Overnight Egg Strata Recipe (2024)

Cooking with kidsis a fun way to spend time together! Cooking together in the kitchen is quality time with learning, skill development, and has a tasty reward. Kids love to create new concoctions in the kitchen and may be more willing to try new foods. We made this Overnight Egg Strata Recipe together one afternoon and then enjoyed our breakfast on a lazy Saturday. This easy egg strata recipe would be a great addition to holiday mornings or even breakfast for dinner!

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Overnight Egg Strata Recipe

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We made this egg strata recipe as a new recipe to us. As part of our Cooking With Kids A-Z series, we needed an egg recipe. (If you haven’t been following along with our series, we’ve been cooking our way through the alphabet. Every two weeks, we’re cooking up a new recipe. This week is E is for Eggs and our egg strata recipe was just the thing to make! We’ve never made this recipebefore, but it is one of the Aunts’ go-to breakfast recipes for holidays, special events, or lazy mornings. It’s been posted on the blog before, but this Aunt has never made it (or tried it, actually!) so we decided it was the perfect recipe for our E is for Egg week!

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This is such an easy recipe to throw together. If you need an amazing breakfast casserole for Easter or Mother’s Day (or Christmas or any day!), this is the one to make.

It took us maybe an hour to put together –including the time it takes for kiddos to chop, dice, and toss–so average time to make would probably be closer to 20 minutes. BUT, cooking with the kids really gets them involved and learning in the kitchen.

Start with 10 slices of bread. Chop them up into crouton-sized squares. We used whole wheat bread, but any type would do. This would even be an excellent way to use up day old bread.

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Once the bread is chopped, place half of it in the base of a large casserole dish. Don’t forget to spray with cooking spray first.

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Chop any vegetables. We used red, yellow, and green peppers, but this recipe would be amazing with mushrooms, tomatoes, asparagus, spinach, or any veggies you have on hand.

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Cut slices of ham into pieces. You could substitute the ham with sausage or bacon. I love the versatility of this recipe! Side-note: Using kitchen shears to cut the ham steaks is perfect for school-aged kids. They can easily cut ham into pieces while strengthening their hand muscles at the same time. I love (Amazon affiliate link) these kitchen shearsOvernight Egg Strata Recipe (6)(incidentally, a gift from one of the Aunts!) for all snipping in the kitchen!

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Chop up the veggies into small pieces. Children can use a safetykids’ knifeOvernight Egg Strata Recipe (8)to cut vegetables while becoming more confident and safer in their knife use while cooking. Be sure to provide adult supervision.

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Over the bread pieces, layer: vegetables, ham, half of the cheese, and the remaining chopped bread pieces.

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Sprinkling the cheese was a huge hit!

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Next comes the egg cracking part. My kids LOVE cracking eggs. Its a messy job…and there are ALWAYS eggs dripped on the counter tops…but they love it.

Stir together 10 eggs and 2 cups of milk in a large bowlOvernight Egg Strata Recipe (12).

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Mix well.

Pour the egg/milk mixture over the casserole ingredients. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

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Place the covered strata overnight in the refrigerator. Pull it out in the morning and bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes. It is delicious and makes the house smell amazing. My girls and I enjoyed eating our strata together as we talked about making it the day before.

Overnight Egg Strata Breakfast:

10 slices of white bread cubed

1 cup mushrooms (or any vegetables) chopped

1 small green pepper chopped

16 oz shredded cheddar cheese

1 ham steak cubed

8 eggs

2 cups milk

Spray a 9×13″ pan with non-stick spray.

Place half of the cubed bread on the bottom of the pan.

Sprinkle the veggies and then top with half of the cheese. Next, layer bread and ham and top with the remainder of the cheese.Mix the milk and eggs, make sure to whisk well.Pour the egg mixture over the cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake covered at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes. Remove the cover for the last 10-15 minutes to get the cheese looking golden.

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This post is part of theCooking with Kids ABC series.

