Thanksgiving is in just a few days and when the Holidays are rolling in, I like to be sure that I have breakfast taken care of. Strata is a great way to use up what you have on hand. They’re pretty flexible and can be made ahead of time to have a breakfast (or brunch) ready to go for a whole crowd of people. Mhm, that’s right. This breakfast makes a whopping 12 servings!

This Sausage, Apple & Baby Kale Whole Wheat Strata is a real winner, and if you haven’t had a strata before, you definitely should! It’s sort of a cross between a savory bread pudding and a quiche.

For this strata, I started off with some whole wheat bread. Why? It’s what I had on hand that needed to be used up before going bad. I also used a lean turkey breakfast sausage and stretched it out further with some baby kale and a green apple. Like I said, the idea here is to feed the whole family!

The use of a reduced fat mozzarella saves on calories while still getting plenty of cheese in there. Besides, who doesn’t like apples and cheese? The two flavors work well together, the fresh tartness of apple and the richness of cheese and sausage.

Like I said, this is a make ahead recipe and you do have to let it sit overnight in the fridge before you bake it. That allows the bread ample time to soak up all the egg, milk, and cheese goodness to be baked to perfection the next morning. Hands free.

Step-by-Step Photos:

Nutritional Claims: Peanut Free • Soy Free • Fish Free • Shellfish Free • Crustacean Free • Celery Free • Sesame Free • Lupine Free • Mollusk Free • Alcohol Free • Sulphite Free