Southwest-Style Cheesy Breakfast Strata

This smoky, cheesy, custardy breakfast strata is built for stress-free mornings.

By Laila Ibrahim
Updated December 12, 2025
A serving of Southwest breakfast strata on a blue plate

Why It Works

  • Using oven-dried fresh bread instead of stale bread creates a more porous crumb that absorbs the custard more evenly.
  • Allowing the dried bread to soak in the custard ensures thorough, even absorption of the custard.

This make-ahead Southwest breakfast strata is built for mornings when you want something generous, savory, and already taken care of. Bacon, green chiles, and warm, earthy spices bake with cheese into a golden, smoky, and custardy strata. It eats like a cross between bread pudding and breakfast casserole, with crisp edges, a soft center, and just enough spice to wake everything up. 

This recipe comes from our colleague Julia Levy in our Birmingham, Alabama test kitchen, who designed it with both flavor and reliability in mind. She starts by gently oven-drying fresh bread instead of relying on stale cubes, which creates a lighter, more porous structure that absorbs custard more evenly. From there, smoky bacon renders until crisp, onion and poblano soften in the rendered fat, the spices bloom, and everything folds into one deeply savory base. Since the best stratas are the ones with no dry patches, letting the dried bread soak fully in the custard ensures every bite stays tender after baking.

Once the bread has soaked in the custard, everything is layered together and baked uncovered until puffed, golden, and just set in the center. A brief rest ensures that when sliced, the casserole holds together. Enjoy this strata with salsa and sour cream for added freshness and contrast.

This is an impressive make-ahead breakfast for a crowd: The bread can be dried a couple of days in advance, fillings prepped early, and the full strata assembled and refrigerated overnight before baking. Leftovers reheat beautifully and freeze well, making this as practical as it is bold in flavor, whether you're hosting a holidy brunch or stashing slices for future hectic mornings.

This recipe was developed by Julia Levy; the headnote was written by Laila Ibrahim.

Recipe Details

Southwest-Style Cheesy Breakfast Strata

Prep 25 mins
Cook 90 mins
Cooling Time: 10 mins
Total 2 hrs 5 mins
Serves 6 to 8
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Ingredients

  • 1 pound (454 g) country white bread, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

  • 8 ounces thick-cut bacon (226 g; about 5 slices), chopped

  • 1 medium yellow onion (8 ounces; 226 g), chopped

  • 2 small poblano chiles (2 ounces; 57 g each), stemmed, seeded, and chopped

  • 2 teaspoons chili powder

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 8 large eggs

  • 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk

  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream

  • 1 (4-ounce) can chopped mild or hot green chiles, drained

  • 1/4 cup (20 g) chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish 

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half the amount by volume

  • Cooking spray

  • 1 large plum tomato (5 ounces; 142 g), chopped

  • 4 ounces (113 g) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)

  • 4 ounces (113 g) Monterey Jack cheese or pepper jack cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)

  • Store-bought or homemade salsa, for serving

  • Sour cream, for serving

Directions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275°F (130°C). On a rimmed baking sheet, spread bread in an even layer and bake, rotating sheet and stirring bread cubes several times during baking, until bread is completely dried, but not browned or changed in color, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Increase oven temperature to 375°F (190°C).

    Cubed bread pieces spread on a baking sheet

  2. Line a large plate with paper towels. In a large stainless steel skillet, add bacon and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until golden brown and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to prepared plate. Discard all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat in skillet.

    Crisped and crumbled pieces of bacon resting on a white paper towel

    Serious Eats / Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Styling: Claire Spollen

  3. Add onion and poblano to skillet with bacon fat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and starting to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in chili powder and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly in skillet, about 10 minutes.

    Cooking diced vegetables in a skillet with a wooden spoon

  4. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, cream, green chiles, cilantro, garlic powder, and salt until well combined. Add the dried bread and fold gently to combine. Let soak until bread is softened and slightly puffed, folding occasionally with a flexible spatula, at least 15 and no more than 30 minutes.

    Preparation of a breakfast strata with bread cubes being mixed with a sauce containing spices and herbs in a glass bowl

  5. Coat a 13- x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange half of the soaked bread, along with half of the custard, in an even layer in the prepared baking dish. Spread half of the cooked onion and poblano mixture and half of the tomatoes evenly over bread. Top with half of cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack or pepper jack, followed by all the bacon. Top bacon with remaining soaked bread, along with remaining custard, onion and poblano mixture, tomatoes, and cheeses. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top, a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers at least 160°F (70°C), 30 to 35 minutes.

    A breakfast strata with eggs cheese and vegetables prepared in a white baking dish

  6. Remove from oven, and allow to slightly cool, 10 to 15 minutes. Top with cilantro and serve with salsa and sour cream on the side.

    A casserole dish containing a baked strata with bread cheese and vegetables

Special Equipment 

Rimmed baking sheet, large stainless steel skillet, 13- x 9-inch baking dish

Make-Ahead and Storage

Bread cubes can be dried up to 4 days in advance. Spread dried bread on a rimmed baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and store at room temperature.

The cooked bacon and onion and poblano mixtures can be refrigerated separately in airtight containers for up to 4 days.

To make the recipe ahead, prepare and assemble strata as directed (through step 5). Cover strata tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil for up to 24 hours. When ready to bake, remove the strata from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour; this will help the strata bake more evenly. Bake, uncovered, as directed. 

Leftovers can be stored in the baking dish covered with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerated for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave in 45-second intervals.

To freeze, wrap individual portions tightly in plastic wrap, transfer to a resealable freezer bag, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
568 Calories
33g Fat
38g Carbs
30g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 568
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 33g 42%
Saturated Fat 15g 75%
Cholesterol 262mg 87%
Sodium 1233mg 54%
Total Carbohydrate 38g 14%
Dietary Fiber 3g 11%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 30g
Vitamin C 46mg 228%
Calcium 387mg 30%
Iron 4mg 23%
Potassium 567mg 12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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