This hearty ham & Swiss cheese strata brings all the best breakfast flavors into one easy, make-ahead dish. With crispy bread, eggs, fresh peppers, tomatoes, savory ham, and plenty of melty Swiss cheese, it’s sure to satisfy. The best part is that assembly is a breeze (no pre-cooking) and you can put it together the night before and wake up to a stress-free brunch.
Ham & Swiss strata, and really any egg-based casserole, is a go-to savory breakfast when a holiday rolls around or anytime you’re entertaining company. It’s low maintenance, takes about 5 minutes to prep, and everyone loves itโgiving you more time for family… and sleep!
What Is Strata?
Strata is a type of egg breakfast casserole that’s layered with eggs, bread, and cheese. Breakfast casseroles can be made without bread, but strata almost always includes it. In today’s recipe, we’ll add ham, peppers, tomatoes, green onion, and Swiss cheese. Strata dishes require a rest to let the eggs soak into the bread, usually an hour or overnight.
This dish is so low maintenance, that it literally needs a nap!
Here is my base breakfast strata recipe, where I usually add spinach, bacon, and parmesan cheese. Today’s recipe is an easier variation; there’s no pre-cooking!
Strata Is the Perfect Brunch for Entertaining
When you have guests to feed and want something easy yet impressive and delicious, ham & Swiss cheese strata is your answer. It’s perfect for entertaining and here’s why:
- Makes a big casserole. This brunch recipe serves 10โ12 people. If you’re looking for a smaller but equally delicious breakfast option, this hash brown breakfast skillet serves 4. You could even swap the bacon in that recipe for ham if you’d like.
- Low maintenance & make-ahead. All you do is put everything into a casserole dish, let it sit in the fridge overnight, and bake in the morningโonly a few minutes of prep time! The ability to prepare it in advance is one of the reasons it’s a favorite in my collection of recommended Easter brunch recipes.
- No pre-cooking anything. You can buy bread and pre-cooked ham from the store. Or use leftover ham if you’ve got it in the fridge.
- Totally customizable. Not a fan of tomatoes? Leave them out. Want more peppers? Add more in. Use any veggies of your choice, as long as it totals about 1 cup.
- One-dish meal. Serve with fresh fruit on the side.
Low maintenance and LOW KEY.
Ingredients in Ham & Cheese Strata:
This breakfast casserole has it all going onโit’s cheesy, hearty, spiced, and brightened up with fresh veggies. Let’s dive in:
- Bread: Use any kind of sturdy, crusty bread. (Not soft sandwich bread.) I recommend a crispy baguette from the store, a loaf of sourdough or French bread, or leftover homemade artisan bread. Cut it into cubes and let the bread cubes sit out overnight. Stale bread is the best for breakfast casseroles and stratas.
- Colorful Veggies: Green peppers and tomatoes add lovely color to the dish.
- Ham: You need cooked ham. If you happen to have some leftover from dinner, use it! Cube/chop it just like you would when making these ham & cheese scones and breakfast egg muffins.
- Cheese: Use any kind of cheese. I recommend Swiss cheese or smoked gouda.
- Eggs & Milk: This is a big casserole to feed a crowd, so set aside 9 eggs and 2 cups (480ml) of milk. It’s best to use whole milk here. If using a lower-fat milk, I recommend subbing in some half-and-half. See recipe Note.
- Spices: Use 1 teaspoon each: salt, smoked paprika, and ground mustard. These flavors are incredible with ham and Swiss cheese. And don’t worry, your strata will not taste like mustard; ground mustard is a common ingredient in strata.
- Extras: Green onion and freshly ground black pepper for flavor! Are you a fan of spice? A dash of hot sauce is dynamite, too!
Avoiding eggs or bread? Try my ham & potato casserole.
What Is the Texture Like?
The bread and eggs bake into a wonderfully soft, chewy base with irresistibly crisp edges (the best partโbe sure to snag one for yourself!). This dish isn’t spongy or flimsy, and that’s because you’ll start with stale bread. Itโs loaded with warm, melty cheese, a burst of savory freshness from tomatoes and peppers, and plenty of flavorful, salty ham. In other words, there’s something for everyone to love!
