A make-ahead breakfast casserole made with day old bread, eggs, cheese, sausage and mushrooms. This recipe from the archives is perfect for Christmas morning so I thought I would revive it to give it some attention. You can make this with just about anything, just use your imagination!
Breakfast stratas can be pretty high in fat, generally using at least 8 eggs and 2 to 3 cups of cheese. To lighten this dish I used less eggs, turkey sausage in place of pork sausage, fat free milk, reduced fat cheese and whole wheat ciabatta bread.
You can easily swap out the mushrooms for asparagus or bell peppers, use ham instead of sausage, and make it with any cheese you like. Enjoy, whatever flavor combination you come up with!!
Make-Over Breakfast Sausage and Mushroom Strata
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1/8th • Old Points: 7 pts • Points+: 7 pts
Calories: 288.2 • Fat: 12.4 g • Carb: 18.2 g • Fiber: 1.3 g • Protein: 24.3 g
Ingredients:
- 8 oz wheat ciabatta bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (Chabaso)
- 12 oz turkey breakfast sausage (I used Jenny-O in frozen section)
- 2 cups fat-free milk
- 1-1/2 cup (4 ounces) reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 3 large eggs
- 12 oz egg substitute, like egg beaters
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- salt and fresh pepper
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°.
Arrange bread cubes on a baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes or until toasted.
Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage to pan; cook 7 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Combine milk, cheese, eggs, egg substitute, parmesan cheese, paprika, salt and pepper in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add bread, sausage, scallions and mushrooms, tossing well to coat bread. Spoon mixture into a 13x9-inch baking dish. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Uncover casserole. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until set and lightly browned. Cut into 8 pieces; serve immediately.
You just read my mind!! I have been searching high and low for a low point breakfast casserole! It's our tradition to have one every year on Christmas morning, and I was feeling a little anxious about how I was going to fit those points in! Can't wait to try it! Thank you for this and all of your recipes!
ReplyDeleteCassie
This looks divine! Can't wait to try it :)
ReplyDeleteOh yummy, yummy! Was looking for something to make for hubby's birthday breakfast this coming Sunday. Mmmmm.
ReplyDeleteI loooove stratas. I've done a few versions lightened up too--love the sounds of yours!
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU! We do a pretty lovely Christmas brunch and eat while opening presents. I said I would bring a strata, and after reading this recipe I think this will be it!
ReplyDeleteHappy holidays,
Allie
http://www.wardrobeoxygen.com
I have been making strattas for Christmas morning now for a few years! I posted a recipe for one using some reduced calories multigrain bread as the base on my blog a few weeks ago, and was happy with the points and how it tasted. Srattas are great, because you can substitute any combo of meat and veg you like, and you can't beat the make ahead feature! This one looks really yummy!
ReplyDeleteI should add, the portion size was large! So if I were doing this for Christmas, I would also serve some fresh fruit salad (free!!) coffee for sure, and cut the portions smaller, maybe into 12 pieces. Less points!
ReplyDeleteYay Gina! This is a dish we do as a Christmas brunch in our family! I had it on my "to do" list to figure out the points for our Christmas brunch casserole, but you've done the work for me! ;)
ReplyDeleteJust wondering: How many points (old points) would it be if we cut out the sausage?
Thank you!!!!
I don't think I'm going to be able to find wheat ciabatta bread, (Chabaso) where I live. Could you give the nutritional information on the bread, so that I can find a substitute with similar stats? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI love strata so thanks for posting. Now that I'm back on WW again this definitely seems like something worth trying.
ReplyDeleteFor the 8 oz of bread, the total was fat -2, carbs - 108, fiber 8, protien 20.
ReplyDeleteOld points without the sausage is 4 points. Points+ 5.
I am doing this recipe right now and am stuck! I've cooked the sausage, but don't know where/how to add itto the rest of the dish. Does it mix with the wet ingredients or the bread cubes?
ReplyDeleteThis looks fantastic. We always have strata for our Christmas brunch. Also a veggie dish with roast corn from a summer beach fire. We add diced peppers and onions to the corn and have a taste of summer with our Christmas celebration.
ReplyDeleteThank you Gina for all you do!! Your creativity and your efforts are hugely appreciated!! :)
ReplyDeleteGina, I'm trying to make a strata that would meld well with a couple different people on different diets. One, no carb. The other WW. I was wondering if I could cut the amount of bread and up the turkey sausage and have this come out good? And points? What do you think? Need to make it this Friday morning for Sat. morning retreat. Thanks for your help.
ReplyDeleteYikes! You can't mix diets, it doesn't usually work. No carbs, this is not the right recipe. Adding more sausage I'm afraid will increase the points. You're better of making a fritatta instead. Low carb and low points if you use egg beaters and lots of veggies.
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing! I used multigrain french bread, goat cheese instead of cheddar, veggie sausage (to make it vegetarian), and added spinach....YUM!!! Thanks again Gina for another awesome recipe...
ReplyDeleteSo glad to hear!
ReplyDeleteI made this Sunday and it was delicious! I couldn't find wheat ciabatta so used white. It makes great leftovers and would be good with just about any sausage/veggie/cheese combo. Thanks for a great basic recipe for many improvisations.
