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This overnight Breakfast Egg Strata recipe bakes up with crispy golden edges, with delicious puffed egg-soaked bread, a scattering of vegetables throughout, and is finished off with the best gooey, cheesy topping. It’s a great way to use up extra veggies and a delicious vegetarian recipe that’s easy to make and grand enough to feed a family.
Jump to Section
- So, what is an egg strata anyways?
- Why you’ll love this easy breakfast strata with veggies
- Ingredients to make breakfast Egg strata
- How to make Breakfast Egg Strata
- Tips for making egg strata
- Popular substitutions & additions
- How to store & reheat Baked breakfast strata
- Frequently asked questions
- More egg recipes:
- Breakfast Strata Recipe
Overnight breakfast strata is perfect as a make-ahead recipe! Everything meddles together, creating a soft and cheesy egg casserole ready for baking in the morning!
So, what is an egg strata anyways?
Strata is really just a fancy way to say egg-soaked bread casserole. It’s a combination of ingredients in a casserole dish. The base is made up of egg-soaked bread – think french toast, or bread pudding, but on a more savory level. Then you add in whatever you’d like, veggies, meats, cheese, and bake it into a delicious breakfast or brunch recipe. It’s a savory American classic bread pudding that is so filling and easy to make. If you’re looking for a make-ahead breakfast recipe, this is the one!
Why you’ll love this easy breakfast strata with veggies
- A full meal in one dish. Everything you need for a wholesome breakfast is baked in a casserole. Eggs, veggies, cheese, and bread – oh my! Talk about a hearty breakfast! Pair with some fresh slice tomatoes or fresh fruit.
- Can be prepared the night before. Egg strata is ideal for holiday brunches or when you have guests because you can place everything in the casserole dish at night and simply bake it in the morning. In fact, it tastes better when the bread soaks up the egg mixture the night before.
- Great way to use up leftover vegetables. A strata is a blank canvas! Think of this recipe more like a ratio. As long as you keep the eggs, milk, and bread the same, you can get super creative with the vegetables, mix-ins, and cheese. This breakfast strata is a vegetarian-friendly recipe and a great way to use up odds and ends from the crisper drawer! Feel free to add in your favorite breakfast meats, too!
Ingredients to make breakfast Egg strata
- Eggs: You’ll need 10 eggs for this big breakfast strata recipe.
- Vegetables: I use a combination of onions, mushrooms, and kale sauteed before tossing it with the bread cubes.
- Baguette: French baguette works so well with this recipe.
- Milk: Any milk will do, but if using plant-based milk, choose unsweetened and unflavored milk.
- Cheese: I shred a cheddar cheese block for the best melty cheese pull. You could also use another good melting cheese, such as Monterey Colby jack cheese or whatever you prefer.
- Seasoning: salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
How to make Breakfast Egg Strata
A handful of ingredients create a breakfast casserole that is enough to feed the whole family and fill you up. With a few steps, you’ll have a strata recipe full of the best egg-soaked baked bread with cheese and veggies for a delectable dish in the morning.
Prepare vegetables
- Sauté onions and mushrooms until onions are translucent and they begin to caramelize.
- Add kale and Italian seasoning, cooking until wilted.
HOw to make Vegetable Egg Strata
- Add the bread cubes to a lightly oiled baking dish.
- Transfer the vegetable egg mixture over the bread cubes and gently distribute.
- Pour the scrambled up egg and cheese mixture over the bread and vegetables.
How to bake strata
- Sprinkle the top with the remaining shredded cheese. To set up overnight, cover tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight. Or, you can bake it immediately.
- Keep the foil on and bake in a preheated oven until bubbly and heated through. Then, remove the foil and continue to bake until the center is puffy and top is golden brown.
Allow the strata to cool slightly before digging in! Cut into squares and serve.
Tips for making egg strata
- Skip the overnight chill if needed. Need something to serve a crowd quickly? This recipe will also work after sitting for just an hour, so feel free to skip the overnight chill if you forget to plan in advance.
