Bread cubes soaked in eggs and baked up with delicious spring produce and cheese! This spring veggie breakfast strata is perfect for brunch, slow Sunday mornings, and meal prepping breakfasts. It's a great way to use up day-old bread or any spring produce in your fridge!
Of course quiches and frittatas and Spanish tortilla will always have a place in our hearts, but it's good to have another baked egg situation in our regular breakfast and brunch rotations: the breakfast strata!
You might have also heard it called a breakfast casserole, and I'd say that's a pretty good description. It's made with cubed day-old bread (perfect way to reduce waste) soaked overnight in a cheesy egg batter with fresh spring produce. It's perfect for brunch because all you have to do the next day is pop it in the oven! Perfect for chatting over coffee while your kitchen smells heavenly, rather than cooking and cleaning up while guests are over.
Key Ingredients
- Baguette - The sturdiness of baguette bread stands up well to being soaked in an egg mixture as it still bakes up with some shape (not soggy). Baguettes get a little crusty and dry after a day or two, which is exactly how we want them for this recipe.
- Eggs - Eggs will form a batter that gets soaked up into the bread cubes.
- Milk - Either dairy or any unsweetened, plain plant-based milk will work.
- Asparagus, onion, and spinach - I chose these three veggies as they're some of my favorite spring produce items, but if you need to use up other veggies, go for it! Breakfast strata is flexible like that.
- Mozzarella and feta - Mozzarella gives you that more mild cheese flavor that melts super easily, and feta is just salty and delicious.
Step-by-Step Instructions
The wonderful thing about breakfast strata is that it can be prepared the night before and left to soak in the fridge overnight, so the bread cubes soak up all of that eggy flavor. Perfect for times when you're hosting, and all you need to do is preheat the oven!
Step 1
Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Preheat olive oil in a pan over medium heat, and lightly sauté the onion and asparagus to soften, 3-5 minutes.
Step 2
Place bread cubes, veggies, and half the mozzarella in an even layer in the prepared baking dish.
Step 3
Once you have all of that ready, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the top of the strata, making sure to coat all bread cubes. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and the feta over the top. Cover and place the strata in the fridge overnight.
Step 4
The next morning, take the strata out of the fridge while you preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Bake covered for the first 30 minutes, then uncovered for the remaining 15-20 minutes. You'll know it's done when eggs are solid (no jiggling), and any bread cube corners peaking over the top are lightly golden brown. Cool for 5-10 minutes, then slice into squares to serve.
Serving Ideas
When it comes to brunch, I love having a combination of sweet and savory items. You could also bake up some carrot cake baked oats, raspberry lemon muffins, or serve with some fresh fruit.
If you're serving this breakfast strata more for lunch, a simple green side salad or pesto potato salad would be perfect!
More Brunch Ideas
Made this overnight breakfast strata? Don't forget to leave a star rating 🌟 and comment below, and tag me on Instagram and Pinterest so I can see what you made!
Print📖 Recipe
Make-ahead Breakfast Strata with Spring Veggies
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 squares 1x
Description
This spring veggie breakfast strata is a comforting and wholesome make-ahead breakfast or brunch. It's made with day-old bread cubes for the best texture and reducing waste. Prepare it the night before and simply preheat your oven the next morning to bake.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (preferably day-old baguette)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ pound asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 9 eggs
- 1 cup milk (any kind)
- ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper
- ½ cup feta
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Sauté veggies. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside. Heat some olive oil in a skillet and sauté asparagus and onions for 3-5 minutes (just until they start to soften). Sprinkle with salt and remove from heat.
- Assemble strata base. Add the bread cubes, asparagus, onion, spinach, and half of the mozzarella to the baking dish. Lightly stir to evenly distribute the ingredients.
- Egg batter, cheese, chill. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper (or blend in a blender). Pour the egg mixture all over the bread cubes, veggies, and cheese. Sprinkle reserved mozzarella and feta over the top of the strata. Cover with aluminum foil or a baking-safe silicone stretch lid, and set in the fridge overnight (or at least three hours).
- Bake. The next morning, remove the strata from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake covered for 25-30 minutes, then uncovered for the remaining 15-20 minutes, or until eggs are no longer jiggly in the center.
- Cool & serve. Allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes, then into squares and serve!
Notes
- Storage & freezing. If you have leftovers, you can store the veggie breakfast strata in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave, air fryer, or oven.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 45
- Category: Breakfast, Brunch
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 310
- Sugar: 4.9 g
- Sodium: 562.7 mg
- Fat: 12.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 31.7 g
- Protein: 18.3 g
- Cholesterol: 225.2 mg
Mark says
Delicious! I added bacon bits to mine and it was fantastic. Thanks!
Tera says
Bacon makes everything better. Thanks, Mark!