By Diego sent photographs from his latest project — a pedestrian bridge over a canal in a border community. The bridge is small — forty feet, concrete and steel — but the bridge connects two neighborhoods that were separated by water, and the connecting is Diego's life work, and the life work is the bridge, and the bridge is the family business in concrete form.
When I saw Diego’s photographs — that small concrete bridge joining two sides of something that had been divided — I thought about how the most honest work is done in layers, one poured on top of another until something solid emerges. I wanted to cook something that felt the same way: built up, assembled with intention, meant to hold. This strata has been part of my weekend rhythm for years, and on a morning like this one, it felt exactly right — bread and eggs and good vegetables laid down together the night before, so that by morning all those layers have become one thing, warm and ready.
Veggie Sausage Strata
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 55 min | Total Time: 1 hr 15 min (plus overnight rest) | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 lb veggie sausage, crumbled and browned
- 8 cups day-old bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about half a loaf)
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- 8 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Cook the vegetables. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and bell peppers and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in spinach and cook until wilted, 1–2 minutes more. Remove from heat.
- Brown the sausage. In the same skillet, cook crumbled veggie sausage over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 4–5 minutes. Set aside.
- Layer the strata. Lightly coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread half the bread cubes in an even layer. Top with the sausage, cooked vegetables, and 1 cup of the cheddar. Spread remaining bread cubes on top.
- Mix the custard. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper until fully combined.
- Pour and press. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the layered bread, pressing gently with a spatula so all the bread absorbs the custard. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheddar over the top. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Bake. Remove the strata from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake uncovered for 50–55 minutes, until the top is golden and the center is set. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean.
- Rest and serve. Let the strata rest for 10 minutes before cutting into squares. Serve warm.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 390 | Protein: 24g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 31g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 620mg