This Ham and Cheese Strata recipe post was sponsored by Dempster’s. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.
I’m not a keeping up with the Jones’ kind of girl and rarely get jealous, but there are a few times when that green monster whips around her ugly head and I have to wrestle her back down.
It’s different for everyone but for me, my top 3 jealous scenarios are 1. People who have parents who excitedly and often look after your children 2. People who have sisters they are close with and 3. People who have kids that will eat anything and everything.
Ohhh I see you out there on social media, posting pictures of your 5 year old polishing off a steak dinner at the Keg or declaring that kale is their favourite food. Meanwhile, I have one kid who won’t even eat french fries and not one of my boys would touch mac and cheese let alone kale!
They have been this way since birth and I have no idea why but since it’s not about to change anytime soon, I have to be on my A game when it comes to finding meals that the boys will not only eat but are healthy options too.
One of my tricks for getting kids who won’t eat anything to eat, is serving meals that other families might reserve for breakfast or brunch for dinner. My boys and I think most kids, tend to like breakfast options but that doesn’t mean that dinner has to be a bowl of cereal either.
Think outside the box and try out some morning casseroles that are hearty and have simple ingredients that kids love like a delicious Ham and Cheese Strata!
What is a Strata?
A strata is a layered casserole most commonly, a brunch dish that is similar to a quiche or frittata, made from a mixture which mainly consists of bread, eggs and cheese.
Ham and Cheese Strata Recipe
Ingredients
10 large eggs
2 1/2 cups of milk
1 tbs dijon or sweet and spicy mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
12 slices of Dempster’s Honey Wheat Bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 cups cubed ham
1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
2 – 2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
Directions
Spray a 9 x 12 baking dish with vegetable oil, set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, mustard, salt and pepper.
Place half of the bread in the bottom of baking dish. Top with half each of the ham, green onion, red pepper and cheese. Repeat all layers with the remaining bread, ham, onion, peppers and cheese. Press down if necessary to fit in the baking dish.
Carefully pour the egg mixture over the bread mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight. (if making for dinner you can make in the morning and refrigerate, just make sure it has time to sit and absorb the liquid for a few hours)
Preheat oven to 350F. Pull strata from fridge and let come to room temperature for approximately 15 min. Bake uncovered until puffed and golden brown, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes. Let rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
Ham and Cheese Strata
A hearty strata filled with cheese and ham, perfect for breakfast for dinners.
Ingredients
- 10 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cups of milk
- 1 tbs dijon or sweet and spicy mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 12 slices of Dempster's Honey Wheat Bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 2 cups cubed ham
- 1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup green onion, chopped
- 2 - 2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
Spray a 9 x 12 baking dish with vegetable oil, set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, mustard, salt and pepper.
Place half of the bread in the bottom of baking dish. Top with half each of the ham, green onion, red pepper and cheese. Repeat all layers with the remaining bread, ham, onion, peppers and cheese. Press down if necessary to fit in the baking dish.
Carefully pour the egg mixture over the bread mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight. (if making for dinner you can make in the morning and refrigerate, just make sure it has time to sit and absorb the liquid for a few hours)
Preheat oven to 350F. Pull strata from fridge and let come to room temperature for approximately 15 min. Bake uncovered until puffed and golden brown, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes. Let rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
Now I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you that I did have one child pick all of the ham out of the dish. He actually likes ham and eats it a few different ways, but if you have picky eaters, you know that there is often no rhyme or reason to why some kids just won’t eat something. It’s mind boggling.
The Dempster’s Honey Wheat bread adds a bit of a sweetness that you might not expect or get from other breads. With this being a heavy on the bread dish, you can really taste the difference with the Honey Wheat bread so I definitely recommend sticking with it plus it has no artificial colours or flavours and is made with real Canadian honey.
Dempster’s Honey Wheat bread is only on shelves for a limited time; grab yours before June 14, 2017.
If you love eggs and cheese check out these recipes too!
Yum! This casserole looks and sounds amazing! Will be trying this recipe soon!
Thanks Tasha, it was a hit with us!
I need a big crowd to serve this to.
It does serve a lot
This sounds delicious, and easy to make!!
So easy, you can’t go wrong!
I have never made a strata! Yours looks wonderful!!
Thank you!
Yumm! Looks delicious!
I love my stratas and bread puddings but my husband not so much, but I would still love to make this, sounds very tasty!!
I’ve actually never had Bread Pudding, I’ll have to get on that!
That looks really tasty – brunchy kind of meal. Can’t wait to try it this weekend!
M
perfect for a nice weekend brunch!
I make something similar to this, but I use plain old boring bread. The honey wheat bread sounds like a great addition (though I hate those words: for a limited time only. LOL)
This looks and sounds scrumptious , a must try , thanks for sharing the recipe , i think it would be a big hit in our home 🙂
Thanks will be perfect for the next family fun weekend !!
Although it looks yummy; I’m not really a fan of anything with eggs lol. Now French Fries, can’t get enough of them. Have never heard of a kid that didn’t love French Fries though.
oh this looks too good not to try! Love the simplicity too! Bookmarked for Sunday!
This is certainly my kind of food, all ingredients that I enjoy eating, thanks for sharing 🙂
This looks so delicious and easy to make. Definitely will be trying this recipe, I know it will be a hit.
This sounds so scrumptious!
oh this looks yummy !! and with the cheese on top <3 love it. very straight forward
This looks amazing. I would love some right now.
Yum! This photo is making me hungry! 😉
This looks really good, thinking it would be a great dish to serve Easter morning.
The strata looks really good! One of my tricks for picky eaters is to have the veggies done first. If they’re hungry enough you have a better chance of getting them to eat them if they’re hungry and nothing else is ready yet.
The casserole looks very good. Thanks for the recipe.
This looks delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe
This looks amazing and it kind of reminds of the Wife Saver.I must give this a try as I love anything with eggs and cheese in it.
This looks so delicious! Easy, nutritious and delicious!
What a great dish to serve at a family brunch, always looking for a recipe that I can do ahead
Wow, look at how deliciously brown the top is! Looks wonderful! My kids would really enjoy this dish
I have had picky eaters as well. I sympathize with you. I have eaten with adults who pick tomatoes, onioms, etc, out of their dinner plate and that rather surprised me. Time, like other things, may bring change.
Oh boy this looks good! Thanks!!!
Pinned for later. This sounds incredible. I have never made strata before and I have yet to see the honey wheat bread so I will look for it. Honey and wheat sounds like a great combination.
Great recipe for special occasions as well as one to use for overnight guests.
This looks very scrumptious. I love a good strata, however, the hubby does not. Therefore I will make this for myself and he can forage for himself!
lol I like your thinking!
Tried this recipe at the last family brunch and it was a big hit. Easy and tasty
I like your idea of having breakfast for dinner…I love recipes that can be prepared several hours ahead of time and then at the last minute popped in the oven. It almost seems like someone else has prepared dinner!
This would be great for busy weekends when family are visiting.
I never found the The Dempster’s Honey Wheat bread and I’m sure that I’d love it, so I hope they bring it back since it does seem to have been very popular too.
This is a must try. Thank You for sharing.
Ummmmm, looks super yummy and easy to make, that’s the perfect combination! Thanks very much for sharing the recipe.
this sounds delicious
This would be great to make ahead for Christmas morning when I have a house full looking for breakfast.