Italian Style Strata Brunch Casserole Recipes

ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND PEPPER STRATA

Steps:

• Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up any clumps with a wooden spoon, until brown, about 5 minutes; transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Add the bell peppers to the skillet with 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes. Set aside.
• Whisk together the half-and-half, Parmesan, parsley, eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper in a medium bowl.
• Layer half of the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella, followed by the sausage and peppers. Cover with the remaining bread cubes and pour the custard evenly over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and let soak at room temperature 30 minutes to 1 hour. (To make ahead, after adding the custard, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight and then let the strata sit at room temperature while the oven preheats.)
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Remove the plastic and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella. Bake until slightly puffed and no longer jiggly in the center, 40 to 50 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

BREAKFAST STRATA

Steps:

• Generously grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
• Heat a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir sausage until crumbly and completely browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer cooked sausage to the prepared casserole dish.
• Cook and stir mushrooms in the same skillet over medium heat until liquid has been released and mushrooms are lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes; drain.
• Mix mushrooms, eggs, bread, milk, Cheddar cheese, ham, spinach, flour, mustard powder, salt, butter, and basil together in a large bowl; pour over sausage. Cover casserole dish and refrigerate, 2 hours to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven until a knife inserted into the center of the strata comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes.

EASY BREAKFAST STRATA

Steps:

• Place bread cubes in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. In a large skillet, cook and crumble sausage with pepper and onion over medium-high heat until no longer pink, 5-7 minutes. With a slotted spoon, place sausage mixture over bread. Sprinkle with cheese., In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, mustard and milk; pour over top. Refrigerate, covered, overnight., Preheat oven to 350°. Remove strata from refrigerator while oven heats., Bake, uncovered, until a knife inserted in center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting. Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked casserole. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake casserole as directed, increasing time as necessary to heat through and for a thermometer inserted in center to read 165°.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE STRATA

Steps:

• Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Brown sausage in large skillet over medium heat until no longer pink, stirring frequently. Drain. Add broccoli and bell pepper; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.
• Place English muffin cubes in sprayed baking dish. Top with sausage mixture. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese.
• Beat eggs in large bowl. Add milk, salt and basil; beat well. Pour over sausage mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover; refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Uncover baking dish; bake 40 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

ITALIAN STRATA

Steps:

• In large skillet, cook sausage, drain.
• Grease a 9x13 baking dish.
• Cut bread into 1/2 inch cubes.
• In a large bowl, combine sausage, bread and mushrooms.
• Put in prepared pan.
• In same large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and seasonings.
• Pour over bread mixture.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• In the morning, preheat oven to 350°F.
• Bake uncovered 1 hour. Sprinkle evenly with cheeses.
• Bake 15 minutes longer.
• Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

ITALIAN APRICOT-PANCETTA STRATA

Steps:

• In large skillet, cook pancetta until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Discard drippings, reserving 1 tablespoon in pan., Add 1 tablespoon butter to drippings; heat over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir 4-6 minutes or until tender. Transfer onion to a large bowl., Heat remaining butter in pan. Add mushrooms; cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until tender. Stir in spinach; cook 30-45 seconds or until wilted., Add bread cubes, mushroom mixture, pancetta and almonds if desired to onion; toss to combine. Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish., In a large bowl, beat eggs, cream, salt and pepper until blended. Beat in mascarpone cheese just until blended; pour over bread. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and Asiago cheese; spoon preserves over top. Refrigerate, covered, several hours or overnight., Preheat oven to 350°. Remove strata from refrigerator while oven heats. Bake, uncovered, 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with basil. Let stand 5-10 minutes before cutting.

ITALIAN BRUNCH CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Remove and discard casings from sausage.
• Cook sausage in a large skillet, stirring until sausage crumbles and is no longer pink; drain.
• Add green onions and next 3 ingredients to skillet.
• Sauté 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
• Stir in roasted bell peppers.
• Drain and cool.
• Spread 4 cups of bread cubes in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
• Top with half each of the sausage mixture and cheese.
• Repeat with remaining bread, sausage, and cheese.
• Whisk together eggs and milk.
• Pour egg mixture over bread.
• Cover and chill 8 hours.
• Bake, covered, at 325° for 1 hour or until bubbly and hot.

ITALIAN BRUNCH TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan. Unroll 1 tube of crescent dough and separate into triangles. Press onto bottom of prepared pan to form a crust, sealing seams well. Bake until set, 10-15 minutes., Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach and mushrooms; cook and stir until mushrooms are tender. Drain on several layers of paper towels, blotting well. In a large bowl, whisk 6 eggs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and pepper., Layer crust with half of each of the following: ham, salami, provolone cheese, red peppers and spinach mixture. Pour half of the egg mixture over top. Repeat layers; top with remaining egg mixture., On a work surface, unroll and separate remaining crescent dough into triangles. Press together to form a circle and seal seams; place over filling. Whisk remaining egg; brush over dough., Bake, uncovered, until a thermometer reads 160°, 1 to 1-1/4 hours, covering loosely with foil if needed to prevent overbrowning. Carefully loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove rim from pan. Let stand 20 minutes.

ITALIAN-STYLE STRATA BRUNCH CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Grease a 13 x 9-inch casserole dish.
• Spread half of the bread cubes in the bottom of the baking dish.
• Top evenly with the prosciutto or ham cubes, then the chopped roasted red peppers, then green onions and then sprinkle with about 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.
• Spread the remaining bread cubes on top, then tomatoes, then olives and the the mozzarella cheese.
• In a bowl whisk together the eggs, full-fat milk, Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper, seasoned salt and black pepper.
• Pour over the layered ingredients.
• Sprinkle about 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (or to taste) over the top.
• Cover and chill for a minimum of 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
• When ready to bake set oven to 325°F.
• Bake for about 40-50 minutes or until the center is set and the top is lightly browned.
• Sprinkle with capers (if using) and parsley.
• Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting into squares.
• Serve warm or room temperature.