Ham And Cheese Strata Recipe

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it's a great way to get your body energized in the morning. There are tons of breakfast foods that you can choose to make, but if you want one to impress, this ham and cheese strata is just the ticket. The outstanding dish is filled with layers of bread, ham, and cheese, and it has a crunchy corn flake topping that adds something totally delicious and unique to it.

Recipe developer Kate Shungu of Gift of Hospitality came up with this wonderful recipe. "A strata is a layered casserole, traditionally make with day-old bread," she explains. "For this recipe, I use sandwich bread so you don't have to wait for bread to go stale to make it!" As for what Shungu likes best? "This is one impressive breakfast casserole! It's has a creamy, custard-like center, and lots of crunch on top courtesy of the cheesy edges and the corn flakes. It's great for serving brunch to a crowd." Keep reading to find out how to make this wonderful dish! 

Before starting the prep work, it's a good idea to make a grocery list and head to the store. Start by grabbing a package of sliced white sandwich bread. In addition, you will need a few cups of chopped ham. Next, pop by the dairy aisle and get cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese, eggs, and milk. In terms of spices, it's pretty simple. Just grab some onion powder and salt. In addition, you will need corn flakes and cooking spray.

For this recipe, you will need a 13x9-inch baking dish. Spray it with cooking spray on the bottom and sides, ensuring that nothing will stick when the strata bakes in the oven.  In the meantime, grab your loaf of white bread along with a cutting board and knife. Cut the crust off the bread first, and then cut each slice of bread in half. Arrange half of the bread in the bottom of the dish. Then, add half of the ham and half of the cheddar and Swiss cheeses on top. If ham isn't your thing, no biggie. "You can substitute bacon or even lump crab for the ham," Shungu notes. 

Repeat the steps same steps as you did before. Just add the rest of the bread and then the remaining ham, cheddar, and Swiss cheese on top. Once you finish that part, take out a large mixing bowl and crack the eggs in. Then, add your milk and the onion powder, and dry mustard. Whisk the ingredients together until they are well-combined. Then, pour the mixture over the bread. 

Cover the dish and refrigerate overnight. "The casserole needs to sit overnight to allow the bread time to soak up the eggs and milk. If you're short on time, you can also let it sit in the refrigerator for 1–2 hours with similar results," Shungu says. 

Once you are ready to bake the casserole, preheat the oven to 375 F. That way, it has time to get nice and hot while you finish the last step. Remove the strata from the fridge and uncover. Then, take out a medium-sized mixing bowl and add the corn flakes followed by the melted butter. Mix the two together, and then sprinkle the Cornflakes over the casserole. "The cornflakes make the top extra crunchy, which contrasts nicely with the creamy interior," Shungu shares. Pop it in the oven and let it bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the center barely jiggles when you shake the pan.

The last part is the best part, because you finally get to dig into this wonderful casserole! Simply take the dish out of the oven and enjoy. "I recommend serving this hot from the oven. You can refrigerate leftovers and reheat them in the oven, but the corn flakes will not be quite as crunchy," Shungu shares. We think that it would go well with any breakfast spread, like bacon, orange juice, and pretty much anything else you can think of!