Name: Cast-Iron Strata with Sausage, Bell Pepper, and Mushrooms
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Ingredients: 8 large eggs; 2 cups whole milk; ¼ teaspoon pepper; 6 ounces pepper Jack cheese , shredded (1¼ cups); ½ cup fresh basil , chopped; 8 ounces sweet Italian sausage , removed from its casing if in links; 1 onion, chopped fine; 1 small red bell pepper , cored and chopped medium; 4 ounces white mushrooms , stemmed and sliced thin; ½ teaspoon table salt; 8 ounces baguette , cut into ¾-inch pieces (about 6 cups)

Why This Recipe Works

A strata is a hearty egg dish consisting mainly of eggs, milk, dried bread, and cheese layered into a casserole dish (the name strata points to its layered construction), but we wanted a simplified version perfect for a quick meal. Using a cast-iron skillet, which easily moves from stovetop to oven, we were able to simplify the cooking method and give the exterior of the strata a lovely golden crust. Some strata recipes call for white sandwich bread, but we prefer the sturdy crumb and unsweetened flavor of a good baguette. Whole milk combined with an almost equal amount of whole eggs gave the strata a luxurious texture without being overwhelmingly rich. Finishing the strata in a 425-degree oven helped produce a delicate, soufflé-like texture. The flavors of sweet Italian sausage, bell pepper, mushroom, and onion makes the dish work equally well for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Before You Begin

Any type of fresh sausage can be substituted for the sweet Italian sausage. To make the dish vegetarian, omit the sausage and heat 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil in the skillet until shimmering before cooking the vegetables in step 2.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Beat eggs, milk, and pepper together with fork in large bowl until thoroughly combined and mixture is pure yellow; do not overbeat. Stir in pepper Jack and basil.

Cook sausage in 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat until slightly browned and fat has rendered, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, and salt; cover; and cook until vegetables have released their liquid, 3 to 5 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until liquid has evaporated and vegetables have browned slightly, about 3 minutes. Add bread and, using heat-resistant rubber spatula, carefully fold into sausage-vegetable mixture until evenly coated.

Off heat, fold in egg mixture until slightly thickened and well combined with bread. Gently press on top of strata to help bread soak up egg mixture. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until center of strata is puffed and set and edges have browned and pulled away slightly from sides of skillet, about 25 minutes, rotating skillet halfway through baking. Let strata cool for 5 minutes before serving.