Ham & Swiss Strata Side Dish Ideas:
- Fruit Salad
- Strawberry Bacon Salad
- Blueberry Muffins or Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Maple Pecan Sticky Buns
- Homemade Biscuits with Honey Butter
- No-Bake Greek Yogurt Fruit Tart (no oven needed!)
- Homemade Berry Turnovers
For more breakfast inspiration on busy mornings, see my complete list of 30+ make-ahead Thanksgiving breakfast ideas.
Print
Overnight Ham & Swiss Cheese Strata
- Prep Time: 8 hours, 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 9 hours
- Yield: serves 10-12
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This hearty and flavorful ham & Swiss cheese strata brings all the best breakfast flavors into one easy, make-ahead dish. Assembly is a breezeโno pre-cooking! Be sure to review the recipe Notes below regarding the bread, milk, a vegetarian option, and how to freeze the strata before or after baking.
Ingredients
- 8 cups (about 12 ounces/340g) day-old bread cubes (see Note)*
- 1/2 cup (75g) diced tomato
- 1/2 cup (75g) diced green bell pepper (or any color)
- 2 cups (350g) cooked and cubed ham
- 2 cups (8 ounces/226g) shredded Swiss cheese
- 9 large eggs
- 2 cups (480ml) whole milk
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons chopped green onion
- optional for serving: chopped parsley and/or flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Grease a 9ร13-inch or any 3โ4-quart oven-safe casserole dish.
- Arrange bread cubes in an even layer in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the tomatoes, bell peppers, and ham evenly on top. Top with the cheese. Set aside.
- Whisk the eggs, milk, paprika, ground mustard, salt, and pepper together. Pour evenly over the bread/ham. Top with green onions.
- Cover casserole with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
- When ready to bake, allow to sit at room temperature for 10โ15 minutes as the oven preheats.
- Preheat the oven to 375ยฐF (191ยฐC).
- Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Loosely cover with aluminum foil and bake for another 15โ25 minutes. The strata is done when it has browned on the sides and the center is puffy. Mine usually takes around 50 minutes.
- Cool for 10 minutes, top with more green onions and/or pepper, and/or add a sprinkle of chopped parsley or flaky sea salt. Slice and serve.
- Leftovers keep wellย in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheatย in the microwave to your liking.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Prepare through step 3, then cover the casserole with plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature, then continue with step 6. You can also freeze the baked strata for up to 3 months and when doing that, I suggest baking it in a disposable aluminum pan. Cool completely, cover with plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze. When ready to eat, thaw it for about 24 hours (covered) in the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap, cover with just aluminum foil, and bake in a 350ยฐF (177ยฐC) oven for 25โ30 minutes.
- Special Tools (affiliate links):ย 9ร13-inch Baking Dish or any 3โ4-quart Oven-Safe Dish | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk
- Bread: Crusty sourdough or artisan bread is fantastic in this recipe, or use any crusty, hearty bread. The crustier or more stale, the better. If your bread is fresh and/or soft, cut it into cubes and let the cubes sit out uncovered for several hours or overnight, or bake on a baking sheet in a 300ยฐF (149ยฐC) oven for 10 minutes. Itโll be slightly crisp and ready to use in this recipe. No need to wait for the bread to cool before layering into the baking dish.
- Vegetarian Option: You can leave out the ham and replace with another 1 cup of peppers or tomatoes.
- Milk: For the richest, heartiest texture, I recommend whole milk. If using a lower-fat milk, replace up to half of it with half-and-half.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Honestly love this recipe! I actually make it on Sunday for mine and my husband’s lunches for the week. Sometimes with ham steak, sometimes with thin sliced deli ham. I’ve also taken to adding caramelized onions and that really ups the fancy factor.
This looks amazing but I would really love to know where you found that casserole dish. It’s gorgeous!
Hi Jacqueline, thank you! It is from the brand Juliska.
Easily came together and was very delicious.
Do you think it would be possible to make this in a crockpot instead of baking it in an oven?
Hi Kimberlee, we’re sure you could, but we have not tested it ourselves.
I just put this in the refrigerator and realized I forgot to grease my pan. Will this be a big issue? Anything I can do before baking to help?
Hi SB, the bottom may stick to the pan a bit, but you can definitely still proceed with baking. Hope you enjoy it!
