Croissant Strata with Sausage Filling and Monterey Cheese

LOOKING AHEAD

Croissant Strata with Sausage Filling and Monterey Cheese

Cook's Notes: This casserole is rich, delicious, and worthy of Saturday or Sunday brunch. It's a hearty, filling dish that combines a few favorite ingredients, like hot ground sausage, flaky croissants, and Gruyère or Monterey Jack cheese.  Combining the ingredients in a casserole 3 qt. dish with the creamy milk mixture and letting it chill for eight hours is the trick to letting the flavors meld together before baking. The chill time also helps you get this casserole together the night before, making it less stressful to get breakfast on the table the next day! Whether you have company in town or just early risers with hearty appetites, this casserole makes your life just a little easier and way more delicious.

Pair the meal with a fruit compote topped with your favorite yogurt. 

Ingredients:

• 6-7 purchased croissants
• 3/4 lb. Italian sausage
• 1 cup onions, diced
• 1 cup mini red and yellow peppers, diced 
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
•  1/2 tsp. each basil, parsley, oregano 
• 2 cups lightly packed spinach leaves, stems removed
• 2 cups shredded cheese
• 6 large eggs
• 3 TB. Dijon mustard 
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

• Cook sausage, crumble and set aside.
• In same pan saute onions, peppers and mushrooms. Add in torn spinach leaves and spices the last 3 minutes of cooking time. Add sausage back into pan and mix all ingredients well.

• Preheat oven to broil. Slice croissants and place on a baking sheet cut side up. Broil 2 minutes watch carefully so they don't burn. You just want them lightly toasted. 
• Arrange croissant bottoms, cut side up in a single layer overlapping slightly in baking dish.  Sprinkle cheese over croissants, topping with sausage mixture. Add croissant tops cut sides down over sausage mixture.  
• In a blender mix eggs, milk, mustard and pepper. Carefully pour egg mixture over strata and gently press sown on croissants. 

Cooking Tip; I found there was a bit too much milk mixture so did not use the last 1/4 cup.  

• Cover and chill overnight. Uncover and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake uncovered 55 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center  comes out clean. Covering with foil the last 15 minutes of baking time avoids overbrowning. Let set 10 minutes before cutting.  

Note As you can see from photo I ran out of croissants so had to substitute small kaisers rolls.    

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