Mushroom, Sausage, and Spinach Strata

This mushroom, sausage, and spinach strata is easy to make. It's prepared on the stovetop in a skillet, and then transferred to the oven to finish.

Mushroom, Sausage, and Spinach Strata is a savory and tasty egg dish. It's wonderful served at breakfast or brunch, and, paired with a salad, as a light dinner.

How do you make strata? Strata is essentially a savory bread pudding. You can assemble it in a casserole dish and let it rest overnight in the refrigerator to bake the next morning. You can also assemble it in a skillet and bake it immediately, like I did here. You will need an ovenproof skillet with a lid. I'm a big fan of this All-Clad pan. I find myself using it every day.

You can customize your strata with whatever you have on hand, including leftovers! All you need is some crusty bread, eggs, milk, and cheese, and whatever add-ins you like, such as meat, veggies, and herbs and spices.

Keep this ratio in mind (which serves four), and scale to your crowd: 1 cup of milk, 4 large eggs, 3/4 to 1 cup of cheese, 4 ounces of bread cubes, and whatever add-ins and seasonings you like.

For this strata, I used cremini mushrooms, hot Italian sausage, and lots of baby spinach. Oh, and smoked Gouda.

September is National Mushroom Month, so the Foodie Extravaganza group is making dishes with mushrooms, a theme chosen by Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. After the recipe, be sure to check out the rest of the recipes using mushrooms.

strata, breakfast, eggs, cheese, bread pudding

breakfast, brunch

American

Yield: 4 servingsAuthor: Karen Kerr

Mushroom, Sausage, and Spinach Strata

ingredients

• 4 ounces of a crusty baguette, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 8 ounces of hot Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 medium yellow or brown onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 4 ounces cremini mushrooms, stemmed and coarsely chopped 
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh thyme
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 ounces baby spinach (about 4 cups)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3 ounces smoked Gouda cheese, grated (about 3/4 cup)

instructions

1. Heat your oven to 450 degrees F with a rack in the middle. 
2. Spread the bread cubes out onto a sheet pan and toast in the oven while it is pre-heating until just dried and golden, 3 to 5 minutes. 
3. In a 10 inch ovenproof skillet, cook the sausage over medium low heat, breaking it up as you cook it. When it is just cooked, remove it to a plate and set aside. 
4. Melt the butter in the skillet and add the onion. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. The onions should be tender but not brown. Add the mushrooms, garlic, theme, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the sausage back to the pan. Turn off the heat. 
5. Whisk together the eggs, milk, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a medium bowl. Fold in the cheese and the bread until combined. Pour the mixture into the skillet and stir until evenly distributed. Smooth the top of the mixture with your spatula. 
6. Cover the pan with a lid, and transfer to the oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the cover, and continue to bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until the center is set and the strata is lightly browned. 
7. Cool in the pan for about 3 to 5 minutes before serving. 

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2018/09/mushroom-sausage-and-spinach-strata.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

Recipe inspired by Fine Cooking Magazine, Oct/Nov 2013

Foodie Extravaganza is a monthly food fest, where a group of bloggers all create and share a recipe around one of the monthly food "holidays." Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you!

Here are the rest of the mushroom recipes:

• Chicken & Mushroom Vegetable Medley by Reviews, Chews & How-Tos 
• Chicken and Mushroom Puff Pastry Pie by Food Lust People Love 
• Mushroom quesedillas by Caroline's Cooking 
• Mushroom, Sausage, and Spinach Strata by Karen's Kitchen Stories 
• Mushrooms In Green Herb Sauce by Sneha's  Recipe
• Portabella Mushroom Cheesesteak Sandwich by Simple and Savory
• Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy by A Day in the Life on the Farm 
• Steak with Porcini Mushroom Gravy by Palatable Pastime