Thanksgiving Leftover Strata

You’ll never want to have Thanksgiving leftovers any other way once you’ve had this Thanksgiving leftover strata!

I can safely say that I won’t be having Thanksgiving leftovers any other way – this Thanksgiving Leftover Strata is SO freaking good! I’ve made a few different versions of Thanksgiving leftover savory bread puddings over the years, but I’ve found a keeper. This breakfast strata is PACKED with flavor, you wouldn’t believe that you’re having Thanksgiving leftovers (that have been re-purposed into one kick-ass breakfast/brunch strata).

Here’s why this Thanksgiving leftover casserole is the PERFECT way to use up leftovers.

Custard-soaked bread, flavored with garlic and thyme, and then layered with, Juicy leftover turkey, Chunks of cheese, Crispy bacon, Sweet onions (or caramelized onions), Greens, Sweet and tart cranberry sauce, And finally a layer of cheesy, gravy-soaked crispy bread (or croutons).

It’s a party in your mouth!

What is a Strata?

A strata is a type of casserole made with bread – much like bread pudding. The word strata comes from the Latin word stratum, which means layer. So strata being – layers. So this Thanksgiving leftover strata is basically a bread casserole with layers of ingredients. And each one of those layers makes this Thanksgiving leftover casserole absolutely scrumptious.

So isn’t this just a savory bread pudding then?

Yes and No. A bread pudding (sweet or savory) has more or less an equal amount of milk and eggs, making it more custardy. A strata however, in addition to having layers, has MORE eggs than milk, making it more eggy. This would make a strata more similar to a French toast casserole (just in terms of texture, not the layers). Personally though, I see nothing wrong with serving this as a Thanksgiving savory bread pudding, if inclined to do so! 🙂 Words don’t have flavor, you know. This bad boy tastes so good no matter what you call it.

So what makes this Thanksgiving leftover strata so good?

I like to cube the turkey and cheese for this Thanksgiving leftover casserole. If you only have shredded leftover turkey, that’s OK. But I DO strongly recommend that you use a block of cheese and cut it into ½ inch chunks for the filling. The reason is that the cheese cubes melt and create insanely delicious, gooey, cheesy pockets inside the strata. Another crucial reason why this Thanksgiving leftover casserole is so irresistible is the topping. The bread cubes on top aren’t soaked in the custard at all, so they become nice and crispy in the oven, creating a crunchy topping. And then, instead of simply adding a little cheese on top, I mixed some shredded cheese with gravy and poured that on top! The result is deeply flavorful, cheese croutons! The great thing about this Thanksgiving leftover strata is that you can adapt it to include whatever Thanksgiving leftovers you have at hand.

Can I make this Thanksgiving leftover casserole ahead of time?

You can make this strata a day ahead. I would recommend preparing this strata, and then keeping it in the fridge until you need it and bake it before you serve it. Since it needs a minimum of an hour for all the flavors to soak through the casserole, you can easily keep it in the fridge for up to 24 hours. I prefer to make this the night before and let it sit in the fridge overnight allowing for the egg mixture to really soak through the bread. You can serve this for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. I know that because I’ve had this for all of those meals, and multiple times a day too! 🙂 So go ahead and make this with all your fantastic Thanksgiving leftovers this year, and see what I mean!

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