It tastes good to roast butternut squash seeds. Save the seeds from your next butternut or acorn squash preparation and enjoy a healthy snack!
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 30 mins |
| Servings: | 12 |
| Yield: | 12 servings |
Ingredients
- 10 slices stale white bread
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- 3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
- 3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 8 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups half-and-half cream
- 2 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Spread butter onto one side of each slice of bread. Cut into quarters. Lay half of the bread, butter side down, in the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Top with half of the Cheddar cheese and half of the Monterey Jack. Layer the remaining bread over the cheese, and top with the other halves of the cheeses.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, and milk. Stir in the brown sugar, salt, pepper, cayenne, onion powder, mustard powder, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over the cheese and bread. Cover, and refrigerate at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Bake the strata uncovered for 1 hour in the preheated oven. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Slice and garnish with fresh parsley.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 458 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 16 g |
| Cholesterol | 214 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 24 g |
| Saturated Fat | 20 g |
| Sodium | 910 mg |
| Sugars | 4 g |
| Fat | 33 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
This is actually my recipe! Still delicious and still our Christmas Morning tradition!
This is great recipe as is. At times I put a layer of a finely chopped onion between the layers of bread. Also I cut the crust off because then the strata looks more like a soufflé as it bakes and poufs up! It can impress people as you bring in the dish to your dining room to serve! At times I make it with other kinds of cheese if I happen to have that on hand. Today I used jalapeño Monterey Jack I didn’t have six hours to allow it to rest so I used a simple inexpensive white bread as it soaks the milk – egg quickly and allowed it to rest for 1.5 hours. With this the bread completely ‘disappears’ and it truly looks like a soufflé.
used 12 slices of bread, not 10; can also use croissants or french bread – whatever you have on hand. used 10 eggs, not 8.
Add ham or sausage to make it even better!
I made this for Easter brunch. What I did was split it into 2 8×8 pans. In one pan I made it just as directed. In the second pan I added cooked ground sausage. I increased the oven temp to 350 and they cooked in 1 hour 5 minutes. My guests loved them. The one with sausage was entirely gone.
I made this for my son’s graduation party brunch. Everyone loved it! I followed the recipe exactly without changes. People thought I’d worked so hard, but it was incredibly easy.
This recipe is GREAT!! Made this a few yrs ago for a brunch & everyone loved it. My daughter is hosting a brunch next week & I was asked to bring this dish. The only change I made was 2 cups each Cheddar & Monterey Jack – NOT 3 cups. Try it – you & your guests will be glad you did. Dee NJ
I liked this recipe, but nobody else in my family did. My husband cooked the strata according to the recipe and thought it was done. Both he and my son tried it, but it was nowhere near being done and I think that ruined it for them. I then cooked it for another 1/2 hour and I liked it but they wouldn’t try it again. I had high hopes and think that if the cook time were adjusted it would have been more successful for us.
Overall I really liked this casserole. I did think it was a bit salty so that’s the reason for the 4 star rating. Next time I’ll reduce or omit the salt. I used a mixture of 2% and skim milk, reduced the cheese by 1 cup, and just buttered the bottom of the baking dish with 2 T of butter rather than buttering the bread. This was still very rich and my guests all complimented it and many went back for seconds. Thanks!
This is really flavorful, but like some of the other reviewers, I found that it needed more than an hour in the oven. I wasn’t sure whether to use my glass 9×13 or my metal cake pan 9×13, so I chose metal which may have been a factor in the cooking time. I did cover it loosely with foil but removed for the last few minutes, and I kept it in the oven for 1 hr and 10 minutes. It could have gone longer, but that would have made me late for the staff meeting for which I was making this recipe. Everyone loved it, and some came back for seconds! I will definitely make this again. I used Italian bread sliced in 1/2″ sections, and I also lightly buttered the sides of the casserole dish. I used 2 cups each of sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack, and a Mexican blend of shredded cheese (store brand). Also, I used organic eggs as I think their taste is superior, and whole milk for added richness. I substituted chili powder for the cayenne pepper.
I cut this this recipe in half and put it in a Pillivuyt 2 quart white souffle dish. The only change I made was that I used thinly sliced french bread (and baked in a convection oven). In one hour it came out perfect! No over-browning or burning on top, no need to put in a water bath or use foil. I’m just sorry that I didn’t take a picture. Served with fruit and bacon. Seasonings in this recipe were delicious. Thanks for sharing, Kandi!
I think this had really good flavor, but my kids didnt like the consistency of the casserole with the bread. They thought it was too mushy (and it was thoroughly baked). I probably will keep all the seasonings the same when I repeat, but will opt for making a casserole that just has eggs in it so they will eat it.
Very good! I added crumbled, cooked sausage and it was delicious.
The brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce gave this a unique appealing flavor that I hoped it would. I added some chopped ham and about half of the cheese. You could easily add mushrooms, cooked sausage or a vegetable like broccoli. This will be my go-to egg strata from now on. Thanks Rita.
Love this recipe! It’s been my go-to recipe for brunches since 2005! My husband’s family requests it every year. The only modification I do is to add some very thinly sliced deli ham in the layers. Yummmmmm!
I have tried many egg strata recipes in the past, for Easter Breakfast. This one is the best!! Thank You
This has become our traditional Christmas morning breakfast. I cook about 3/4 lb. of bacon, crumble/chop it and add it to the layers of bread and cheese. I also chop up an onion and add that to the liquid mixture. Delicious!!!
I made this for a brunch and it was a big hit. I’ve made several stratas before and this is one of my favorites (and I didn’t change a thing). Everyone thought the flavor was great so I’m surprised by the people that gave it a low rating.
Makes a really great alternative to the typical ‘egg and cheese’ bakes/stratas. The seasonings are great, and there’s great room for play with the recipe. I made it with egg substitute, and replaced the half-and-half with 2% milk, sprinkled in some chopped onions, and sprinkled some pre-cooked bacon (the kind you buy cooked) on top, and the bacon crisped up nicely while baking. Cooked uncovered, didn’t require much more than 1hr, though I broiled it for a few minutes to crisp/brown up the cheese on top. Will DEFINITELY make again!
I made this Christmas morning and being that it was the first strata I ever made I was pleased with the results. I thought it turned out beautiful and with great flavor. My husband had a problem with the texture but I thought it even tasted good cold. Kudos to the chef, dont think I’ll ever try another strata recipe!
I’m giving this a 4 star becasue I did make a couple minor changes…I cube the bread and simply layer breadcubes, cheeses, and egg mixture. I also added cubed ham to the dish and left out the paprika & cayenne papper. FABULOUS recipe – almost identical to one my family has been making for years!