Sausage and Zucchini Strata
I have no problem admitting that, in our household, Cole is the king of breakfast. I'm still the queen of lunch and dinner, but having him take over a territory that involves me lounging in my PJs while it's being prepared for me is quite alright with me.
On the rare occasion that I do take over breakfast, I am a fan of a breakfast recipe that allows me to have my cake and eat it too! And of course that means I'm talking about a make-ahead breakfast casserole.
Whoever decided to make a breakfast version of a casserole was a complete genius. This particular recipe I actually tested out on a bachelorette party weekend I took this summer where I played personal chef to five other fabulous ladies. As you could imagine, it was quite the wild weekend but luckily we had tasty food to soak it all up, including a hangover friendly strata. Even better? I didn't even have to break a sweat whipping it up and could lounge and let my hangover cure come to me. And boy did it do the trick!
So I returned from the bachelorette party weekend raving about this new recipe, and had to show up the King of Breakfast. Turns out I even outdid myself from the bachelorette weekend with this new version below. Imagine, if you will, a savory bread pudding of sorts with savory, juicy bits of sage sausage and vibrant shreds of zucchini topped off with ooey, gooey shredded cheeses. It's not only the easiest breakfast you'll ever make (because I’m not trying to leave a perfectly warm bed to go slave away over poached eggs and bacon grease), but it's downright delicious. Oh, and the King of Breakfast approved.
Sausage and Zucchini Strata
1 sourdough loaf
1 package Jimmy Dean sage sausage
1 cup Monterey jack and Cheddar blend shredded cheese
1 zucchini, shredded
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and cook sausage, breaking into small pieces until cooked, about 8 minutes. Drain fat and set aside.Begin roughly tearing the sourdough loaf into chunks and layer in a buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle the sausage evenly over the bread, then sprinkle shredded zucchini, followed by shredded cheese. Beat eggs with milk, salt and pepper and pour evenly over top of the casserole dish. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes or until the top is puffy and browned. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