- Split the strata into different flavors. Satisfy everyone’s tastes by mixing up the breakfast casserole into 2 to 4 different areas with various additions. Like my sheet pan pancakes, try a vegetarian breakfast strata for half the baking dish and load the other half with all the breakfast meats you love!
- Use whatever bread you like. A baguette is ideal for really soaking in all the yummy eggy goodness, but you could also use other stale bread, challah bread, or leftover biscuits. Some hold up better to an overnight rest, and others not so much, but luckily once it bakes up, it all tastes amazing. The bread may be a tad softer than crusty French bread, and that’s okay!
- Make it extra cheesy. Can you really have too much cheese? This strata recipe uses 1 ½ cups, but you can kick it up to about 2 cups or so for an ultra-cheesy bake. Try a different variety like feta or Parmesan on top.
Popular substitutions & additions
- Add breakfast meats. Either skip the veggies or add to them; your favorite breakfast meats will go deliciously with this breakfast casserole strata. I love adding turkey sausage and turkey bacon to the mix!
- Switch the greens. Instead of kale, try adding spinach or Swiss chard. Both have the best earthy flavors and pair well with breakfast foods.
- Add more vegetables. No need to stop at greens! Sautee red peppers and maybe something spicy like jalapenos for an extra flavor enhancer!
- Make it in a muffin tin. Want individual breakfast strata for an on-the-go breakfast? No problem! Divide the ingredients into muffin pan cups layering them the same way as in this recipe. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
How to store & reheat Baked breakfast strata
After baking, allow the strata to cool completely. Cover and store in the fridge.
Reheat: When ready to eat, place the strata in a preheated oven for about 10-12 minutes until heated through.
How long will egg strata last in the fridge?
Store egg strata in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Can i freeze egg and cheese strata?
Store baked breakfast strata covered in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat in the oven.
Frequently asked questions
Strata should be done cooking when the center is no longer jiggly, and a toothpick comes out clean. Once you hit these indicators, remove it from the oven to avoid overcooking. It can become dry and spongy if baked too long.
Letting it rest overnight isn’t necessary, but to ensure that all the liquid egg mixture soaked into the bread for the best texture, allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes, but an hour would be better.
The great thing about this breakfast casserole is that it’s essentially a complete meal. A nice fruit salad, whipped coffee, and a side of turkey sausage or a plant-based sausage would be great with this recipe.
Breakfast strata is a quick and easy recipe that comes together in a baking dish filled with chunks of bread, sautéed onions, mushrooms, and kale, light and fluffy eggs, with the best cheesy top. It’s so satisfying and will fill you up and feed a crowd. Plus, when you make it the night before, it has time to really soak in all the flavors and give you a dish you can’t resist!
More egg recipes:
- Breakfast Hash with Kale
- Cottage Cheese Scrambled Eggs
- Veggie Filled Egg Wrap
- Buttery Crepes
- Instant Pot Boiled Eggs
- Southwest Egg Burrito
- Veggie Omelet
- Huevos Rancheros
- Pesto Eggs
- Fried eggs – 4 ways
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Breakfast Strata
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for the baking dish
- 1 16-ounce French baguette cubed
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- 1 teaspoon black pepper divided
- 1 8-ounce container baby bella mushrooms sliced
- 6 cups kale chopped
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 10 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
Instructions
- Lightly oil a 9×13-inch baking dish and set bread cubes inside, set aside.
- Add olive oil to a large sauté pan and set over medium heat. Add onion and ½ teaspoon salt and cook for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and ½ teaspoon of pepper and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add kale and Italian seasoning, and cook for 2 minutes, or until slightly wilted. Add vegetable mixture to the prepared pan with the bread and stir to gently distribute.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and remaining salt and pepper until well-blended. Add 1 cup cheddar cheese and stir to combine.
- Pour the egg mixture over the bread and vegetables and sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese, then cover tightly with foil. Let sit in the fridge overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350˚F. Bake, tightly covered in foil, for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until the center is puffy and the top is golden brown.
- Let cool slightly before cutting into squares and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
