Italian Sausage Strata
Makes 6 to 8 servings

½ pound hot or mild Italian sausage, casings removed
4 tablespoons (½ stick) softened butter, divided
8 ounces sliced white or crimini mushrooms
6 slices whole wheat bread, crusts removed
12 ounces New York sharp Cheddar cheese
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon dry mustard
salt, to taste

Cook the sausage in 2 tablespoons of the butter, breaking the meat into small pieces. Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside. Add the mushrooms to the pan and sauté in the drippings. Butter one side of each bread slice with the remaining butter. In a 1½- quart round casserole, layer 3 slices of the bread, half of the sausage, and half of the mushrooms. Repeat the layers. Combine the eggs, milk, mustard, and salt. Pour over the layers and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Bake for 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Excerpted from Come to the Table. Copyright © 2008 by Benita Long. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Come to the Table releases in September so if it’s not in the online store at womenoffaith.com right now, check back in a few weeks.