Cheesy Strata with Mushrooms, Kale and Sausage

I love to make cheesy strata for dinner. It’s an easy casserole to assemble and bake. Thanks to all the bread, eggs, and savory vegetables, it is a filling dish that bakes beautifully together.

Many strata recipes require you to make the dish the night before. My recipe doesn’t require that. Letting the dish sit 15 minutes before baking is plenty of time to allow the bread to soak in your custard.

This cheesy strata recipe uses a combo of fresh kale, spicy ground Italian sausage, and earthy baby portabella mushrooms. The egg custard is flavorful because of cream, Dijon mustard, and seasonings. To add to the richness, I top it with Asiago cheese.

Not Wasting Eggs

I’m washing and grinding the shells for use in my garden to ensure I’m not wasting any egg pieces. Some nights, I toss them into the compost bin. Eggshells can help increase calcium and lower acidity in the garden soil. MasterClass, has this helpful article about how to use eggshells in the garden.

Mise En Place for Cheesy Strata Recipe

• 8 large eggs – whisked thoroughly
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 12 – 14 baby portabella mushrooms – washed and chopped
• 1 lb ground, spicy Italian sausage – cooked and drained of excess grease
• 1 loaf French baguette – cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cups baby kale – washed, dried, and roughly chopped
• 1 small yellow onion – diced
• 1 clove garlic – minced
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup shredded Asiago cheese
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

How to Make this Cheesy Strata

1. Prepare your casserole dish: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or spray a 9×13 inch glass dish. Cut French bread into 1 inch cubes and spread evenly into the bakeware. Set aside while you prep other ingredients.
2. Cook sausage and vegetables: Next, over medium heat, cook the sausage in a large skillet until it’s no longer pink. Drain and set aside to cool. In the same skillet, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil, mushrooms, garlic and onion. Stirring often, cook for 3-4 minutes until the mushrooms have softened and onions are translucent. Add chopped kale and cook an additional 2 minutes until slightly wilted. Turn off heat and set aside while you prep your egg mixture.
3. Prepare custard or egg mixture: In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk cream, mustard, salt and pepper.
4. Pour in eggs: To the egg mixture, stir in the cooled sausage, and vegetable mixture. Now, pour entire mixture over the bread that is in your baking dish. Let sit for 10 – 15 minutes to allow the bread to soak in the eggs.
5. Add cheese and bake: Sprinkle the top with the Asiago cheese and additional black pepper, if desired. Finally, bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

All in All

Overall, this egg casserole is full of flavor. It’s cheesy, spicy and filling. You can’t beat having another comforting recipe in your repertoire this winter.

Here’s another strata I make often for my family: Ham, Spinach and Cheese Strata

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