Ham, Spinach, and Cheese Strata

iewe's Note:

From Betty Crocker I think. Could also use ciabatta bread, or whatever bread like that you might have on hand. Could also play around with whatever cheese you have on hand. Time listed does NOT include sitting time in fridge.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 40 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 (9 ounce) box frozen spinach , thawed, squeezed to drain
• 2 medium red bell peppers , cut into strips
• 1 cup leek , sliced
• 3 cups cooked ham , diced
• 2 cups cheddar cheese , shredded
• 1 loaf French bread , cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
• 7 eggs
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups Italian cheese blend , shredded

Directions:

1. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In 10-inch skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add spinach, bell peppers and leeks; cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until crisp-tender. Remove from heat.
2. In baking dish, layer the ham, the spinach mixture, 1 cup of the Cheddar cheese and the bread. In large bowl, beat eggs, milk, mustard and pepper with wire whisk until blended and pour over bread. Sprinkle with remaining Cheddar cheese and the Italian cheese blend. Cover with foil; refrigerate at least 4 hours but no longer than 24 hours (overnight is great).
3. Heat oven to 325°F Bake loosely covered 40 minutes. Uncover; bake about 30 minutes longer or until top is golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Reviews

[4-H Mom]

I made this for breakfast this am. I was wanting something different for Mother. I also substitued diced onion for the leek. We love onions so this worked out just fine for us. It was a beautiful dish out of the oven. I cut back on the milk to 1 cup, the eggs were fluffy. We loved this for breakfast and it will be something I will be making again. Thanks for the great recipe.

[Xilinxchic]

I substituted diced onion for the leek, which worked out okay although the leek would have been better. Presentation out of the oven was beautiful. Flavor was pretty good. The only negative was the egg had a 'gritty' texture (as opposed to creamy or fluffy) and there was liquid at the bottom of the dish. Maybe a little too much milk in with the eggs?