This was delicious and just perfect the way it is!
My strata needed a lot more egg & milk mixture than called for in the recipe. It was super dry compared to others Iโve made before so I knew better. I only used 12 oz of bread too. The flavor is great though, so definitely worth making.
Is there a way to do these as individual servings? Like in muffin tins or mini muffin tins? Thanks!
Hi Crystal, I’m sure! I haven’t tested it, but if it can bake just fine as a large casserole, it would be fine in smaller dishes. Mini muffin tins will be too small for these large chunks of dough/ham. So I recommend regular muffin cups. No need to line them, just grease them. I’m unsure of the best bake time, so let me know if you try it!
This was incredible! I plan to make again on Christmas morning.
I plan to make this for a church brunch but can I actually bake it on Friday and just heat it up Saturday? It’s an early event so I’d like not to have to get up before 6. Thanks.
Hi Pat, Don’t skip the refrigeration step, but yes, you can bake it and then reheat it in the morning. Enjoy!
May this sit overnight for 2 days?
Hi Rebecca! We recommend only refrigerating before baking 12-16 hours. After that it may get mushy.
Hi Sally,
I want to make this for Christmas morning but it needs to be gluten free. Can I just use regular gluten free bread or do you have another suggestion? All other ingredients will be fine.
I’ve made this with gluten free bread before– it works like a charm!
Made this recipe a couple times and I love it. Always handy when we got too much bread that is getting stale.
I just made it today. Huge hit! I used the farm-style, shredded Colby/Mozzarella cheese. Instead of chopped tomatoes, I put in a can (15 oz?) of chopped tomatoes with their juice since someone said the recipe could be a bit dry. It was perfect!
Great tip about the tomatoes! Thanks, Natalie!
This looks amazing! Would a loaf of Italian bread work instead of a baguette?ย
Absolutely.
I made this for Christmas brunch last year and it was a hit! I want to make it again this year. To make this vegetarian, could substitute ham for more veggies? Do you think asparagus and spinach would work with everything else? Thanks!
Absolutely. I would use asparagus for sure. Spinach is great too!
This looks incredible!
Do you think the temp and baking time would be different for high altitude? ย
I’m not the best person to ask as I have zero experience baking at higher altitudes. Here is a handy chart that readers have found helpful in the past: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Hi Sally, quick? have you made any viral dubai chocolate related dessert? it’s such a huge thing these past few months, that’s why im asking. hugs, iram
Oh Sally! I’m sorry to bother you in Easter morning! Happy Easter! But I prepped this strata last night to bring to my family meal today, and I just realized I forgot to whisk the milk into the egg mixture! I just poured it over the top but I don’t think it’s going to work, I could literally cry. Should I just leave it at home at this point!?
I don’t think that would be an issue, but definitely don’t forget that step if you try to make it again in the future!
I made this for Christmas morning and my husband and I loved it! I ended up using bacon and 1 cup of peppers since after 4 trips to the store preparing for holiday meals I managed to forget the ham and tomato. Thanks so much for the great recipes! I’m always looking on your site because I always have success!
Thank you for another AMAZING recipe Sally!! I made this for Christmas morning and it was a hit with people going back for seconds and thirds. I cannot wait to make it again!
This turned out great for Christmas breakfast! I made this and the giant cinnamon rolls and it was a great combination— sweet and savory! Ground Mustard was a new one for me and I’m excited to throw it into a few other things because it added such great flavor!
I made this for breakfast on Boxing Day with a few minor changes. I only managed about 8 cups of bread (7 of crunchy baguette, 1 of chopped bagel), so I reduced the eggs to 6 and the milk to 400 mL. I kept everything else pretty much the same (swiss and cheddar for the cheese). The 55 minute baking time worked perfectly for me! Thanks Sally! It was super yummy. ๐
Hey! I’m planning on making this, but have two questions. Can I sub the ham for chicken sausage and what is a good replacement for the ground mustard? I can’t find it anywhere! Would it be terrible if I left it out? Thank you! I love all your recipes!
You can leave out the ground mustard but you’ll lose some flavor! It’s usually in the spice aisle. ๐
You can sub in chicken sausage, same amount. Make sure it’s precooked.