Croissant Strata with Sausage Filling and Monterey Cheese

"That is one good thing about this world...

there are always sure to be more springs."

-L.M.Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea

Croissant Strata with Sausage Filling and Monterey Cheese

Cook's Notes: This casserole is rich, delicious, and company-worthy for a 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. Combine the ingredients in 3 qt casserole dish with the creamy milk mixture. 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:

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

Directions:

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

• Preheat the oven to broil. Slice croissants and place them on a baking sheet, cut side up. Broil for 1 minute, watching carefully so they don't burn. You just want them lightly toasted.
• Lightly grease the bottom of the baking dish.
• Arrange croissant bottoms, cut side up in a single layer overlapping slightly in the baking dish. Sprinkle cheese over croissants, topping with sausage mixture. Add croissant tops and cut sides down over the sausage mixture.
• In a blender, mix eggs, milk, mustard, and pepper. Carefully pour the egg mixture over the strata and gently press down on the croissants with a sheet of wax paper. Remove wax paper and refrigerate covered overnight. 

Cooking Tip: I found that there was a little too much milk mixture for the size pan I was using, so I did not use the last 1/4 cup.

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

Also, as you can see from the photo, I ran out of croissants, so I had to substitute small Kaiser rolls I just happened to have. I readjusted the number of croissants in the recipe ingredients above.