Swiss Ham Breakfast Strata

By danaheller

Ingredients

• 8 oz diced ham (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 6 oz fresh asparagus, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 6 cups cubed French or Italian bread, divided
• 1 tbs finely chopped fresh thyme, divided
• 4 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups low-fat milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

1. Lightly coat the inside of a 2-qt covered baking dish with butter or cooking spray; set aside.

2. Lightly coat a frying pan with cooking spray; over medium heat, cook the ham and onion until ham is lightly brown and onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a small dish and set aside.

3. In the same pan, Saute the asparagus until bright green and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

4. Cover the bottom of a baking dish with bread cubes (use about 2 to 2 1/2 cups). Sprinkle half the asparagus and 1 tsp thyme over the bread. Top with another 1 1/2 cups bread cubes. Sprinkle with all the ham mixture and 1 tsp thyme. Top with the remaining bread cubes.

5. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and milk until blended. Season with salt and pepper and slowly pour over the casserole, taking care to wet each bread cube on the top layer. Sprinkle the top with grated cheese. Cover and chill at least 3 hours or overnight.

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the casserole, uncovered, for 1 hour, or until the top is browned and the center is set. Remove the strata from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.