Kristi Whitley

Healthy Living

Overnight Vegan Breakfast Strata

with Sausage and Kale
from frommybowl.com

This breakfast casserole is pretty and delicious!

I added the black salt to give it more of an egg

flavor. This is one rare occasion I will eat gluten

however I only use slow rise or slow fermented

sourdough bread. The 24 hour, plus, fermentation

of the dough breaks down the gluten proteins and

makes them easer to digest. I used Beyond Sausage

Breakfast Patties and Violife Parmesan cheese substitute. 

 I would serve this to non-vegan guests without hesitation. Also, the recipe

is easy to halve. Just use a smaller baking dish.

Ingredients
For the Filling:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
14 ounces (400 g) soft vegan sausage (see notes), 2pkgs beyond sausage. 
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
4 ounces (115 g) cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
3–5 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and black pepper, to taste
2 cups (~115 g) curly kale, de-stemmed and finely chopped
16 ounces (450 g) sourdough or french bread, cubed
1 block (200 g) vegan cheese, finely cubed (or sub shredded), smoked “Gouda”

For the “Egg” Mixture:
1 16-ounce (450 g) block silken tofu
1 1/2 cups (355 mL) oat milk*
2/3 cup (80 g) chickpea flour
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric (optional, for color)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Black pepper, to taste
1 tsp Indian Black salt, for egg flavor (optional)

Preparation Steps
1. Prep: Bring out a 9×13” non-stick casserole dish. If your casserole is not nonstick, grease it with vegan butter or cooking spray.
2. Vegan “Egg” Mixture: add the tofu, milk, chickpea flour, turmeric, salt, and black pepper to a high-speed blender. Blend on high for 60 seconds, until a smooth and bubbly mixture forms. Set aside.
3. Sauté the Filling: warm the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes, until translucent. Add the vegan sausage to the pan and break it up with a spatula; sauté for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until it starts to brown. Then, add in the bell pepper, mushrooms, garlic, salt, and pepper and sauté for 7 to 10 minutes, until the mushrooms have shrunken down and there is minimal liquid left in the pan. Fold in the kale and briefly cook until it has wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Layer: Layer the bread cubes along the base of the baking dish. Add the sautéed vegetables and vegan sausage to the pan and mix to combine. Add half of the vegan cheese mixture
5. Soak: Pour the vegan egg mixture evenly over the bread and use your hands to press the bread into the mixture so it all becomes wet. Sprinkle the remaining cubed vegan cheese over the top of the casserole. Cover the casserole with foil and place in the fridge. Let soak overnight.
6. Bake: Preheat the oven to 350F. Take the casserole out of the fridge, uncover, and let it come to room temperature while the oven is preheating, about 30 minutes. Bake in the middle rack for 30 minutes, then move the casserole to the upper oven rack and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the bread has puffed up and the vegan egg mixture has thickened.
7. Serve: Allow the casserole to set for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve warm; leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes from frommybowl.com
Bread: I used a sliced sourdough loaf for this recipe, but french bread will work as well. Softer, fluffy breads like white sandwich bread will get too soggy and fall apart. I believe this recipe could work with Ezekiel or whole wheat bread, but haven’t tried it myself. Bread too soft? Cube your bread and place it on a baking sheet. Bake at 215F for 10 to 15 minutes, until dry.
Milk: You can replace the oat milk in this recipe, but make sure your non-dairy milk is nice and creamy! Coconut milk would work well here, or a very creamy cashew milk.
Sausage: I used Impossible’s breakfast sausage for this recipe, but beyond meat’s sausage or soyrizo would work as well. If you are using a firmer, wheat-based sausage, make sure to finely dice it before adding it to the pan. These types of sausage release less oil, so I would add an extra 2 tablespoons of oil to the onion at the beginning of the recipe. You can also use vegan beef crumbles instead of sausage, if you’d like.
Gluten-Free: Use a gluten-free sandwich loaf instead. Gluten-free bread tends to be a little more tender, so you may need to bake your casserole for an extra 5 to 10 minutes so it is not soggy.
Other Substitutions: I used a violife mature cheddar block for this recipe, but another brand should work fine. Feel free to swap out veggies as you please, but I would keep the overall ratio the same. I have not tested this recipe with a substitute for the chickpea flour or tofu, but I imagine a liquid egg product like Just Egg would work as well – try at your own risk though 😉

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