varied my recipe some, so you might argue that this isn't really a proper review, but it's basically the same. I opted for the 9x13-inch baking dish that the blogger mentioned could be used mostly because I don't have the deeper dish. I left out the dry mustard because my husband wouldn't touch it if I used it. I also screwed up when shopping and purchased a french baguette because I confused this recipe with another and decided to use the baguette anyway.
Now the original recipe had the crusts removed, but this wasn't going to happen. A baguette is long and skinny and very, very crusty. No way I was going to remove the crusts…I'd have nothing left! So I improvised. I sliced the bread (discarding both ends) and then cubed the slices. It would have to make due, and I have to say the end result was delicious.
My version is below, but whether you try mine or the original from Cooking Tip Of The Day, you'll be delighted with the result!
Sausage and Cheese Strata
1 french baguette, sliced and cubed
2 cups shredded cheese (I used a Colby-Jack mix)
1 lb bulk breakfast sausage
2 cups milk
6 eggs
4 scallions, chopped (mostly just the green tops)
Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
Slice and cube the baguette and place the cubes into a large bowl. Sauté the sausage in a large pan, breaking it up as it cooks. Place the sausage into the large bowl with the bread and 1 cup of the shredded cheese and mix together well. Spread the bread mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Whisk together the eggs and milk and pour over the top of the bread mixture. Let sit for 30 minutes. Every 10 minutes or so I would push down on the top pieces of bread to ensure they were getting enough egg in them to soften them.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese over the top of the strata and then follow up with the chopped scallions. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. When a knife come out mostly clean it's done.
I hope you enjoy the review (and the strata). I'd love to share this recipe with the rest of my family. I know they'd love it, but they've been very silly and sworn off carbs. Oh well. More for me!
