Today we served a new recipe for the main breakfast entree at our bed and breakfast. The recipe is Carol’s creation and she calls it an Italian Egg Strata. With Italian Sausage as a main ingredient, it is a good way to wake up the taste buds for breakfast. Fresh ingredients from our garden include tomatoes, peppers, parsley, and basil.
Our guests offered rave reviews for its flavor and how light and fluffy it is. The dish is prepared the night before, so all the flavors have a chance to merge before baking. This dish would be a perfect recipe to serve your next brunch gathering allowing you time to enjoy your guests while breakfast is making in the oven.
You can make this recipe at home, or you could enjoy it when you visit our bed and breakfast in SouthEast Minnesota’s Bluff Country. Fall colors are beginning to peak and our valley offers wonderful vistas to view the meadows, hardwoods, rivers and wildlife.
Italian Egg Strata -
Created by Carol at Hillcrest Hide-Away B&B Lanesboro, MN
1 (1 pound) loaf of Italian or French bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 pound Italian sausage, browned
½ cup canned roasted red pepper (or fresh peppers), chopped
½ cup diced sun dried (or fresh) tomato
3 Tablespoons fresh basil, cut fine
4 green onions, thinly sliced, tops and bulbs
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
2 cups grated tomato and basil Monterey jack cheese
12 large eggs
3 cups milk
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 pinch cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup mozzarella cheese
Grease a 9×13 glass baking dish. Spread 1/2 of the bread on the bottom. Combine the browned sausage, red pepper, green onions, ½ cup parmesan cheese and fresh mushrooms. Layer on top of bread. Spread the jack cheese on top of this mixture. Layer remaining bread on top.
Whip eggs, milk, Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper, then pour over the whole strata. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese. Put in refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight.
In the morning, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake for about 40 minutes until eggs are set. Sprinkle parsley over the top and cover lightly with mozzarella cheese. Return to oven until cheese melts. Remove from oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes before cutting into squares.
