More than two decades ago, my mom settled the annual holiday battle between two local sets of grandparents by hosting a Holiday Brunch at our house Christmas morning. To make the morning preparation super easy, she would make an Egg Strata every year. Egg Strata is a breakfast casserole consisting primarily of eggs, bread and cheese – but after that, you can add just about anything to make it your own. And it’s a great option for brunch gatherings because you can prepare it the night before, and just pop it in the oven before your party!
Cranberry Rosemary Egg Strata with Bacon
Last weekend, I hosted a Sip and See for our new baby… the only way I could pull it off was with help from my Mom and by serving an Egg Strata that we prepped the night before. When we went grocery shopping for ingredients, we stumbled upon a Cranberry French Baguette, inspiring this version of our favorite, holiday brunch dish!
Egg Stratas are a great option for feeding large groups at holiday brunch. Bring in the flavors of the season with this Cranberry Rosemary Egg Strata with Bacon.
Ingredients
1 Large French Baguette
12 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk or half and half
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tsp baking powder
1 TBSP fresh rosemary
1 cup dried cranberries
2 cups mozzarella cheese
6-8 strips bacon, cooked
Instructions
Spray 9x13 glass casserole dish.
Slice baguette in 1/2" slices. Lay face up in casserole dish, creating two layers of bread slices.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and baking powder.
De-stem and chop fresh rosemary. Dice cooked bacon.
Fold in rosemary, cranberries, bacon and 1 1/2 cups of cheese, reserving 1/2 a cup for later.
Pour egg mixture over bread in casserole dish.
Top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.
Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove foil and bake on center rack for 1 hour. Remove from oven and allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.
This paired perfectly with the Apple Cider Sangria we served as our signature drink for our Fall-flavored menu at the Sip and See!
Do you host a holiday brunch, or need to serve a big group the day of or after Thanksgiving? What do you put in your strata?
If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy our Family Christmas Cookie Recipes. You can find both of these, as well as all our favorite Holiday recipes from around the web on our Christmas and Gotta Eat! boards on Pinterest.
5 comments
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