Cheddar Cheese Strata Recipes

HAM AND CHEDDAR STRATA

Steps:

• Spray a 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with the cooking spray. Peel and thinly slice the green onions; you will need about 1/2 cup. Trim crusts from the bread.
• Arrange 6 bread slices in baking dish. Layer the ham, cheese and onions on bread in dish. Cut remaining bread slices diagonally in half; arrange on onions.
• In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, milk, mustard and pepper sauce with a fork or wire whisk; pour evenly over bread. Cover with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate up to 24 hours.
• Heat the oven to 300°F. Uncover strata and sprinkle with paprika. Bake uncovered 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until center is set and bread is golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into serving pieces.

APPLE-CHEDDAR STRATA

Steps:

• Spray 9 1/2-inch deep-dish glass pie plate with cooking spray. Arrange bread cubes in bottom of pie plate. Spoon apples evenly over bread; sprinkle with ham and cheese.
• In medium bowl, beat eggs, half-and-half and pepper with wire whisk until well blended. Carefully pour over apples, ham and cheese. Cover; refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Bake uncovered 40 to 45 minutes or until top is lightly browned and center is set. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

CHEDDAR, VEGETABLE AND SAUSAGE STRATA

Steps:

• Butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Fit 8 bread slices in prepared dish. Cut remaining bread slice into 1-inch cubes; fit cubes into any empty spaces. Whisk eggs, mustard, basil and salt in medium bowl to blend; whisk in half and half. Ladle custard over bread. Cover; chill at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Sprinkle mixture in dish with black pepper. Top with half of cheese, then bell pepper, tomatoes, sausage, onion and remaining cheese. Cover loosely with foil. Bake 20 minutes. Remove foil. Bake until strata is set and springy to touch, about 20 minutes longer. Cool 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.

BACON & CHEDDAR STRATA

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook bacon in batches until crisp; drain on paper towels. Crumble into a small bowl. Add red pepper, onions and tomatoes. In a greased 13x9-in. baking dish, layer half each of the bread, bacon mixture and cheese. Top with remaining bread and bacon mixture., In another bowl, combine eggs, milk, mayonnaise and seasonings. Pour over top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight., Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake, covered, 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 5-10 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

BACON, CHEDDAR AND SPINACH STRATA

Steps:

• Oil bottom and sides of a 9x13-inch baking dish with about a tablespoon of bacon fat.
• Place bread cubes in a large mixing bowl.
• Crack eggs into a separate mixing bowl. Season with salt, pepper, cayenne, and nutmeg. Add cream and whisk mixture thoroughly.
• Pour egg/cream mixture over the bread cubes and mix to distribute ingredients evenly. Allow bread mixture to sit about 15 minutes to absorb the liquid.
• Transfer half of the bread mixture to the baking pan; spread evenly over the bottom and press mixture down a bit. Top with half of the grated Cheddar cheese. Add cooked bacon pieces in an even layer over the cheese. Place the cooked spinach over the bacon; top with half of the remaining cheese. Finish with the rest of the soaked bread cubes, spread evenly and pressed down slightly. Sprinkle with the rest of the grated cheese. Cover and let strata sit at room temperature for 1 hour before baking.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake strata in preheated oven until set, about 45 minutes. Optionally, you can broil the strata for a minute or two to brown the top.

BROCCOLI AND CHEDDAR STRATA

Steps:

• Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Whisk the half-and-half, Parmesan, eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper together in a large bowl.
• Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli florets and simmer until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes; drain.
• Layer half of the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups of the Cheddar, followed by the broccoli. Cover with the remaining bread cubes and pour the half-and-half mixture evenly over top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. (This can also be assembled the day of; just let soak at room temperature 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking.)
• On the day of baking, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Let the strata sit at room temperature while the oven preheats. Remove the plastic and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Cheddar. Bake until slightly puffed and just no longer jiggly in the center, 40 to 50 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

CHEDDAR CHEESE AND RED BELL PEPPER STRATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper to skillet and sauté until just tender, about 4 minutes. Mix in green onions; sauté 1 minute longer. Remove from heat.
• Spread 1 1/2 tablespoons butter thinly on bread. Cut bread into 1/2-inch pieces. Layer half of bread in 8 x 8 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Cover with half of cheese, then half of bell pepper mixture. Repeat layering with bread, cheese and bell pepper mixture. Beat milk, eggs, Dijon mustard, dry mustard, salt and pepper in medium bowl to blend. Pour over strata.
• Bake strata until lightly browned on top and set in center, about 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes; cut into squares.

CHEDDAR AND CHORIZO STRATA

Steps:

• Place 4 cups bread cubes in a single layer in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 cup cheese and the spinach. Layer with chorizo and onion; top with remaining bread and cheese., In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, garlic salt and mustard. Pour over bread. Refrigerate, covered, several hours or overnight., Preheat oven to 350°. Remove strata from refrigerator while oven heats. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

MAKE-AHEAD CHEDDAR, BACON, AND TOMATO STRATA

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in the skillet. Crumble when cool enough to handle.
• Add onion to drippings in the skillet; saute for 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Remove from heat; combine onion mixture and bacon.
• Whisk milk, eggs, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper together in a bowl until well combined.
• Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and arrange 1/2 of the bread cubes in the bottom.
• Top bread cubes with 2/3 cup Cheddar cheese, 1/2 of the onion mixture, and 6 tomato slices. Pour 1/2 of the milk mixture over tomatoes. Top with remaining bread cubes and 2/3 cup Cheddar. Top with remaining onion mixture, tomato slices, and milk mixture. Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Bake strata in the preheated oven, uncovered, for 55 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining Cheddar cheese and bake until cheese melts, an additional 5 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

SPINACH AND CHEDDAR STRATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add spinach and cook, stirring constantly, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a colander and drain, pressing with a rubber spatula to release as much liquid as possible. Divide bread and spinach among 4 small, shallow 8-ounce baking dishes.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and 3/4 cup cheese. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Divide mixture evenly among baking dishes and top with 1/2 cup cheese. Set dishes on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until set in middle and golden brown on top, 20 to 25 minutes.

CHEDDAR CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Remove crusts from bread. Put 1/2 of bread in a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish that has been sprayed with Pam. sprinkle with 1-1/4 cups cheese. Top with remaining bread.
• Whisk the eggs and egg whites together. Add the milk, onion, dry mustard and salt; whisk again to combine. Gently pour over contents of baking dish. Top with remaining cheese and a sprinkle of paprika for color. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake in preheated oven 45 minutes or until golden. Let stand 5 minutes and serve.