When I made this week’s recipe, I was mad at myself for not making it sooner and not making it more often throughout my life. Seriously, what have I been doing missing out on the best, easiest brunch dish ever?!
Strata is the ultimate impress-company-without-doing-much-work meal, and I didn’t think to make it regularly so that I could have breakfast, brunch, and/or lunch for almost a week. I’ve been a fool.

I’ve learned my lesson now, though.
Recipes abound for how to make this but there’s no real universal dish or way to make it, so I did it my way, and therefore I loved it. But this is one of those recipes where you can substitute pretty much anything.
For my tastes, I wanted sausage, pepper, and onion. I also wanted the, well, sour taste of sourdough bread instead of the plainer french bread. But your mileage may vary and that’s fine.
Prefer bacon? Do it. Hate onions? Skip ‘em, or replace with another veggie.
Oh, and it can all be made in one pot.
It’s truly an amazing dish and so universal. I’ll definitely be making it again soon.

Here’s what I did:
Ingredients
- 1 lb. breakfast sausage
- 1 T. oil, depending on how fatty your sausage is
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium green pepper, chopped
- 1 sourdough boule, roughly torn into pieces
- 2 c. cheese, plus more for topping (I used Cabot’s Mac & Cheese that’s a mix of Parmesan, Swiss, and cheddar, but whatever works)
- 12 eggs
- 3 c. milk
- 1 ½ t. dried oregano
- 1 ½ t. dried (or fresh) basil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
The night before you plan to cook the strata, thoroughly cook the sausage (using oil if necessary) in a large Dutch oven over medium heat, adding onions and peppers part-way through so that they are softened.
Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool completely.
Meanwhile, mix together the eggs, milk, herbs and spices, and cheese. Place the torn bread pieces in the Dutch oven with the sausage mix, and stir to combine. Pour the egg mixture over the sausage mixture. It’s OK if it’s a little soupy, as the bread will absorb it over time.
Cover and refrigerate the mixture overnight.
In the morning, heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the Dutch oven, still covered, in the oven and bake the mixture for 45 minutes to an hour until the the eggs are cooked through, adding another half cup or so of cheese to the top about 15 minutes before the dish is complete.
Allow to cool slightly, if possible, and enjoy!