Thanksgiving Leftovers: Dressing (Stuffing) Strata
Who’s ready for more leftover ideas! This is actually the leftover recipe I am most excited to share with you this week, it’s sooo tasty! The first time I tried out this recipe, my husband and I were just chatting on the couch and I served up a small bowl for each of us to try. We’re both, talking, talking and then STOP! My husband says “Whoa! This is really good!” I agreed. It’s not that I wasn’t hoping for it to taste good, it was just my first crack at something I’d never really had before. It was good, really good….and not that tough to make!
Some of you may be wondering what the heck a strata is. The best description I can come up with is savory bread pudding. Think Frittata with bread mixed in (If you’ve ever seen the movie The Family Stone, it’s the thing Sarah Jessica Parker’s character attempts to make- man I love that movie!). I believe it’s typically a brunch dish but this recipe is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I think we can all agree that breakfast can always be dinner, right?
I tried this recipe with both homemade dressing and boxed (like Stovetop) and both worked. The only difference is the amount that’s used. The boxed stuff is much moister and more dense, so less is needed. Whereas, homemade versions typically use larger cubes of bread which makes it less dense. This recipe is fairly easy to cut in half, double, etc. so do what works best for you. I should mention that I am using the term dressing here because we don’t typically cook ours separately. Stuffing is basically the same thing, just cooked in the bird.
Let’s get to the strata!
Start by preheating the oven and greasing a casserole dish. Next smash up the sausage in in a skillet and cook over medium heat until it’s completely cooked through, or about 10 minutes. Our grocery store has bulk sausage behind the counter, so I used that. You can certainly use something like Jimmy Dean, but try to find the loose sausage that looks like ground beef rather than links. If all you can find is the links, just cut them open and take the meat out of the casings. If you’re using a regular savory dressing use a basic flavored breakfast sausage. If you are making this with cornbread dressing, I recommend using maple flavored sausage. I think the sweeter sausage would work with the sweetness of the cornbread beautifully!
Put the cooked sausage on a paper towel-lined plate to get rid of the grease. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk.
Break up the dressing into small clumps into the bowl. Add the cheese and cooked sausage. I think the nuttiness of Gruyere pairs well with the herby flavor of the stuffing. If you really like cheddar, you could swap the Gruyere for that. Mix until everything is combined and pour into your casserole dish.
Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the egg is cooked and it’s only slightly jiggly in the center.
Let it cool about 10 minutes before serving so you don’t burn your mouth off (trust me on this one).
Enjoy!
What other ways do you use leftover dressing? Have you tried Strata before?
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Ingredients
- 1/2 pound breakfast sausage
- 8 cups homemade dressing, or 4 cups prepared box dressing (like Stovetop)
- 8 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° and grease a casserole dish.
- Smash up the sausage in in a skillet and cook over medium heat until it's completely cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- Put the cooked sausage on a paper towel-lined plate.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Break up the dressing into small clumps into the bowl. Add the cheese and cooked sausage and mix until everything is combined.
- Pour into greased casserole dish.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the egg is cooked and it's only slightly jiggly in the center.
- Let it cool about 10 minutes before serving