Mexican Sausage & Cornbread Strata, an easy overnight breakfast casserole recipe that can be made ahead of time. Also great for brunch or even dinner!
I have a delicious Mexican Sausage and Cornbread Strata recipe for you today! It’s an easy breakfast casserole that you can assemble the night before and pop in the oven in the morning. It’s also a great way to use up leftover vegetables, meat, and/or cheese you have around.
Just got back on Sunday from a long road trip to the midwest. Had a great time including a food tour in Chicago! More about that later this week. In the meantime, I needed something quick to feed the family this week and wanted to clear out the fridge and freezer so stratas came to mind!
“Brinner” is quite popular in our house these days (that would be breakfast for dinner for those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about). I have to admit that it’s one of my favorites too because it can be quick and easy and everyone enjoys it!
I love to make “stratas” for dinner or for breakfast/brunch because you can prepare them ahead of time and you can use up a lot of leftover meat, veggies, and cheese you have around the house! They are also great if you have a lot of company visiting you this summer! You just might not want to tell them you were cleaning out your fridge! :)
I seemed to have a lot of “Mexican” themed ingredients in my house so decided to make a Mexican Sausage & Cornbread Strata. Ok, now don’t laugh, but we had a huge stash of leftover cornbread muffins from Boston Market (popular takeout spot for us) in our freezer. I could never throw out the leftovers and I to stash them in the freezer because I knew I would think of something someday to use them for!
I love these cornbread muffins so not sure how we always seem to have so many extra! You could substitute a good bread or cornbread if you don’t have any Boston Market muffins around. Or you could stop by my house and I’ll give you a few muffins…
I used Jimmy Dean’s reduced fat sausage but you could you any variety of their sausage. The Hot variety would work really well. Be sure to crumble the sausage with a fork or spatula in the pan while it cooks so that it crumbles.
When the sausage and onion is cooked through, turn off the heat and carefully stir in the corn, salsa, and cornbread. I liked to use a thick chunky salsa and drain off a lot of the liquid. You can substitute any precooked veggies you have around.
When the filling for the cornbread strata is all mixed together, put the mixture into a 13×9-inch baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk together the eggs, milk, and seasoning. Then pour the liquid over the cornbread mixture. Lightly press down on the mixture so that the cornbread starts to soak up the liquid.
Refrigerate the dish for a few hours or overnight. You can prep it all in the morning, refrigerate during the day, then it’s ready to bake for dinner… I mean brinner. If you are making this cornbread strata in a pan that is sensitive to temperature change, let the dish come to room temp before placing it in the oven. During the last few minutes of baking, sprinkle the cheese on top and let it melt and get all bubbly and yummy!
Hope you enjoy brinner and this cornbread strata as much as we all do! These Homemade Cheddar, Chive, and Sausage Biscuits would be a great breakfast alternative too! You might also like these Breakfast Empanadas!
Mexican Sausage & Cornbread Strata
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 (12-16oz) roll Jimmy Dean Sausage (such as Reduced Fat, Hot, etc)
- 1 small onion finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 cup frozen corn defrosted or 1 cup precooked fresh corn kernels
- 1 cup thick salsa (drain off excess liquid)
- 6 cups cornbread chopped
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups shredded Mexican Blend (or Cheddar or Monterrey Jack) cheese
Instructions
- Lightly spray a 13×9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and onion to pan. Cook and break up sausage, about 5-7 minutes or until sausage is cooked through and onion is tender.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in corn, salsa, and cornbread until combined. Pour into prepared 13×9-inch baking dish.
- Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, garlic powder, and pepper in large mixing bowl until well combined. Pour over cornbread mixture. Lightly push down on mixture with a large spatula so that the bread soaks up the liquid. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove strata from refrigerator and let it stand at room temperature for a little while oven is preheating (or bring to room temp if pan is sensitive to temp changes).
- Bake strata at 350 degrees F for about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. During last 10-15 minutes of cooking, sprinkle cheese on top of dish to melt.
Notes
Nutrition:
(Nutrition data is provided when available for informational purposes only and calculated using an online nutritional calculator. For the most accurate information please calculate based on specific ingredients and brands you use as well as any changes you made to the recipe. I am not a certified nutritionist or registered dietician and any nutritional information provided should only be used as a general guideline and estimate.)
About Lisa Huff
Lisa Huff is a Cookbook Author, Freelance Recipe Developer, Food Photographer, Blogger/Writer, and award-winning home chef. She loves creating unique recipes from healthy to decadent including cocktails, appetizers, main dishes, dessert recipes and more and has appeared on various shows, publications, and websites.
I made a small batch for my husband and I using about 2 cups of cornbread adjusting the rest of the ingredients. My husband grew up one of 7 kids and there were never any leftovers. Really enjoyed the lightness and the cornbread flavor.
