Slow Cooker Breakfast Strata
Slow Cooker Breakfast Strata is loaded with yummy flavor and filling ingredients. Egg, bread, chorizo, pepper, cheese, this dish is filled with savory goodies that provide a delicious and filling meal for everyone to enjoy.
Serve with Chocolate Chunk Muffins and Pina Colada Fruit Salad for a great meal.
I love this recipe because it is great for breakfast or brunch and provides a filling meal for the family.
While I love breakfasts like Classic Waffles, sometimes I want a more savory and hearty meal like Slow Cooker Breakfast Strata. This strata is easy and delicious, and makes for a great breakfast, brunch, or even dinner.
What You Need to Make Slow Cooker Breakfast Strata
You are going to love this meal. So let’s get shopping!
- French Bread
- Vegetable Oil
- Chorizo
- Onion
- Red Bell Pepper
- Green Bell Pepper
- Garlic Cloves
- Fresh Thyme or Dried Cumin
- Ground Cumin
- Chili Powder
- Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- Half and Half
- Eggs
- Salt
- Pepper
Toppings:
- Sour Cream
- Avocado
- Juice of a Lime
- Diced Ripe Heirloom Tomato
- Fresh Cilantro Leaves
How to Make Slow Cooker Breakfast Strata
Time needed: 5 hours
Make a foil collar and sling and insert in the slow cooker. Then bake the French bread to help it become dry. Next brown the chorizo. Take the chorizo out of the skillet and saute the veggies with the spices. Layer ingredients in the slow cooker and pour the egg mixture over it. Lastly cover the food and cook it in the slow cooker. Serve with your favorite topping and enjoy this scrumptious dish.
- Make a Foil Collar and Sling
Make a foil collar and press into the back side of the slow cooker insert. Then make a foil sling and lay it in your slow cooker.
Note: The foil sling is necessary so you can remove food easily. Spray foil with cooking spray.
2. Bake Bread.
Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F.
Spread cut bread pieces over a rimmed baking sheet, and bake for about 40 minutes to dry out the bread, stirring periodically. If you are in a hurry, you can microwave the bread in 5 minute increments until it is dried out. Or plan ahead and leave it out overnight to allow to dry out.
3. Brown Chorizo.
In a skillet brown the chorizo. You can sub other meats of your choice.
4. Cook Veggies with Seasonings.
Remove chorizo from the pan, add oil (if needed), onion, peppers, and spices. Cook until vegetables are soft. You can sub other veggies too. I love zucchini.
5. Layer Ingredients in the Slow Cooker.
Spread half the dry bread into the prepared slow cooker, and sprinkle with the meat and vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Then repeat layers.
6. Pour Egg Mixture Over the Food.
Whisk half and half, eggs, salt, and pepper, and pour the mixture over the food in the slow cooker.
7. Cover and Cook.
Cover and cook for 4 hours on low, or until the center of the strata is set.
8. Let Cool and Serve.
Let strata cool for 20 minutes, which will help everything set. Serve with toppings of choice. I love it with some fresh tomatoes, avocado, cheese, sour cream etc.
Tips and Tricks for making Slow Cooker Breakfast Strata
Making this recipe is Eazy Peazy but here are some helpful tips and tricks so it goes smoothly every time…
- The Bread You Choose Matters: You want a bread that is strong enough to soak up the liquid and not become soggy, like for example a French bread or brioche.
- Use a Knife to Test Doneness: If you are wondering if the Strata is done, when you take it out, stick a knife in the middle of the strata to check. If the knife comes out with no food stuck to it, then it is done.
- Strata is Versatile. Use for Breakfast or Brunch: Don’t want to commit to just simply breakfast? How about a brunch? Then serve strata with the classic breakfast sides or give it a lunch undertone and serve with a salad. Or have breakfast for dinner. How you pair it, and what you add to it makes a difference.
- Use English Muffins in a Pinch: Don’t have a sturdy bread on hand? Don’t run to the store just for that. How about English Muffins? In a pinch sub bread out for English muffins.
- Breakfast Strata is Perfect for Entertaining: It feeds a lot of people, and it’s hearty on its own.
- Sub to your liking: Don’t have or like chorizo? How about crumbled sausage? Want different veggies. Feel free to sub to your preference.
Make Ahead and Storage
How to make this recipe ahead of time:
- Partially Prep Ahead Option: If you want to get a jump on this meal, you could always sauté the veggies ahead of time and let the bread sit out the night before so it gets dry.
- Make Ahead and Refrigerate Option: You can also make it ahead of time and refrigerate the strata. It will last three days in the fridge.
- Freezer Option: Make strata like normal. Then after it has cooled, freeze in the freezer for up to 2 months. Lastly, defrost in the fridge the night before and reheat in the oven.
Looking for a hearty breakfast meal? Slow Cooker Strata is the perfect solution.
Other Great Recipes:
- S’Mores Overnight French Toast Casserole
- Cheesy Mexican Breakfast Casserole
- Hashbrown Casserole
- Easy Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
- Chocolate Chip Pancakes
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Slow Cooker Breakfast Strata
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- Vegetable oil spray
- ¾ loaf French bread cut into ½ inch pieces
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 8 ounces chorizo browned and drained
- 1 onion minced
- 1 red bell pepper stemmed, seeded, and diced
- 1 green bell pepper stemmed, seeded, and diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 ½ cups half and half
- 9 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Toppings:
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 ripe avocado pitted and peeled
- Juice of 1 lime
- Diced ripe heirloom tomato for serving
- Fresh cilantro leaves torn, for serving
Instructions
- Instructions:
- Make a foil collar, by folding a 16 inch piece of foil over into thirds and press into the back side of the slow cooker insert.
- Now make a foil sling by taking two pieces of foil, and laying them into your slow cooker, opposite direction of each other, with the edges hanging over the outside of the insert. This will allow you to remove the ingredients from the pot while keeping them intact.
- Spray with vegetable oil cooking spray.
- Preheat oven to 225 degrees F
- Spread cut bread pieces over a rimmed baking sheet, and bake for about 40 minutes to dry out the bread. You want to shake or stir it every 15 minutes or so.
- In a 12-inch skillet over medium high heat, brown chorizo, remove from pan, add oil, and onion, peppers, garlic, thyme, cumin, and chili powder, cook until vegetables are soft (8-10 minutes).
- Spread half the dry bread into the prepared slow cooker, and sprinkle with the meat and vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with ½ cup of sharp cheddar cheese. Layer the remaining bread and meat and vegetables into the slow cooker, cover with cheese.
- Whisk half and half, eggs, salt, and pepper together in a bowl, and pour over the whole thing. Pour evenly. Then use a wooden spoon to press gently on the bread to make sure it is submerged.
- Cover and cook for 4 hours on low, or until the center of the strata is set.
- Let strata cool for 20 minutes.
- Serve spooned onto plates, and topped with your choice of toppings.
Notes
Line your slow cooker insert with foil with two large sheets of heavy-duty foil, setting them perpendicular to one another, with the extra hanging over the edges of the cooker insert. How to make a foil collar:
Layer and fold sheets of heavy-duty foil until you have a six layered foil rectangle that measures 16 x 4 inches. Press the collar into th e back side of the slow-cooker insert.
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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