Bacon and Cheese Breakfast Strata

I figure if anything with bacon is a win, than adding cheese should just be a double win, right? I mean, I’m really not sure there’s much else that could be done with this to improve it, and I wasn’t even sure what a strata was before this morning. I just really wanted to use my new skillet, and I wanted to make an entire breakfast in one dish. Needless to say, I was more than pleased with myself when it was finished.

Let’s just run through what a strata turned out to be (besides a delicious breakfast and a nice change from the usual). It’s basically a cross between an omelet and a quiche, so you could add any fillings that you would typically find in either of those dishes. At least, that’s how I looked at it. You start it off on the stove top, then finish it in the oven. If you don’t have an oven safe skillet, that’s not a problem either. Just transfer it to a glass baking dish before putting it into the oven.

Enough talking about it, let’s get to it! My strata was a wonderful combination of bacon, eggs, cheese, onion, and bread. Rounding out the cast of characters: milk, thyme, salt, pepper, and paprika.

Whisk together the milk, eggs, thyme, paprika, salt, and pepper.

Stir in the cheese, then set aside.

Throw some sliced bacon in a skillet.

When it’s about ¾ of the way to crispy, add the minced onion.

Keep it moving until the onion is nice and soft and starting to brown, and the bacon is completely crisp.

Looking delicious. If I could have just sopped this up with some crusty bread I think I would have, but Bo would have never looked at me the same way again. Husbands can be funny like that.

Now, toss in those bread cubes.

Gently toss them with a spatula to coat them in the bacon grease.

Keep tossing until the bread is lightly toasted, like this. If you find that there isn’t enough grease to coat and toast the bread (I didn’t have enough, it all depends on how fatty the package of bacon is you get), just add a tablespoon of butter. If the bacon and onions are smoking while you’re trying to toast the bread, it’s a good sign that it’s too dry and needs some butter.

Now, turn off the heat and pour in the egg mixture. Give it a stir so that the bread is all well soaked with the egg mixture.

Voila. It will have already started to thicken up slightly. Use a spatula to flatten the bread into the egg.

Looking perfect.

Now, toss it in the oven for 12–15 minutes, until the egg is all cooked through, the edges have started to pull away from the sides of the skillet, and it looks puffy and fluffy.

I mean, really, it just couldn’t be easier or more perfect!

Ok, a little bit closer.

Now, just slice it up, dish it out, and you’re good to go!

Here’s your printable:

Bacon and Cheese Breakfast Strata

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Print

Ingredients

• 1½ cups milk
• 6 eggs
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp thyme
• ¼ tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 5 slices bacon, sliced into ½" pieces
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 5 slices good Italian style sandwich bread, cut into cubes
• 1 tbsp butter (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 450ºF with a rack in the middle position.
2. Whisk together the milk, eggs, thyme, paprika, salt, and pepper until well blended. Stir in the cheese and set aside.
3. In a large skillet, cook the bacon until browned but not quite crisp. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and browned. Add the cubed bread to the skillet and gently fold in using a spatula. Continue cooking and tossing for about 3 minutes, until the bread is lightly toasted. If the bacon and onions start smoking before the bread is toasted, the pan has gotten too dry, so add the optional tablespoon of butter.
4. Turn off the heat and pour in the egg mixture. Give it a gentle stir to ensure all the bread is well soaked, pressing down on the top if needed.
5. Place the skillet into the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. When the strata is done the egg will be completely cooked, the strata will look puffy, and the edges will have pulled away from the side of the pan slightly.
6. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Notes

If you don't have a skillet that is oven-safe, don't worry. simply pour the mixture into a glass baking dish before putting in the oven.