Bagel Strada with Sausage and Spring Vegtables

This is yet another breakfast Strata recipe.  I got this from Williams-Sonoma Kitchen, but did not exactly follow the recipe.  This was practice Thursday and it is the only day of the event that the boys do not get breakfast at the club.  The recipe says serves 8-10. Maybe with the heavier bagels it would.  I used French bread and I would say 6-8 if you serve fruit or close slaw also.  I thought this was very good.  It was even good left over.  If I remade this with the bagels, I would use double the sausage and vegetables.    

Ingredients:

7 cups diced bagels (3/4” cubes) I used French bread because I had it. 

4 T unsalted butter, melted

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

3 T vegetable oil (did not use)

6 oz cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 C diced asparagus (1/2” pieces

½ C frozen peas, thawed

6 oz. Italian sausage, crumbled and cooked

6 oz. grated white cheddar cheese

8 eggs

2 C half-and-half

Directions:

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2.      In a bowl, stir together the bread, melted butter, salt and pepper to coat well. 

3.      Spread cubes on a baking sheet.  Bake, stirring several times halfway through, until golden, about 25 minutes.  Let cool.

4.      In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, cook the sausage.  I add all the mushrooms and asparagus and cooked it all in the same pan that I cooked the sausage, about 5 minutes.  I used a hot, TN breakfast sausage and there was little fat.   I drained the sausage and the vegetables on paper plates.

5.      In a bowl stir together 6 of the 7 C of the bread cubes, mushrooms, asparagus, peas, sausage and 4 oz. cheese. 

6.      Transfer to a 2 qt. baking dish. 

7.      In a bowl, beat together eggs and half-and-half, pour over bagel mixture. 

8.      Cover, refrigerate at least one hour or up to overnight. 

9.      In a food processor, pulse remaining bread cubes into coarse crumbs. Combine this with the 2 oz of cheese and save in a separate container with the strada overnight.  

10.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Bake uncovered for 50 minutes. 

11.  Sprinkle the cheese and bread crumbs over and bake 10 minutes more.