This breakfast strata is great for brunches, holidays, or a yummy family breakfast!! With buttery layers of bread, ham, cheese, and egg, this Ham and Cheese Strata is guaranteed to please any crowd! Better yet, it only takes a short time to prepare.
What is Strata?
The first time I had this recipe was years ago when a lady from my ward, named Kathy, made it for a church function. I instantly fell in love. I knew I needed the recipe for this Ham and Cheese Strata because it was so cheesy and buttery, but I had forgotten to get it! 🙁 Fast forward a few years, and Kathy’s daughter actually married my little brother, which meant the strata was once again back in my life and this time I was sure to get the recipe! It’s probably one of the best breakfast casseroles I have ever tried! I love that it’s simple, delicious and perfect for so many occasions like brunches, baby showers or holiday breakfasts. 😉
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If you’ve never had a strata before, you’re probably wondering what on earth it is! The dish gets the name “strata” because it is made up of layers that oftentimes consist of bread, eggs, and cheese. Meats and even vegetables are sometimes included. The egg mixture is poured over the layers of other ingredients, and then has to sit for a time, usually overnight, before it can be baked. This ham and cheese breakfast strata is exactly that! Layers of bread, ham, and cheese, with a delicious buttery egg mixture holding it all together! I can’t rave about it enough!
How to Make Ham and Cheese Strata:
Let me just tell you right now, this is one of the easiest breakfast casserole dishes to assemble. Layer bread, cheese, and ham, combine ingredients for egg mixture, pour over layers, let it sit, and then bake. That’s it! Seriously, see for yourself:
- In a greased 9×13 pan, layer half the bread, half the cheese and then the ham. Repeat these layers once more.
- Mix the eggs, milk, and melted butter in a bowl then pour over the layers in the pan. (Tip: The milk should be about room temperature before adding the melted butter. Otherwise, the butter will harden up into little flakes or droplets instead of mixing with the other two ingredients – we definitely don’t want that!)
- Refrigerate overnight for best results. If you’re on a time crunch, you can refrigerate it for at least for 2 hours.
- When you’re ready, bake the strata at 350° for 45-50 minutes. Enjoy!
This Ham and Cheese Strata is definitely my family’s favorite breakfast casserole! Last time I made this, we couldn’t get enough of it and ate the whole dish in the first day. Horrible, I know, but it was just SO good!!
Complete your brunch menu by also making:
For more strata and breakfast casseroles, check out:
- Cheesy Farmers Strata
- Breakfast Enchilada Casserole
- Biscuit Egg Casserole
- Eggs Benedict Casserole
- Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole
- Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Ham and Cheese Strata VIDEO:
Ham and Cheese Strata Recipe
This breakfast strata is great for brunches, holidays, or a yummy family breakfast!! With buttery layers of bread, ham, cheese, and egg, this Ham and Cheese Strata is guaranteed to please any crowd! Better yet, it only takes a short time to prepare.
Ingredients
- 12 slices white bread broken up - I cut mine into 12 squares each
- 1 lb ham cooked and cubed
- 2 c shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
- 2 c shredded cheddar cheese
- 6 eggs
- 1/2 c butter melted
- 3 c milk
Instructions
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Grease 9x13 pan.
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Layer half the bread, half the cheese and then the ham into your pan. Repeat layers.
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Mix eggs, milk and melted butter in a bowl. Pour over layers.
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Refrigerate over night or at least for 2 hours.
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Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.
ENJOY!
This looks great! A great recipe to use for leftover ham. How would you adjust the cooking temp/time for an 8×8 or 9×9 instead of 9×13? Thanks!
Thanks..it is great!! When you use smaller pans, the cooking time is more. I’m not sure how much more time to add, since I haven’t used that size, but try an hour, instead of 50 min, then you can add a couple min at a time, if you need to. Hope that helps!!
This was fantastic made a 1/2 batch in a 8×8 dish, cooked for 1 hour. Added a large diced onion lightly sautéed and it was great. So easy I just mix everything up together and add to a 8×8 let it sit overnight. Thanks for a great dish!!!!
Thank you so much for letting me know! I’m so happy to hear that you like it!!
How long do you think this could sit in the refrigerator before being cooked? This looks so yummy, and I am thinking of making for breakfast Christmas morning – but want to get all of my cooking done on Friday. Would two nights be too long? Thanks!
I honestly haven’t made it that far in advance. It could be ok. I don’t want to say yes, then it not, but it does need to be in the fridge overnight, so what’s two nights? Let me know what happens! Thanks so much!
Could this recipe be prepped, frozen then baked later?
I’m sure it can. I personally haven’t tried, but it should be ok 🙂
I noticed no salt or pepper was added. Is the salt from the ham and cheese enough?
I’m cutting up the bread for this yummy sounding recipe. Just noticed the nutritional information-whoa! Is that for the whole recipe or per serving?