You will LOVE this BREAKFAST STRATA! Made with everything bagels, sun dried tomatoes and feta. Easy to prep, and a breakfast casserole everyone will love. Just trust me, you truly need this in your life.
Anyone else immediately think of that scene from The Family Stone with SJP getting her family’s strata recipe together? Then she learns Everett is allergic to mushrooms, and finally the next day the casserole dish ends up all over the floor and herself?
What I am getting at is that I associate breakfast strata with The Family Stone, which also happens to be my favorite holiday movie.
And this breakfast casserole is definitely a favorite as well.
Why You Must Make This Dish
You guys are going to love this – The everything bagels paired with the sun dried tomatoes, cheese and basil give this breakfast bake so much flavor.
You can prep it up to a day in advance so come the next morning you’ll have an amazing hearty breakfast dish to enjoy.
BONUS: Dishes and cleanup were already done the night before so all you have to worry about is getting the casserole in the oven and gathering around the table.
Or at least that’s the plan, right?
What You Need
- everything bagels
- eggs
- milk
- medium white cheddar cheese
- feta
- sun dried tomatoes
- fresh basil
- salt & pepper
You’ll also want a 9×13 casserole dish, or at least 3 quart size dish.
Keep reading for more recipe notes, substitutions and baking tips.
How to Make A Breakfast Casserole with Bagels
Breakfast casseroles are the perfect recipe to serve a crowd, but are also great for meal prep too – they reheat so well! This bagel casserole doesn’t take a ton of hands on time – you just have to cut the bagels, mix together the eggs and throw it all together and let it sit for several hours.
Here’s a quick step-by-step overview of the recipe with process images so you get an idea of how easily this comes together.
Prepare the bagels
First, make sure you’re using dried out or “day old” bagels. If you don’t have time to allow the bagels to dry out for a day, simply slice and toast them in the oven at 300ºF for about 5-6 minutes.
Then cut the bagels into about 1″ cubes and place half of them in a greased two quart casserole dish. Se the other half aside for now.
Whisk the egg mixture
Then in a large bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs, then fold in the feta cheese, cheddar cheese, sun dried tomatoes and basil.
Pour into dish
Pour half of the egg mixture over the bagel pieces in the casserole dish, add the rest of the bagels and then cover with the remaining egg mixture.
Refrigerate overnight
Make sure all of the bagels are well covered in the egg mixture, then cover and refrigerate overnight, up to 12 hours, or at least 4 hours if you’re in a hurry.
Substitutions
Milk: I used unsweetened cashew because that is typically what I have on hand. Traditionally strata is made with half and half, heavy cream, or whole milk, but the unsweetened cashew lightens up this strata recipe a bit. Trust me, it’s still amazing. Feel free to use whatever milk you have on hand.
Cheese: I used a combination of feta and medium white cheddar. I’m all about the feta, so it’s kind of my go-to cheese option. But I understand it’s not for everyone. You could sub cut up pieces of cream cheese or even crumbled goat cheese would work too.
Meat Options: This breakfast strata happens to be vegetarian friendly, but if you have meat lovers coming over, crispy bacon or Italian sausage would be a great addition. Just make sure you cook it first, then add into the egg mixture.
Bagels: If you don’t have everything bagels, you could always add everything bagel seasoning to the dish, I’d use about two teaspoons. While I haven’t tried this particular recipe with other bread, a loaf of french bread or a baguette would also likely work.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Make sure to use a casserole dish that’s about 9×13 for this recipe. You could probably cut the recipe in half and bake in a 9×9 dish, but I haven’t tested that myself. Just be sure to adjust baking time and watch after 20 minutes.
- If the top of the bagels are browning too much, cover with foil for the last 10-15 minutes of the baking time.
- If you don’t love the flavors of sun dried tomato and basil, you could always use sautéed bell peppers with garlic and onion, or just keep it a simple cheese and bagel casserole.
However you decide to make this bagel breakfast casserole, I know it’ll be a family favorite! So many readers make this every year around the holidays, and for other brunch occasions, and it’s always a hit!