ReplyDeleteI made this with crumbled soy chorizo and it came out AMAZING. so flavorful! Thanks for another winning recipe.
ReplyDeleteI made this for our nurses week brunch... Everyone loved it! Thanks so much!
ReplyDeletecan you use oats or quinoa instead of bread...? would there be a cooking time diff or recipe change?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how that would turn out, it wouldn't be a strata without bread.
ReplyDeleteYou seem to be a step ahead! I had a delicious breakfast casserole this past weekend made with the cream of mushroom soup. I loved it but I'm sure more calories than I want to calculate. I'll try this one. More up my alley. Thanks again Gina.
ReplyDeleteWhole wheat ciabatta bread?? I have never seen that. Did you go to a bakery or do you think it can be found in a regular grocery store?
ReplyDeleteIf you can't find it use whole wheat italian or french. I think I got it at the supermarket...
ReplyDeleteOh yum! This looks wonderful!! Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and my family doesn't like to eat breakfast! Stinky! I would so make this!
ReplyDeletelooks wonderful! I'll be putting in the egg beaters to reduce the cholesterol. I love reading everyone's take on your recipes too. The chock full of veggies version looks really good with spinach.
ReplyDeleteDoes the casserole have to sit overnight or would it be ok to make it in the morning?
ReplyDeleteI've made the King Arthur Strata recipe the last few Christmases, and they're so delicious and versatile. I noticed you used 3 real eggs and then the remainder egg substitute. I've always just used egg substitute. I'm curious why you do a mixture. Flavor? Texture? Personal preference? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI made this a couple of months ago for a brunch and it flew out of the pan! After seeing the recipe again today, I've decided to make it for Christmas morning. Thanks!! Love your recipes. :)
ReplyDeleteoh, this is great! i think i just found a go-to christmas morning recipe to feed my hungry family. i love using chicken sausage available at Trader Joes, so thanks for sharing the recipe. have a very happy holiday!
ReplyDeleteHow would this reheat?
ReplyDeleteJust to say thank you for all the recipes this year and previous years. I only seem to go here and always find something. Thanks for all the hard work. Have a great Christmas with your family. And thanks again.
ReplyDeleteSuzanne
WHY ON EARTH haven't you made a cookbook yet?
ReplyDeleteI am making this for Christmas brunch. I am making two versions - one gluten free and meatless and one with sausage and cheese. For the gluten free one I am toasting Udi's brand gluten free bread with asparagus and other veggies I have in the fridge. Can't wait to try it.
ReplyDeleteThis was wonderful! We enjoyed it on Christmas morning. Sad to say that not a bit was left over.
ReplyDeleteI made this for Christmas breakfast. Substituted asparagus for the mushrooms. And served with mixed fruit. This strata was so flavorful and everyone was impressed! My stepdad even commented that it was gourmet! This is going to be our Christmas tradition for years to come. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you all enjoyed it!
ReplyDeletethis is SOOOOOOO delicious! we had it tonight and it was so very amazing. for the record, we made it ready to put in the oven and didn't leave it in the fridge for a day and it was still super good. i am sure the breading might have more flavor if it sat for a while, but i was glad it came out great regardless!
ReplyDeleteIs it 1.5 cups cheddar or just .5 cups? It looks like 1.5 but then says 4oz, which is .5 I think??
ReplyDeleteCould you make this and then freeze it to enjoy later? I'm looking for a good breakfast recipe that I can make in advance for a cabin trip!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing :). It makes me think of a similar casserole I make. It's almost identical, but instead of the bread I substitute 2 shredded medium zucchini. You'll have to cook it a little bit longer because of the additional liquid. I'll have to try it with bread.
ReplyDeleteHi Gina! I have company coming in town tomorrow and was hoping to make this strata recipe and your lighten up creme brulee french toast casserole for a brunch buffet for them. That being said, I have a bunch of frozen Italian bread and Frozen sourdough, but they are sliced at about 1/2 inch thick slices. Do you think I could use either of those loaves to successfully make this strata (and the french toast recipe?), and if so, should I adjust how many of the smaller slices I use or anything? Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteI'd prefer to use real eggs rather than egg beaters. What do you think would be best for proportions of egg white vs. whole egg?
ReplyDeleteThis was VERY yummy. A hit with the whole family, which is sometimes hard to do. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThis was a wonderful brunch recipe for Mother's Day this year! In past years, I always made an "old family" strata for Christmas Day. This new recipe was so yummy. From now on, this will become our "go to" strata for any brunch. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteLoving this recipe...used spicy Hungarian Paprika and it made a fabulous product. There are no leftovers, so it's a winner! :)
ReplyDeleteGina, what is the reaon for using part real eggs & part egg beaters? flavor, consistency, texture? I know the egg beaters are less points, so why not use only that?
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to try this but have a gluten intolerance, so I tried it with gluten free light rice bread and it was delicious!
ReplyDeleteI used turkey sausage and red peppers and onions.The bread was not good normally but after toasting and marrying with the rest of the ingredients did quite well. Thanks Gina.
Is this really just 1 cup of bread cubes? That doesn't seem like enough bread
ReplyDelete