Ham Swiss and Kale Strata

Ham Swiss and Kale Strata is a great way to start the day- a cheesy, savoury bread pudding. Make the night before, pop in the oven in the am!

Originally published December 13, 2012. Updated on 4/6/2021

My husband has been on a major Strata kick, ever since shooting a version of it for my upcoming corn cookbook.

Every Saturday morning I make one for him, and then he has breakfasts - and some lunches - all week.

You would think he'd get sick of having it, but nope - well into this week's strata (Thursday!) he called me up from work just to tell me that that strata is amazing, and that he loves me for it!

This is after 3 weeks of stratas, mind you.

So, here's the recipe that inspired such devotion to breakfast.

Ham Swiss and Kale Strata Variations

You can make this strata as-is if you'd like, but it's definitely open to tinkering and interpretation.

Stratas are easy to adapt, and a great way to use up whatever odds and ends you may have in your fridge.

Swap out the kale for spinach, or for a cup or so of your favorite veggie - finely chopped.

Use your favorite cheese, add your favorite herbs and spices if you'd like.

I like to use crusty, day-old baguette to make the strata, but it can also work with your favorite sourdough, French, Italian, or random artisan type breads - just leave them out to dry out a bit overnight, and cut into 1" cubes.

You'll want about 8 cups of bread cubes, whatever type you use.

A Note on the Meat

Back in 2012 when I first posted this recipe, we could both eat ham with no problem. Since then - for different reasons - our bodies have decided we need to cut out / cut back on pork products.

Nowadays, we substitute chicken or turkey based "ham" type products, whether as fake ham, or even - as we did here - just cutting up some turkey based Kielbasa.

Use whatever ham-ish type product you like - even vegetarian!

Reheating Your Strata

If you’re not serving this to a crowd of 8-10 people the morning you make it, you will definitely end up with leftovers.

While you CAN heat it up in the microwave, I definitely recommend heating it up in an air fryer, if that’s an option.

Microwaving it will give you a soft result, but an air fryer crisps up the casserole leftovers beautifully - it’s like eating it fresh from the oven!

The Instant Vortex 4-in-1 Air Fryer, 6 Quart by Instant Pot is the Air Fryer we purchased, and we love it.

If I had my time back, I may have ordered this one - a size bigger - but we had no idea how much we'd use it, so we weren't really willing to pay more or sacrifice more counter space for it!

I’m sure all air fryers are a little different, but for reference: he reheats his strata for 4-5 minutes at 400F.

How to Make Ham, Swiss, and Kale Strata

The Night Before

Chop your onions and press your garlic, get them sauteeing in the pan as you cut up your ham (or kielbasa!)

Cut the ribs out of the kale, chop into bite sized pieces.

Add to the pan right after the meat, sautee until kale is wilted but not yet crispy. Remove from heat, season with a little of the salt and pepper.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and mustard. Add milk and remaining salt/pepper, continue whisking until well combined.

Or, you know, skip reading the instructions and just mix them all together at once, like I did! (It's easier to do mustard and eggs first, though!)

Using cooking spray or butter, grease a 9’x 13″ baking/cake pan.

Arrange half of the bread cubes evenly in the pan, sprinkle with almost half of the caraway seeds. Top with half of the kale mixture, then half of the cheese.

Repeat layering one more time, ending with cheese on top. Sprinkle with remaining/extra caraway seeds.

Pour egg mixture evenly over everything, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill for 2-4 hours.

The Morning Of

About an hour and a half before serving:

Remove strata from fridge, preheat oven to 350F. I like to let the strata sit on the counter for 20 minutes or so, to take the chill off it.

After resting for several hours.

Remove plastic wrap from strata, cover with foil, and bake for 40 minutes.

Remove foil, bake for another 10-15 minutes. Strata is ready when it is cooked through and golden brown on top.Strata is ready when it is cooked through and golden brown on top.

Serve hot!

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Ham, Swiss, and Kale Strata

This Ham, Swiss, and Kale Strata is a great way to start the day. Think cheesy, savoury bread pudding. You can start the night before and pop in the oven in the morning!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time50 minutes mins

Chilling and resting time5 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time5 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8 People

Calories: 581kcal

Author: Marie Porter

Equipment

• 9 x 13 Baking Dish

Ingredients

• 1 Large onion finely chopped
• 3 Garlic cloves pressed or minced
• 1 tablespoon Olive oil
• 1 ½-2 lbs Cured or smoked ham cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 bunch Kale chopped
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoon Pepper
• 9 Large Eggs
• 1-2 tablespoon Dijon Mustard 1 for more subtle, 2 if you love Dijon.
• 2 ½ cups Milk
• Cooking spray or butter
• 1 Baguette, cut into 1″ cubes about 8 cups
• 2 tablespoon Caraway Seeds
• 2 ½ cups Grated Swiss Cheese

Instructions

• In a large frying pan, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until tender.

  Add ham and kale, sautee until kale is wilted but not yet crispy. Remove from heat, season with a little of of the salt and pepper.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and mustard. Add milk and remaining salt/pepper, continue whisking until well combined.
• Using cooking spray or butter, grease a 9’x 13″ baking/cake pan.
• Arrange half of the bread cubes evenly in the pan, sprinkle with almost half of the caraway seeds. Top with half of the kale mixture, then half of the cheese.
• Repeat layering one more time, ending with cheese on top. Sprinkle with remaining/extra caraway seeds.
• Pour egg mixture evenly over everything, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill for 2-4 hours.
• About an hour and a half before serving:
• Remove strata from fridge, preheat oven to 350F. I like to let the strata sit on the counter for 20 minutes or so, to take the chill off it.
• Remove plastic wrap from strata, cover with foil, and bake for 40 minutes.
• Remove foil, bake for another 10-15 minutes. Strata is ready when it is cooked through and golden brown on top.
• Serve hot!

Nutrition

Calories: 581kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 352mg | Sodium: 2135mg | Potassium: 726mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1855IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 594mg | Iron: 5mg

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