Be sure to try our other cooking with kids recipes:

Overnight Egg Strata Recipe (16)Overnight Egg Strata Recipe (17)Overnight Egg Strata Recipe (18)Overnight Egg Strata Recipe (19)

A is for Apple Dumplings Recipe

B is for Banana Cheesecake Bites

C is for Carrot Veggie Puffs Recipe

D is for Dough recipe

More ideas you will LOVE:

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Overnight Egg Strata Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Does a strata have to sit overnight? ›

Does a strata have to sit overnight? No – this is a quick dish that can be made the morning of serving it. However, I do recommend letting it sit in the fridge overnight before eating. The flavors mend nicely and the egg has time to soak into the croutons.

How long can strata be refrigerated before baking? ›

Lightly cover the surface with the remaining grated Gruyere. Use cooking oil spray to grease the underside of the aluminum foil you will use to cover the strata, then crimp it tightly around the edges. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, and up to 12 hours before baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Why is my strata soggy? ›

(Just don't skip the sautéing. It's crucial because it cooks out excess liquid, which prevents the strata from becoming soggy.)

Why do you refrigerate egg casserole overnight? ›

The casserole is covered and refrigerated overnight to allow the liquid ingredients to be absorbed into the bread. This is a perishable mixture and should be cooked the morning or day after assembly. Bake in an oven set no lower than 325 °F. Most recipes suggest 350 °F.

What are the cons of strata? ›

The cons of strata titles

Owning a strata title property means that your neighbours are very close by. This isn't such a bad thing if they're nice and quiet, but if you get a loud bunch you may have to look into some sound proofing.

How long does it take for a refrigerated casserole to come to room temperature? ›

How long does it take a refrigerated casserole to come to room temp? Depending on the size of the dish and the density of its contents, it takes about an hour for to come up to room temperature. Add more time for a larger pan or one with dense contents.

Can you leave eggs out overnight for baking? ›

Is It OK To Leave Eggs Out Overnight For Baking? No, you shouldn't leave eggs out overnight for baking, as the high room temperature can cause bacteria to grow rapidly, increasing the risk of food poisoning.

Can you make a casserole with raw eggs ahead of time? ›

Yes, you can. Raw eggs are fairly stable in the freezer, especially when beaten or mixed with other ingredients. Check to see what else is in the casserole, though.

Can beaten eggs be refrigerated overnight? ›

You sure can mix the eggs and put them in the fridge overnight to be cooked in the morning.

What is the difference between a frittata and a strata? ›

A frittata is similar to a quiche without the crust, and is often described as a thick omelette packed with ingredients like vegetables, cheese or ham. A strata is a breakfast casserole made with eggs and bread and is often described as an easy-to-make, savoury bread pudding.

How to tell if an egg casserole is done? ›

Cook or bake until a thermometer inserted at the center shows 160° F or a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. You may find it difficult to tell if a knife shows uncooked egg or melted cheese in some casseroles and other combination dishes that are thick or heavy and contain cheese – lasagna, for example.

What is the difference between a strata and a casserole? ›

Strata is otherwise known as “the breakfast casserole that your overnight guests will think you toiled away on all morning when in reality, you simply whipped it up the night before and just popped in the oven.” “Strata” is much shorter. Stratas are egg casseroles made with bread—lots of it.

Can you leave egg mixture in fridge overnight? ›

Serve eggs and food prepared using eggs immediately after cooking, or refrigerate and use within three to four days. For entertaining, serve all egg dishes within two hours. Cold egg dishes and beverages should be kept on ice.

Can I freeze egg strata? ›

Unfortunately as the strata contains what is effectively a savoury egg custard it does not freeze well either before or after baking. However you could probably assemble it up to 48 hours before it is needed, if this helps with your planning a little.

Can you make a strata 2 days ahead? ›

Fresh from the oven, this strata top has crispy, crunchy bits while the middle is warm, soft, and custard-like, providing a fantastic texture. Pro-Tip: The strata can be prepared and baked up to two days in advance and reheated the morning of.

How many days in advance can you make a strata? ›

Make Ahead: Baked breakfast strata can be kept in the fridge for 3-4 days. Strata can be frozen, covered, for up to 3 months. Defrost on the counter before baking the next day or overnight in the fridge.

Can you freeze a strata before baking? ›

Unfortunately as the strata contains what is effectively a savoury egg custard it does not freeze well either before or after baking. However you could probably assemble it up to 48 hours before it is needed, if this helps with your planning a little.

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