Breakfast Strata with Sausage, Mushrooms, and Monterey Jack

By hmp13

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 3/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 16 slices supermarket Italian bread
• 1/2 onion, minced (2/3 cup)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 16 ounces white button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
• 1/2 cup medium-dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
• 12 ounces Jack cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 12 large eggs
• 3 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Details

Servings 10

Preparation

Step 1

In a large bowl, mix together the ground turkey, ginger, salt, sage, cayenne pepper, and black pepper until well blended.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 225 degrees. Arrange bread in single layer on large baking sheet and bake until dry and crisp, about 40 minutes, turning slices over halfway through drying time. (Alternatively, leave slices out overnight to dry.)

Fry sausage in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat, breaking sausage apart with wooden spoon, until sausage has lost raw color and begins to brown, about 4 minutes; add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and translucent, about 1 minute longer. Add mushrooms to skillet, and cook until mushrooms no longer release liquid, about 6 minutes; transfer mixture to medium bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add wine to skillet, increase heat to medium-high, and simmer until reduced to 1/4 cup, 2 to 3 minutes; set aside.

Spray 9x13-inch baking dish; arrange half the buttered bread slices in single layer in dish. Sprinkle half of sausage mixture, then 1/2 cup grated cheese evenly over bread slices. Arrange remaining bread slices in single layer over cheese; sprinkle remaining sausage mixture and another 1/2 cup cheese evenly over bread. Whisk eggs and parsley in medium bowl until combined; whisk in reduced wine, half-and-half, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread layers; cover surface flush with plastic wrap, weigh down (see note, above), and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

Remove dish from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature 20 minutes. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Uncover strata and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese evenly over surface; bake until both edges and center are puffed and edges have pulled away slightly from sides of dish, 30-40 minutes. Cool on wire rack 5 minutes; serve.