Make-Ahead Sausage And Cheese Strata
Assembled the night before and baked in the morning. Zero Net Carb bread holds its shape in custard instead of collapsing, so you get distinct cubes rather than a pudding.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 55 min
- Total
- 75 min
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
One 9 by 13 inch dish.
- ThinSlim 1 loaf ThinSlim Foods Zero Net Carb Bread Plain, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 lb bulk breakfast sausage
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 10 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 tsp dry mustard powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 8 oz sharp cheddar, shredded and divided
- 2 tbsp chopped chives
- Butter, for the dish
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Method
- Spread the bread cubes on a sheet pan and leave them out uncovered for an hour, or dry them in a 300F oven for 12 minutes until they feel dry to the touch but have not browned.
- Brown the sausage in a wide skillet over medium heat, breaking it up, about 8 minutes, until no pink remains.
- Add the onion and cook 5 minutes more, until it turns translucent and softens. Drain off the fat and let the mixture cool.
- Butter a 9 by 13 inch dish. Scatter in half the bread cubes, half the sausage mixture and half the cheddar, then repeat the layers.
- Whisk the eggs, milk, mustard powder, salt and pepper until no streaks of white remain, then pour it evenly over the dish.
- Press the top layer down with a spatula so every cube is wet. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
- Take the dish out of the fridge 30 minutes before baking and heat the oven to 350F.
- Bake covered with foil for 35 minutes, then uncover and bake 20 to 25 minutes more, until the top is deep golden, the center is set and does not wobble when you nudge the dish, and a knife in the middle comes out clean.
- Rest 10 minutes, scatter the chives over the top and cut into squares.
Tips
Most strata recipes tell you to use stale bread because fresh wheat bread turns to paste in custard. Zero Net Carb bread is mostly fiber, so it behaves differently: it takes up custard more slowly and holds its edges. Drying the cubes still matters, but for a different reason. Dry cubes drink the custard evenly instead of leaving a wet layer at the bottom.
Do not skip the overnight rest. This bread needs the longer soak to hydrate all the way through, and a strata baked after 30 minutes will have dry centers in the cubes.
If the top browns before the center sets, tent it with foil and keep going. Pulling it early is the one mistake that cannot be fixed on the plate.
Do not skip the overnight rest. This bread needs the longer soak to hydrate all the way through, and a strata baked after 30 minutes will have dry centers in the cubes.
If the top browns before the center sets, tent it with foil and keep going. Pulling it early is the one mistake that cannot be fixed on the plate.