Ham-Asparagus Strata

Barb Gertz's Note:

This cheesy strata makes a wonderful brunch dish that you can assemble the night before. You may use Ham Or Chicken in this recipe with Asparagus or Broccoli. Adapated from Better Homes & Gardens. Chill time is 2 to 24 hours not included in prep time.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 5 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 10

• 4 English muffins, torn or cut into bite-size pieces (4 Cups)
• 2 cups cubed cooked ham or 2 cups chicken (10-ounces)
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen cut asparagus or 1 (10 ounce) package frozen broccoli, thawed and well drained or 2 cups fresh cooked asparagus or 2 cups broccoli
• 4 ounces process swiss cheese, torn or 4 ounces gruyere cheese, cut up
• 4 beaten eggs
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onions
• 1 tablespoon dijon-style mustard
• pepper (Salt if using chicken)

Directions:

1. In a greased 2-quart square baking dish spread half of the English muffin pieces.
2. Top with ham, asparagus, and cheese.
3. Top with the remaining English muffins pieces.
4. In a bowl whisk together eggs and sour cream, Stir in milk onion, mustard, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
5. (If using chicken add salt.) Pour evenly over layers in dish.
6. Cover and chill 2 to 24 hours.
7. Bake, uncovered, in a 325 degree oven for 60 to 65 minutes or until internal temperature registers 170 degrees on an instant thermometer.
8. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Reviews

[Caroline Cooks]

This is a 10 star winner, Barb!! Loved the blend of flavors from the asparagus, ham, sour cream and Swiss cheese cubes. YUM! Did substitute some left-over Hawaiian Bread for the English muffins which blended nicely with the nutty taste of the Swiss. Made for the Asparagus event in Spanish Forum.

[WishTrish]

What a great recipe! I didn't have English muffins on hand, so I just used day-old homemade white bread toasted and cubed. We chose the swiss cheese, fresh asparagus, and cubed cooked ham. It was super delish! Thanks for this wonderful new staple in our breakfast routine!

[Heather U.]

Wow, this is really great! Preparing a strata is such a great way to use up leftover stale bread-- in my case I used stale Italian bread. I used half gruyere and half parmigiana reggiano cheese. Went with the asparagus and no meat (didn't have any). I also added some freshly ground nutmeg and some cayenne pepper for a bit more spice. I loved the way this baked up (and truth be told, it doesn't really need to soak all that long...I soaked the bread in the egg mixture for about 10 minutes before baking for 45 min at 350F). My husband loved it too. Will certainly prepare this again. Thanks!