Egg Stratas (or casseroles…) are great for brunch – heartier and more rustic than a quiche and easy to make ahead of time, they are perfect for my style of casual entertaining. Most breakfast egg stratas call for cream or half-and-half and sausage. For the brunch we hosted last weekend for friends, I decided to lighten it up a little bit and used milk vs. cream and went without the sausage. Per Mike’s request, we still had fried bacon as a side – we’re not crazy!
The strata was a hit – creamy, fluffy and full of white cheddar cheese, it was basically a really simple way to have perfectly cooked eggs ready just in time for brunch… without standing over a stove and stirring and stirring just before we sat down to eat.
To see the entire menu (including cinnamon maple & pecan scones…) and more about the brunch at our house, read the post here.
White Cheddar & Chive Egg Strata
10 eggs
2 cups of milk
1 tablespoon of sea salt
1/2 tablespoon of pepper
6 pieces of bread, crusts off
2 cups of white cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons of chives
In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, chives, salt and pepper. In a 9×13 baking dish, put one layer of bread on the bottom. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the bread. Pour the egg mixture over bread and cheese. Top with the remaining cheese. Cover with foil and refrigerate for at least 2 hours – overnight. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the top has puffed and the egg mixture is no longer runny.