By: EatingWell

Photographer: Burris, Ken

Publish Date: 2008-11-01

Servings: 12

Yield: 12 servings

Total Time: 3 1/4 hours (including 2 hours standing time)

Prep Time: 30 minutes

To Make Ahead: Prepare through Step 4 the night before serving.

Recipe Description:

The "strata" in this classic casserole are layers of bread, cheese and sausage baked in an egg-rich pudding.

Recipe Ingredients:

1. 1/2 pound turkey breakfast sausage, (four 2-ounce links), casing removed
2. 2 medium onions, chopped (2 cups)
3. 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced (1 1/2 cups)
4. 12 large eggs
5. 4 cups 1% milk
6. 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
7. Freshly ground pepper, to taste
8. 6 cups cubed, whole-wheat country bread, (about 7 slices, crusts removed)
9. 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
10. 1 1/2 cups grated Swiss cheese, (4 ounces)

Recipe Steps:

1. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish (or similar shallow 3-quart baking dish) with cooking spray.
2. Cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Add onions and bell pepper to the pan and cook, stirring often, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a large bowl until blended.
4. Spread bread in the prepared baking dish. Scatter the sausage and the onion mixture evenly over the bread. Brush with mustard. Sprinkle with cheese. Pour in the egg mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the strata, uncovered, until puffed, lightly browned and set in the center, 55 to 65 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving hot.

Recipe Nutrition:

Per serving: 256 calories; 13 g fat (4 g saturated fat, 4g mono unsaturated fat); 224 mg cholesterol; 20 g carbohydrates; 16 g protein; 3 g fiber; 552 mg sodium; 333 mg potassium

Nutrtion Bonus: Vitamin C (72% daily value), Calcium (23% dv).

Exchanges: 2/3 starch, 1/3 milk, 1/2 vegetable, 1 very lean protein, 1 1/3 medium-fat protein

Carbohydrate Servings: 1

Recipe Categories:

Course(s)

Brunch

Breakfast

Cuisine(s)

American

Degree of Difficulty

Easy

Special Health Consideration(s)

Low Calorie

Low Carb

Low Sat Fat

High Calcium

Heart Healthy

Healthy Weight

Seasons & Occassions

Spring

Summer

Fall

Winter

Entertainment

Main Ingredient(s)

Poultry

Turkey

Dairy & Soy

Cheese

Dairy & Soy

Other

Dairy & Soy

Eggs

Technique(s)

Bake

Chill

Saute

Casserole

Dish Type(s)

Main Dish

Recipe Disclaimer(s):

Scaling Disclaimer: EatingWell recipes are tested extensively in the EatingWell Test Kitchen. Eating Well cannot guarantee a recipe that has been scaled to make a different number of servings from the original. Also note that scaling only applies to the ingredient measurements: no adjustment is made to the recipe instructions, so pan sizes and cooking times and ingredient amounts referred to in the text of the recipe only apply to the original number of servings.