Strata Recipe With Bacon

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.

CANADIAN-BACON STRATA

Steps:

• Butter a 2-quart shallow baking dish (oval or square); set aside. In dish, alternately arrange, cut side down, muffin halves and Canadian bacon. Sprinkle with cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, a pinch of pepper, and hot sauce until combined. Pour over muffins and bacon; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet; remove plastic wrap. Bake until puffed and set in the center (see note below), about 1 hour and 30 minutes. (Tent loosely with foil if strata starts to brown too quickly.) Let stand 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

BACON, EGG, AND CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Toss cubed bread with bacon, cheese, and mushrooms, and pour into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Whisk together eggs, half-and-half, and mustard until smooth, then pour evenly over cubed bread. Cover dish with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Remove plastic wrap from the baking dish, and bake strata in preheated oven until the top is golden brown, and the eggs are set, about 1 hour. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

FARMER'S STRATA

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp; add ham and onion. Cook and stir until onion is tender; drain. , In a greased 13x9-in. baking dish, layer half the bread cubes, potatoes and cheese. Top with all of the bacon mixture. Repeat layers of bread, potatoes and cheese. , In a large bowl, beat the eggs; add the milk, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour over all. Cover and chill overnight. , Preheat oven to 325°. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 65-70 minutes.

EASY SAUSAGE STRATA

Steps:

• Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and set aside.
• Layer bread cubes, sausage, and Cheddar cheese in a lightly greased 7x11 inch baking dish. In a bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, salt, and mustard. Pour the egg mixture over the bread cube mixture. Cover, and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Remove the casserole from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

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.

CANADIAN BACON STRATA

Steps:

• Butter a 2 quart shallow baking dish; set aside. In dish, alternately arrange muffin halves and Canadian Bacon; sprinkle with cheeses; set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, mustard, 1/2 teaspoons salt,
• pepper to taste and hot sauce until combined; pour over muffins and bacon.
• Cover tightly with plastic wrap; refrigerate 2 hours to overnight for an especially custardy consistency (makes it great for ahead of time preparation).
• Preheat oven to 350ºF.
• Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet; remove plastic wrap; bake until puffed and set in the center or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean; about 1 1/2 hours.
• Tent loosely with foil if strata starts to brown too quickly; let stand 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

BACON AND ONION STRATA

Steps:

• Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Put the bacon in a large skillet then cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crispy, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings. Add the onion to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until very soft and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 6 minutes more. Set aside.
• Whisk the half-and-half, Parmesan, eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and few grinds of pepper together in a large bowl.
• Layer half of the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups of the Swiss, followed by the bacon-onion mixture. 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 Swiss. Bake until slightly puffed and just no longer jiggly in the center, 40 to 50 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

PAULA DEEN'S BREAKFAST STRATA

Steps:

• Lightly grease a 13x9x2-inch baking dish.
• In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and cook over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes, or until tender; set aside. Spread English muffins with cream cheese. Layer English muffins, Canadian bacon, tomatoes, red peppers, 2 cups cheese, and onion into prepared baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, chives, salt and pepper. Pour over layers. Cover and chill for 8 hours or overnight.
• Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 2 cups cheese. Bake uncovered for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Garnish with fresh tomato slices and fresh parsley, if desired.

SPINACH AND BACON STRATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute chopped bacon in large skillet until crisp. Using slotted spoon, remove bacon from skillet to paper towel-lined plate to drain.
• Reserve small amount of bacon drippings in skillet. Add onion to skillet and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and spinach and saute 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt and reserved bacon.
• Place half bread cubes in a buttered 9x13" baking dish. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the bread, top with half of the spinach mixture. Repeat layering.
• Whisk milk, eggs, and remaining 1/2 teaspoons of seasoning salt in a large bowl and pour evenly over the strata. Gently push surface of bread down into milk to coat. Chill strata, covered with plastic wrap, at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
• Bake strata uncovered until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, about 45 minutes. Let stand 5 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.

CANADIAN BACON STRATA

Steps:

• Spray a shallow 2-quart baking dish ( oval or square)with cooking spray; set aside.
• In dish, alternately arrange, cut side down, muffin pieces and Canadian bacon.
• Sprinkle with cheeses and set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, mustard, 1/2 t. salt, a pinch of pepper, and hot sauce until well combined.
• Pour over muffins and bacon.
• Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least two hours.
• *Refrigerating overnight will give you an especially custardy consistancy.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet;remove plastic wrap.
• Bake until puffed and set in the center( a paring knife inserted in the center will come out clean) for about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
• Tent loosely with foil if strata starts to brown too quickly.
• Let stand 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

MUSHROOM BACON & CHEDDAR STRATA

Steps:

• Arrange bread cubes on baking sheet in a single layer. Bake at 350 deg. F for 20 minutes, or till toasted. Place bread cubes in large bowl.
• Melt butter in large skillet over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and onions; saute 10 minutes or till liquid evaporates and veggies are tender.
• Toss onion mixture with bread cubes.
• Combine remaining ingredients in bowl; whisk till well mixed.
• To assemble the strata, arrange half the bread cube mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with half the cheese and bacon. Top with remaining bread, then the remaining cheese and bacon. Pour egg mixture over layers.
• Cover strata tightly with tinfoil and refrigerate overnight.
• Bake strata, still covered, at 350°F for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 15 minutes, till top is nicely browned and eggs are set.
• Let stand 10 minutes before serving.