Bacon Egg and Cheese Strata

slice of strata on white plate

This delicious Bacon Egg and Cheese Strata is the most amazing breakfast casserole! Loaded with crusty Italian bread, eggs, cheese, and thick sliced bacon – it checks off everything you want for breakfast in one dish! 

This recipe is sponsored by Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs. All opinions are my own. Thank you for continuing to support the brands that make OBB possible. 

Breakfast is one of my favorite things in the world, y’all. I go to bed dreaming of warm oatmeal drizzled with maple syrup, avocado toast….and lately, this amazing Bacon Egg and Cheese Strata. 

Now, y’all know that I live in the South. I can’t even tell you the amount of Bacon Egg and Cheese biscuits I have consumed in my life. I knew that I wanted to make a breakfast casserole for the holiday season, so, I just had to make it Bacon Egg and Cheese flavored. One of the best combos in the world! 

Bacon Egg and Cheese Strata in pan

I especially love breakfast during the Christmas and holiday season. Many times, you already have guests over. So, you wake up, make breakfast for everyone and sip on warm coffee as you get ready to start the day. It’s just the BEST! 

Why You’re Going to Love this Bacon Egg and Cheese Strata 

This Bacon Egg and Cheese Strata is the answer to all of your holiday breakfasts. It’s essentially a breakfast casserole. It has crust Italian bread (toast requirement, check!), lots of cheese (check!), thick sliced bacon (yes please!), fresh garlic (yum!), herby chopped chives (yes yes yes) and finally, EGGS! 

ingredients for Bacon Egg and Cheese Strata

But not just any eggs. This casserole is made with Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs! I absolutely love these eggs – they are always free of pesticides, added hormones and best of all, they come from small family farms that are dedicated to humanely treating their animals. You can absolutely tell this by the color of the golden yellow yolk. It’s amazing. 

pete and gerry's eggs

I love how the eggs remain so deliciously soft and fluffy – not rubbery at all like some baked eggs. The crust tops of the Italian bread make my world go round. The fresh garlic adds AH-MAZING flavor. The thick sliced bacon permeates throughout the entire dish…oh, and of course, it’s so dreamy cheesy delicious. You can’t have a breakfast casserole without cheese, right?! Right! 

Oh, and did I mention it has both half and half AND heavy cream in it?!? These two ingredients make it so very rich and decadent. Of course you can substitute normal milk..but why would you?! It’s the holidays after all. Treat yourself!

straight on shot of slice of strata

I love how you get amazing flavor from each ingredient in every single bite. It’s the best and so easy to quickly prep and pop into the oven while your guests enjoy their first cup of coffee. Let’s get into how to make it! 

Ingredients you Need for Bacon Egg and Cheese Strata: 

  • Pete and Gerry’s organic eggs 
  • Italian bread 
  • Thick sliced bacon
  • Sharp cheddar cheese / colby jack cheese 
  • Half and half 
  • Heavy cream 
  • Dijon mustard 
  • Fresh garlic 
  • Chives 
  • Salt and pepper 

How to Make Bacon Egg and Cheese Strata: 

The first step is to cook the bacon. You can do this in an oven which is an amazing, quick and easy way to fix it where you won’t get popped! I did my bacon at 400 for about 20 minutes. It all depends on your thickness though, so keep an eye on it! 

You don’t want the bacon to be *too* crispy. Once it’s done, blot the grease with a paper-towel and chop it into bite size pieces. 

Next, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Dice the Italian bread into small, 1-1.5 inch cubes. Take a 9×13 casserole dish and grease the bottom using butter or non-stick cooking spray. Place the bread cubes evenly in the dish after you’ve greased it. 

pre-bake strata in glass dish

Finely mince the garlic and chop the chives.

Add in the bacon, 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese, 1 cup of colby jack cheese, chives and garlic to the bread cubes in the casserole dish. Gently mix around using your hands, making sure it is all coated evenly. 

pouring egg mixture over strata

In a large bowl, add about 8 Pete and Gerry’s organic eggs. Add 1 cup of half and half and 1 cup of heavy cream. Add a generous pinch of salt (about ⅓-½ tsp), a crack of pepper and a tsp of dijon mustard and whisk together until combined. 

