4ouncesgouda cheeseany kind of cheese works; parmesan mixed with gouda is my favorite
Instructions
Heat oil in a large skillet and brown the ground sausage, breaking it up with a spatula until no longer pink. Using a slotted spoon or spatula, remove sausage to a plate, leaving the oil and drippings in the pan.
2 tablespoons oil, 1 pound sausage
Chop the chard stems into small pieces and add chopped onion and chard stems to the skillet. Sautee for about 5-10 minutes until softened.Tear or chop swiss chard leaves into about 2” pieces and add to the skillet with the water when the onions and stems are softened.Add Dijon mustard, paprika and salt to skillet and cook the chard leaves down, stirring it all together as it cooks. Cook until leaves are softened (about 5 min).
Make the custard: whisk together the eggs, milk and cream.
8 eggs, 1 1/2 cups milk, 1 cup heavy cream
Cut the crusty bread into 1/2” pieces.Assembly: Into a 9 x 13 baking dish, layer 1/2 of the sausage, top that with 1/2 of the swiss chard mixture, and then layer all of the bread cubes. Then add the rest of the sausage and top it with the rest of the swiss chard mixture.
6 ounces crusty bread
Pour the custard mix over the whole thing, pressing down to make sure bread cubes are covered. Sprinkle the cheese over everything and cover with plastic wrap or another cover. Refrigerate for 4 hours to overnight.
4 ounces gouda cheese
Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove strata from the refrigerator and bake, uncovered, from 30-40 minutes, checking to see when crust is golden brown.
Video
Notes
*Substitutions:
Spinach or kale for the swiss chard.
Bacon, spicy andouille, chorizo, or salmon for the sausage.
No meat at all for a vegetarian option.
Add butternut squash instead of the sausage.
Cheese can vary from a creamy ricotta, to a goat cheese, to parmesan. I added the smoked gouda because I was using smoked paprika for the spice and was going for a smoky flavor.
Spices and spice blends should complement the type of filling you are going for.
**Want more like this? Subscribe to our Sunday newsletter to get recipes, gardening guides and diet help. Let’s go from Inspiration to Done!