More Breakfast Bakes to Try
- Baked Berry French Toast Casserole
- Sausage Frittata with Kale and Spaghetti Squash
- Kale Goat Cheese & Sun-Dried Tomato Egg Bake
- Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
Let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a comment and review on the blog – I love hearing from you and it helps other readers learn more about the recipe too! Xx Ashley
PrintEverything Bagel Breakfast Casserole
This Everything Bagel Breakfast Casserole is the perfect brunch recipe. Bagel pieces soaked in eggs and milk for a delicious Made with feta, white cheddar cheese, sun dried tomatoes and basil. Vegetarian recipe.
- Prep Time: 12 hours
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 12 hours 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: breakfast
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 7 cups cubed everything bagels (about 4 large bagels)
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups milk of choice (I used cashew, see notes)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
- 4 ounces shredded medium white cheddar cheese (1 cup)
- 4 ounces crumbled feta (1/2 cup)
- 1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
- Bake bagels if not dried out enough: Preheat oven to 300ºF and get large rimmed baking sheet out. Slice bagels in half; place on sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Place bagels on cutting board and use large serrated knife to cut into 3/4″ cubes. Save any bagel seasoning that falls off to add to egg mixture later.
- In a large bowl whisk together eggs and milk; stir in grated cheddar cheese, feta, sun dried tomatoes and basil.
- Add 1/2 of the cubed bagels to greased baking dish and pour half of the egg mixture over bagels. Then add the remaining bagels and egg mixture. Press down into the mixture to ensure the bagels are covered. Cover dish with wrap or lid; refrigerate for at least 6 hours, up to 1 day in advance.
- Remove baking dish from fridge and press down mixture again if needed to make sure bagel tops are coated. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Bake breakfast strata for 40-50 minutes, until edges are golden. Allow dish to rest for 15-20 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Whole milk or half and half is traditionally used in strata. It will give it a little bit of a richer texture, but non-dairy milk (like cashew) will lighten it up a bit.
I used a 2 quart casserole dish and my strata needed about 50 minutes. If using a large dish like a 9×13 size, your casserole may take less time.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10th
- Calories: 229
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 535
- Fat: 11
- Saturated Fat: 6
- Unsaturated Fat: 3
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 23
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 15
- Cholesterol: 174
Keywords: bagel breakfast casserole, breakfast casserole recipes, breakfast strata
Destiny says
This was delicious! Saw Ashley share a few peoples creations of it today, and my husband and I had to make it! Haha.
We didn’t have sundried tomatoes, but it was still sooo good. We added some homegrown bacon & cheddar cheese on top. 10/10, definitely making this again!
I thought it was the perfect amount of each ingredient!
We used a 10 x 15 pan, & we were able to cook it for like 35 ish minutes.
★★★★★
Ashley says
Amazing, Destiny! So glad you and the husband enjoyed! Thank you ssoooo very much for taking the time to comment and leave a review. It means more than you know 🙂
Amanda says
This sounds amazing. Is it possible to bake this in a Dutch oven?
Ashley says
I don’t actually have a Dutch oven but if you’ve baked similar dishes in your Dutch oven then I assume this would also be fine? Let me know if you try it!
Karen says
Is it possible to make this ahead of time and reheat? If so, what would you recommend?
Ashley says
Hi Karen! If reheating the baked strata, I would recommend just warming in the oven at a low temp as to not bake it further. It actually reheats in the microwave quite well though.
TERRI says
This was the best! The bagels worked perfectly and the feta added the perfect flavor. I already have variations dancing around my head! This is added to my “go to” collection. added a
bright winter citrus salad as a side…and cranberry orange mimosa. Rave reviews and it was so easy.
★★★★★
LdeR says
This is my breakfast potluck staple! I usually eat low carb but gonna pop this out for xmas morning and endulge! its that good!
★★★★★
Rachel Rogers says
Delish and so easy to prep! Will be a new go-to when I want to take breakfast up a notch but not spend much time on it in the morning.
★★★★★
Ashley says
Yay! Thanks so much for sharing, Rachel 🙂
Cassie says
We had to make a few changes for dietary restrictions, but everyone loved the flavors in this breakfast casserole. We used gluten-free bagels (from Trader Joe’s), oat milk, and only feta cheese with an overnight soak. We baked for 40 minutes in a 9×13” casserole and it was golden on top and tender inside all at the same time. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
★★★★★
Gregg says
Really delicious option for brunch! I used the SDT’s packed in oil for added flavor. Would probably add a few more next time. Will definitely make again. Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★