Gently pour the egg mixture on top of the bread mixture, making sure it’s evenly spread throughout the pan. Once poured, if there are any bread cubes not soaked by the mixture, press them down into the liquid gently. 

Bacon Egg and Cheese Strata with egg mixture in glass dish

Wrap some foil around the top and bake for about 20-22 minutes. Remove from oven, take off the foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until the top is crispy and golden brown. 

freshly baked Bacon Egg and Cheese Strata

Let cool for a few minutes before you serve. Top with more chives and eat up! 

fork taking a bite of Bacon Egg and Cheese Strata

This is the absolute perfect holiday breakfast idea – I hope you love it as much as I do! 

straight on shot of slice of strata with fork

Did you enjoy this recipe? Here are a few more you might like: 

Broccoli Cheddar Quiche with Bacon 

Everything Bagel Breakfast Sandwich 

Chai Spiced Coffee Cake

Thank you so much for following along here, friends! Want to see more? Be sure to follow ourbalancedbowl on Instagram and tag me with your photo if you end up making a recipe! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the Our Balanced Bowl Facebook page! Like a recipe that you saw? Follow me on Pinterest here! I always love to see your re-creations! If you do make a recipe, it would make my whole day if you were to rate and comment so I can get your feedback! Lots of love! – Haylie

bite of strata on fork

5 from 3 votes
Print

Bacon Egg and Cheese Strata

This delicious Bacon Egg and Cheese Strata is the most amazing breakfast casserole! Loaded with crusty Italian bread, eggs, cheese, and thick sliced bacon - it checks off everything you want for breakfast in one dish! 

Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Keyword apple breakfasts, breakfast casserole, breakfast for dinner, cheesy breakfast casserole, easy casserole, holiday breakfast, holiday brunch, strata
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 6 people
Author Haylie

Ingredients

  • 1 Italian loaf, diced into 1-1.5 inch cubes
  • 8 large Pete and Gerry's eggs
  • 3 cloves minced garlic
  • 16 oz thick sliced bacon
  • 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup colby jack cheese
  • 1/4 cup fresh chives (and more to garnish)
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup half and half
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • crack of black pepper
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with foil, add the bacon to where it's not touching. Cook the bacon at 400 for about 20 minutes. It all depends on your thickness though, so keep an eye on it! 

  2. Once the bacon is done, blot the grease with a paper-towel and chop it into bite size pieces. 

  3. Reduce the oven heat to 350. Dice the Italian bread into small, 1-1.5 inch cubes. Take a 9x13 casserole dish and grease the bottom using butter or non-stick cooking spray. Place the bread cubes evenly in the dish after you’ve greased it.

  4. Finely mince the garlic and chop the chives.

  5. Add in the bacon, 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese, 1 cup of colby jack cheese, chives and garlic to the bread cubes in the casserole dish. Gently mix around using your hands, making sure it is all coated evenly.

  6. In a large bowl, add the Pete and Gerry’s organic eggs. Add half and half and heavy cream. Add a generous pinch of salt, a crack of pepper and the dijon mustard. Whisk together until combined. 

  7. Gently pour the egg mixture on top of the bread mixture, making sure it’s evenly spread throughout the pan. Once poured, if there are any bread cubes not soaked by the mixture, press them down into the liquid gently. 

  8. Wrap some foil around the top and bake for about 20-22 minutes. Remove from oven, take off the foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until the top is crispy and golden brown. 

  9. Let cool for a few minutes before you serve. Top with more chives and eat up! Store leftovers in the fridge. Heat up in the oven or microwave.

 

8 comments / Add your comment below

  1. 5 stars
    I go to bed thinking about breakfast too Haylie! And stratas are a favourite make ahead breakfast. This one looks awesome. Sure to be a crowd pleaser this holiday season!

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