Bagel Strata with Sausage and Spring Vegetables
In our delicious twist on the classic strata, we swap in diced bagels for the usual bread cubes. As with other stratas, this one needs to be refrigerated up to overnight before baking, so it’s ideal for entertaining. Just pop the baking dish in the oven the next morning and when your guests arrive, brunch will be ready to serve.
Ingredients
- 7 cups diced bagels (3/4-inch cubes)
- 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 3 Tbs. vegetable oil
- 6 oz. cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 cup diced asparagus (1/2-inch pieces)
- 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 6 oz. Italian sausage, crumbled and cooked
- 6 oz. grated white cheddar cheese
- 8 eggs
- 2 cups half-and-half
Directions
Preheat an oven to 350°F.
In a bowl, stir together the bagel cubes, melted butter, salt and pepper to coat well. Spread the cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake, stirring the cubes several times halfway through, until golden and toasted, about 25 minutes. Let cool.
In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbs. of the oil. Add half of the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with 1 Tbs. of the oil and the remaining mushrooms.
In the same pan over medium-high heat, warm the remaining 1 Tbs. oil. Add the asparagus and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
In a bowl, stir together 6 cups of the bagel cubes, the mushrooms, asparagus, peas, sausage and 4 oz. of the cheese. Transfer to a 2-quart baking dish. In a bowl, beat together the eggs and half-and-half and pour over the bagel mixture. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
Preheat an oven to 350°F.
In a food processor, pulse the remaining bagel cubes into coarse crumbs. Remove the plastic wrap from the strata, transfer to the oven and bake for 50 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 oz. cheese and the bagel crumbs, then bake until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes more. Serves 8 to 10.
Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.