Ham and Cheese Strata Recipe

 


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

Ham and Cheese Strata - Mom vs the Boys

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)

ham and cheese strata

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 - Mom vs the Boys

Ham and Cheese Strata

Ham and Cheese Strata

A hearty strata filled with cheese and ham, perfect for breakfast for dinners.

Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

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.

Ham and Cheese Strata - Mom vs the Boys

 

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.

This post was sponsored by Dempster’s. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.

If you love eggs and cheese check out these recipes too!

Overnight Egg Cups

Ham and Cheese Breakfast Burrito

Breakfast Toast Cups

Comments

  1. Yum! This casserole looks and sounds amazing! Will be trying this recipe soon!

  2. Marilyn Legault says

    I need a big crowd to serve this to.

  3. This sounds delicious, and easy to make!!

  4. Alayne Langford says

    I have never made a strata! Yours looks wonderful!!

  5. Haroon Khan says

    Yumm! Looks delicious!

  6. Lynda Cook says

    I love my stratas and bread puddings but my husband not so much, but I would still love to make this, sounds very tasty!!

  7. That looks really tasty – brunchy kind of meal. Can’t wait to try it this weekend!

    M

  8. 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)

  9. Treen Goodwin says

    This looks and sounds scrumptious , a must try , thanks for sharing the recipe , i think it would be a big hit in our home 🙂

  10. kathy downey says

    Thanks will be perfect for the next family fun weekend !!

  11. 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.

  12. oh this looks too good not to try! Love the simplicity too! Bookmarked for Sunday!

  13. Elizabeth Matthiesen says

    This is certainly my kind of food, all ingredients that I enjoy eating, thanks for sharing 🙂

  14. sherry moffitt says

    This looks so delicious and easy to make. Definitely will be trying this recipe, I know it will be a hit.

  15. Victoria Ess says

    This sounds so scrumptious!

  16. kristen visser says

    oh this looks yummy !! and with the cheese on top <3 love it. very straight forward

  17. This looks amazing. I would love some right now.

  18. Yum! This photo is making me hungry! 😉

  19. Judy Cowan says

    This looks really good, thinking it would be a great dish to serve Easter morning.

  20. Shelley Butcher says

    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.

  21. The casserole looks very good. Thanks for the recipe.

  22. This looks delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe

  23. Wanda Tracey says

    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.

  24. Nena Sinclair says

    This looks so delicious! Easy, nutritious and delicious!

  25. What a great dish to serve at a family brunch, always looking for a recipe that I can do ahead

  26. Wow, look at how deliciously brown the top is! Looks wonderful! My kids would really enjoy this dish

  27. Elva Roberts says

    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.

  28. AMY LOVELL says

    Oh boy this looks good! Thanks!!!

  29. 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.

  30. Elaine Buonsante says

    Great recipe for special occasions as well as one to use for overnight guests.

  31. 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!

  32. Tried this recipe at the last family brunch and it was a big hit. Easy and tasty

  33. Elaine Buonsante says

    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!

  34. This would be great for busy weekends when family are visiting.

  35. Elizabeth Matthiesen says

    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.

  36. This is a must try. Thank You for sharing.

  37. Rosanne Robinson says

    Ummmmm, looks super yummy and easy to make, that’s the perfect combination! Thanks very much for sharing the recipe.

  38. Brandy Monday says

    this sounds delicious

  39. This would be great to make ahead for Christmas morning when I have a house full looking for breakfast.

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