How to Make the Perfect Cheese and Vegetable Strata

Forget flipping pancakes! A delicious vegetable and cheese strata is the best way to feed a crowd at breakfast.

Entertaining at breakfast or brunch is a regular part of many holidays - from New Year’s Day to Easter to Mother’s Day and right back through Christmas. Despite how often we are called upon to feed a crowd first thing in the morning, it remains a challenge. The last thing anyone wants to do on a holiday morning is wake up at the crack of dawn and start cooking. And for some of those holidays, you might be out of the house for part of the morning - making preparing a meal that much more difficult.

Another problem with feeding a crowd at breakfast is that so many of our favorite breakfast foods - think omelets and pancakes - require long periods of standing over a hot stove. Forget about spending time with your friends and family! Isn’t there a way to have everyone over for a special holiday breakfast or brunch without all the stress?

Of course, there is. And the solution is a one-dish meal that you prepare the night before and bake off in the morning so it is fresh and hot when your guests arrive. I am talking, of course, about a strata - a type of savory bread pudding. When I was growing up, my mother made a strata for just about every occasion that required entertaining in the morning - including the morning after my senior prom. (Reader, my hungry friends loved it.)

How to Make Strata

To make a strata, you combine cubes of bread - stale or day-old works best - with a custard-like mixture of milk, eggs and cheese. The bread cubes sit in the custard overnight, absorbing the liquid, and the following morning, you bake the casserole until golden and bubbling. But notice that all the hard work happens the night before your party - making a strata the perfect no-stress centerpiece for any special breakfast or brunch.

Another benefit of a strata is that you can add lots of different ingredients - from vegetables to meat to fresh herbs - to turn this breakfast casserole into a crowd-pleasing, one-dish meal. Some of my favorite additions include sautéed spinach (or other dark, leafy greens), onion or leeks, mushrooms, strips of bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, cubes of ham or sausage, chopped bacon, or even smoked salmon.

I like to change what I add to my strata based on the seasons. A spring strata for Easter or Mother’s Day could feature asparagus and ham, while a late fall or winter strata would be perfect with kale, sausage or winter squash. Whatever you choose to include, the ingredients should be fully cooked and cooled before adding them to the strata - unless they are something you might normally eat raw, like scallions.

Cheese in Strata

Naturally, cheese is an important part of any strata. The gooey, melted cheese combined with the spongy bread cubes is what makes a strata so very irresistible. I often like to combine a good melting cheese, like Swiss, cheddar, mozzarella, or gruyère, with a drier cheese, like Parmesan, or a crumbly cheese, like goat cheese, for the best flavor.

For fall and winter holidays, I often serve a breakfast strata studded with cubes of roasted butternut squash, which has an earthy sweetness, and some fresh herbs like sage and thyme. Squash pairs beautifully with both gruyère and Parmesan, so I use a mix of the two cheese. I have kept this particular strata recipe vegetarian to make it as versatile as possible. So many of us are trying to eat a more plant-based diet these days, and with all the gorgeous fall flavors in this strata, no one will miss the meat.

This recipe makes a strata big enough to feed a whole houseful of guests. If you are planning a smaller celebration - which is not uncommon these days - you can easily halve this recipe and bake the strata in a smaller dish.  The baking time is similar, but begin to check the strata after 45 minutes or so in the oven. You do not want to overbake it, so it stays nice and custardy.

Butternut Squash and Sage Strata Recipe

Serves 8 to 10

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided

2 tsp. kosher salt, divided

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Pinch of red pepper flakes

1 TB butter, softened

1 loaf Italian or country-style bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (8 to 10 cups of bread cubes)

8 oz. Gruyère, grated (approximately 2 cups)

1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

2 tsp. chopped fresh sage

1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

4 cups milk, preferably whole

9 large eggs

1 TB Dijon mustard

Pinch of nutmeg

Dash hot sauce (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Toss the butternut squash with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, 1 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper and arrange the squash cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast until the squash is tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside. (May be done in advance.)

2. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté an additional minute until fragrant. Combine the onion mixture with the squash and toss to combine.

3. Butter a large (9x13) casserole dish. Layer about half the bread cubes in the bottom of the dish. Top with the vegetables and sprinkle approximately half the cheese over the vegetables. Sprinkle the herbs over the cheese and top with the remaining bread cubes.

4. Whisk together the milk, eggs, mustard, nutmeg, hot sauce, if using, and the remaining teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. Slowly pour the milk mixture over the bread cubes in the casserole dish. Gently press down on the bread to submerge it in the custard. Top with the remaining cheese.

5. Cover and refrigerate the strata for at least 6 hours and up to overnight.

6. Preheat the oven to 350. Bake the strata covered for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake uncovered until cooked through and bubbling, 25 to 30 additional minutes or 55 to 60 minutes total.

7. Allow the strata to cool for 5 to 10 minutes prior to cutting and serving. Serve warm.