Free The Great American Slow Cooker Book by Bruce Weinstein

rimmed baking sheet. (If you’re using a large slow cooker, you may need to toast the bread cubes in two batches.) Broil until the bread cubes are toasted on all sides, turning and stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
    3 Mix the browned sausage, toasted bread cubes, tomatoes, pinto beans, cheese, and sage in the slow cooker.
    4 Whisk the milk, eggs, and egg yolks in a large bowl until smooth and foamy. Pour the mixture over the ingredients in the cooker, pressing down gently with the back of a spoon to make sure the bread cubes are moistened throughout.
    5 Cover and cook on low for 2 to 2½ hours, until the eggs are set or until a flatware knife inserted into the center of the strata comes out without any eggy milkiness.
    TESTERS’ NOTES
    • Skip the sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil and look for dry-packed vibrant, pliable sun-dried tomatoes in a bin in the produce section of a larger supermarket or on the salad bar.
    • Should you take the crust off the bread cubes? We say no because the crust adds more texture.
    • Check after 2 hours and then continue cooking until the liquid has been absorbed and the strata sets in the cooker. In general, larger cookers will take longer for the eggs to set.
    • Substitute grated Swiss or even Gruyère for the Cheddar cheese.
tortilla strata with red peppers and sausage
    EFFORT: A LITTLE • PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES • COOK TIME: 4 HOURS • KEEPS ON WARM: NO • SERVES: 4 TO 12
    2- TO 3½-QUART
    1 pound mild Italian or turkey breakfast sausage, any casings removed
    2 cups milk
    4 large eggs, at room temperature
    4 8-inch flour tortillas
    8 ounces (2 cups) pepper jack cheese, finely grated
    2 jarred roasted red peppers, chopped
    4- TO 5½-QUART
    2 pounds mild Italian or turkey breakfast sausage, any casings removed
    4 cups milk
    8 large eggs, at room temperature
    8 8-inch flour tortillas
    1 pound (4 cups) pepper jack cheese, finely grated
    4 jarred roasted red peppers, chopped
    6- TO 8-QUART
    3 pounds mild Italian or turkey breakfast sausage, any casings removed
    6 cups milk
    12 large eggs, at room temperature
    12 8-inch flour tortillas
    1½ pounds (6 cups) pepper jack cheese, finely grated
    6 jarred roasted red peppers, chopped
    1 Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Crumble in the sausage and cook, stirring often, until well browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer the cooked sausage to a plate lined with paper towels.
    2 Grease the inside of the slow cooker well with unsalted butter. Whisk the milk and eggs in a large bowl until smooth.
    3 Layer the tortillas, sausage, cheese, and red peppers in the cooker, starting with some of the tortillas and ending with a layer of cheese. Alternate the ingredients to create several layers, tearing the tortillas so they’ll fit the contours of the slow cooker without creeping up the sides, then use the leftover bits of tortilla to plug holes in the next layer. Pour the milk mixture over everything. Make sure the tortillas are completely moistened by pressing down with the back of a wooden spoon where necessary.
    4 Cover and cook on low for 4 hours, or until the eggs are set and a flatware knife inserted into the center of the strata comes out clean (with the possible exception of a couple of cheese threads).
    TESTERS’ NOTES
    • There’s no heat from chiles here because the acids in some chiles can curdle the milk as it cooks. If you want more pop, pass pico de gallo on the side.
    SHORTCUTS Rather than having to remove sausage casings, you can often find bulk sausage meat in the deli case of larger supermarkets. Or you can buy your favorite ground pork, meat, or chicken and season it as you prefer.
    Serve It Up! If you turn the cooker off and keep it covered for 30 minutes, you can take this strata out whole—or in large chunks. Save leftover pieces wrapped in foil in the fridge, then reheating them, still wrapped, on a baking sheet in a preheated 350°F oven for about 20 minutes. (Or unwrap individual