Made the recipe, but modified for two vegetarians. I used an 8″ pie pan, 1 Tofurkey Italian sausage, 3 eggs, 1 C milk, 1 C of Monterrey jack, 1/2 C corn kernels, 2/3 C really thick salsa, 4 leftover corn meal muffins, garlic powder, and no salt. No refrigeration of strata necessary. Popped straight into the 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Was loved. Just enough leftover for the next day’s lunch.
Happy to hear you enjoyed, thanks!
This was delicious! I halved the recipe due to the amount of cornbread I had and I added some chopped red pepper into the sausage and onion mixture. I also used freshly shredded monteray jack cheese on top. Definitely a winner and easy to make if you have the cornbread.
So happy to hear you enjoyed, thank you!
Was excited to use my leftover cornbread muffins. This did not go over well with the family. Sweetness of cornbread overpowering, even when topped with salsa and tobasco. Threw away the leftovers which almost never happens (my husband eats everything and anything!). I have much better breakfast casseroles- threw this one out. Sorry. :(
Sorry you didn’t enjoy. Depending on the muffins and other specific ingredients you use, I could see how the results would vary.
Sounds like you used a sweet cornbread. Might try using the non-sweet kind.
Hmmm, good but I thought it a little too bland and bready. I used the regular 16 oz Jimmy Dean sausage, maybe should have used something like chorizo instead, and maybe use creamed corn instead of corn kernels to make it less dry or added a cup of half-n-half. I might also have used less cornbread to make it less bready. In all, this recipe is kind of like making Thanksgiving stuffing….everybody has their particular favorite style; some like it drier, some like it wetter, some like more sage and poultry seasoning, some like it with chestnuts, some just like it plain.
could you freeze this then cook it later?
HI, Just seeing your comment, sorry! I don’t see why you couldn’t freeze it, but I haven’t actually tried it.
You are brilliant! This make-ahead, freezable, moldable-to-my-liking strata is delicious! Typically, I make cornbread from scratch and freeze half of the 9×13 batch. It’s worked for new moms and big breakfast for company. Tasty, hearty and fairly easy to make. I strongly recommend chopping some additional veggies and sneaking them in.
Thank you so much for the sweet review! Totally agree about sneaking in some veggies if you can! :)
I weep for all the cornbread I’ve thrown away over the years. Once you make a cornbread breakfast casserole, you’ll never go back to using white bread. I didn’t have any frozen corn, so omitted that, but otherwise made as written. I halved the recipe and baked it in a 12-inch cast iron skillet. Superb.
Leslie, I weep with you! :) I’ve thrown out a lot of cornbread over the years too. :) Glad you enjoyed the recipe! :)
Hi! If you were going to use this for a freezer meal, how long would you cook it for after freezing? I want to make this for a new mom as a possible dinner or breakfast =)
HI! I would suggest defrosting it first in the fridge overnight then bake as normal.
Would you cook it first, then freeze, then cook it again?
I have never actually frozen it but from what I have read about similar recipes you can assemble, wrap it well, freeze it unbaked, then defrost (at least overnight but probably more like 24 hours until thawed), leave it on the counter for about a half hour to get to room temp, then bake as normal.
Came across this while searching Pinterest for make-ahead breakfast recipes and made it last night to bake this morning. It is AMAZING! Definitely a winner, and next time I’m going to try making it in muffin tins. Hopefully I’ll have enough to freeze, but who knows, it went pretty quick in my house lol!
So happy to hear you enjoyed it! :)
I was looking for recipes for leftover cornbread when I found this. I mixed it up last night and baked it this morning before the kids went to school. It was wonderful, very flavorful. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Heidi! So glad you enjoyed! :)
absolutely wonderful. very rich. topped a chunk with a teaspoon of salsa, a dollop of sour cream, one fresh tomato slice and chopped green onions(one guest put fine slivers of fresh jalapeño pepper on hers. fantastic. wonderful alone, but believe it or not, really tastes good with a bowl of split pea soup. if using sweet corn bread, really compliments the saltiness of the soup. EASY and makes quite a bit. good with some fresh fruit also. good hot or cold.
Thanks so much Nanette! Glad to hear you all enjoyed!
What a great idea to use cornbread in a strata. I can’t wait to try this. And I love brinners. They are the very, very best!
I wonder how this would work with just using the cornbread batter, and either alter or not use the rest of the wet ingredients in the recipe…
We usually don’t have left overs of cornbread, its always homemade and too delicious to leave a crumb!
I have some leftover cornbread that I put in the freezer. Now this is a perfect idea for breakfast. Will be doing this soon. Thanks for a wonderful idea and simple recipe! It looks so delicious.
It’s nice to know other people have leftover cornbread in their freezer. :)