Christmas Breakfast Strata with Sausage and Bacon

This extra-cheesy, Christmas Breakfast Strata with Sausage and Bacon is one of our go-to Sunday brunch recipes. But it also holds a special place for every Christmas morning.

Breakfast Strata vs Breakfast Casserole

In our house, a breakfast casserole is the best breakfast for a lazy Sunday morning. Especially a simple breakfast casserole that is made in just one pan. It starts on the stovetop and finishes in the oven.

Some of us greet the day with a smile on our faces - others take a little convincing. But nothing can you persuade you to have a better day than a great breakfast strata. Or is it breakfast casserole?

A breakfast strata is simply a type of breakfast casserole. Here in the Midwest, some people call this an egg bake, others call it an egg casserole. You can pretty much use the terms interchangeably. While you can make a strata recipe with many different variations, breakfast strata must always include eggs, milk/cream, bread, and cheese. I make them all the time, and I thought you might appreciate this one if you are like me and always looking for new brunch recipes.

Making Your Own Breakfast Sausage

Many people take their deer in to a butcher and have it made into burger and sausage. And that's great! This breakfast strata recipe is a perfect opportunity to incorporate that deer sausage into a recipe you can share with family and friends. If you want to learn how to make your own deer sausage at home, be sure and check out my popular recipe for homemade breakfast deer sausage. We love eating it alongside my wife's French toast.

Christmas Morning Breakfast Strata

A make-ahead Christmas Morning Breakfast Strata is such a great way to start the day without too much stress. It's also the perfect thing when you'd rather be watching the kids open gifts instead of stuck in the kitchen. This breakfast strata recipe has both sausage and bacon, because our family loves them both.

I'm almost always feeding a crowd, so in addition to this Christmas breakfast strata, I also make a pile of Breakfast Deer Sausage patties and some muffins of some kind.

Because I cook for a living, I'd rather spend my Sundays relaxing. And I for sure don't want to be cooking on Christmas morning. I am one of those people who prefers to spend Christmas in their pajamas - from sun up to sundown!

If you love hashbrowns as much as my 10-year-old daughter and I do, be sure and try my Deer Sausage and Hash Brown Crust Quiche. That one is another holiday favorite!

How To Make This Breakfast Strata Recipe

Like any homemade omelet, frittata, or quiche recipe you can customize the flavors of this breakfast strata by adding different ingredients you have available. If you don't have time to make the deer bacon, you can just use whatever breakfast sausage you have in the freezer. You can also substitute fresh kale or Swiss chard that's currently popping up in your garden instead of spinach.

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and milk together until thoroughly combined. Stir in mozzarella cheese, green onions, chives, salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. Cook deer bacon in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat until crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon to a cutting board and chop into bite-size pieces.

4. In the same skillet over medium-high heat, add yellow onion and deer sausage. Cook, breaking up meat with a fork or spatula until mixture is well browned, about 5 minutes. Add the bread and carefully fold into the sausage/onion mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes.

5. Remove skillet from heat, add reserved bacon, and fold in the egg mixture. Add half of the spinach (1 cup) and fold into the mixture until well combined. Add the other half and fold again until well combined. Sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese.

6. Transfer skillet to the oven and bake on the center rack until the top is browned and the strata is cooked through, about 15 minutes, rotating skillet halfway through so it bakes evenly. Let strata cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Substitutions for Deer Bacon and Deer Sausage

I am understand that some of you visiting this food blog may not be deer hunters and so might not be able to make your own deer bacon or deer sausage. Fear not! You can substitute regular pork bacon from the grocery store for the deer bacon. And you can even use store-bought pork sausage instead of deer sausage.

I'll be honest. There are times throughout the year when I still have lots of deer sausage in the freezer, but no deer bacon. So I'll use regular pork bacon too. And who doesn't love the smell of cooked bacon in the morning? That, along with some good strong coffee, will always put a smile on my face.

Come Deer Hunting in North Dakota

If you are headed our way for North Dakota deer season, check out the North Dakota Game & Fish Department website. And if you want me to come along with you as your camp cook, photographer, or butcher, you can find out more details here.

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