christmas strata
a chambers family tradition!!!
I’m so excited to share today’s recipe: It’s my mom’s iconic Christmas morning breakfast casserole! We ate this every single Christmas after running down the stairs and tearing into our stockings. We had to wait until after we ate to unwrap the rest of our gifts, so when we were little, my sister, brother, and I would stuff our faces as quickly as possible so that we could get back to business.
I’ve continued the Christmas strata tradition as an adult, and can now appreciate how absolutely delicious — and so very easy and prep-aheadable — it is, not just the nostalgia it brings. It allows me to actually sit with my cup of coffee and watch my kids unwrap their presents — just pop it in the oven when you wake up and it’ll be finished by the time the stockings are opened.
A strata is a savory, custardy breakfast casserole that was all the rage in the U.S. in the 1980s, after The Silver Palate Cookbook — the holy grail for many home cooks in the ‘80s — included a recipe for one. The typical equation for strata is bread, cream/milk, eggs, cheese, and meat and/or veggies. You can pack a strata with whatever you’d like — see the “riffs” section just below for a few extra filling combo ideas. But my mom’s, which we’re cooking here, always starred sausage (it has so much built-in flavor!), pimientos (a mild, sweet red pepper) or roasted bell peppers, and — my favorite part — chopped artichoke hearts, which give it the best texture.
It makes an excellent breakfast for a special occasion like Christmas morning, or for anytime you’re feeding a crowd. I also love it for dinner!
FYI, the classic method of assembling a strata, which is the Latin word for “layers,” is to layer everything one at a time (bread, fillings, cheese), then pour the egg mixture slowly all over everything. This recipe is a less fussy, nearly-dump-and-go take on strata that I find just as delicious!
This casserole not only can be assembled ahead of time, it needs to be. Chilling it in the fridge for at least 2 hours — or up to 3 days — before you bake it allows the bread to soak up the cream mixture, turning it into a soft, insanely flavorful binder, and helps it cook evenly. I usually prep it 2 to 3 days before Christmas so that I don’t have to worry about prepping it once the festivities begin. Store it in the fridge wrapped tightly with foil.
Our first Insiders cooking demo/hangout! Join me to prep Christmas breakfast together on Monday, December 22, at 9 a.m. PT/12 p.m. ET. Bring your kids, mine will definitely be around. Whether you need a Christmas morning breakfast or you just want to have a cozy, delicious breakfast or brunch one day early next week, it’ll feel so good to have this ready to go in the fridge.
This casserole is endlessly riffable. Use the same eggs, cream, and bread measurements as the recipe below includes, and just mix up the fillings and cheese.
Spinach + artichoke: Whisk 1 cup ricotta in with the eggs and cream. Sauté 5 ounces spinach and add that to the egg mixture, along with a drained and chopped can of artichoke hearts. Use Gruyère instead of Cheddar.
Chilaquiles vibes: Cook 1 pound ground chorizo. When the chorizo is almost cooked, add a 4-ounce can of diced green chilies and a diced red bell pepper, diced green bell pepper, and diced jalapeño. Cook until chorizo is cooked through and the peppers are soft. Proceed with recipe as written.
Mushroom + sausage: Sauté 1 pound of mushrooms with the 1 pound of sausage. Proceed with recipe but omit the artichokes and pimentos.
If you, too, are still obsessed with Starbucks’ egg bites, my Starbucks egg bite copycat frittata with sweet potato hash is for you. Also, that sweet potato hash would be a perfect side for any holiday breakfast/brunch spread! Don’t forget that Samin Nosrat shared her recipe for ricotta custard pancakes, which she describes as “heavenly clouds of fluff,” during my maternity leave with Tavish. And y’all have been loving the chicken sausage, spinach, and white Cheddar egg bake from the back-to-school meal plan we shared in August.
Serves 8-10
Cook time: 30 minutes active (to assemble), 1 hour inactive (to bake), plus at least 2 hours (or up to 3 days) to chill in the fridge
Tools:
Ingredients:
