Ham and Cheese Strata with a Black Bean Salad

Wine Pairing: Sauvignon Blanc

This is an easy dish to make up the night before. You can serve it for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner. Just take it out of the refrigerator about 45 minutes before you want to bake it.

Ingredients:

• 16 slices of day old bread, cut into triangles
• 1 pound grated cheddar cheese
• 6eggs
• 3 cups of milk
• 1 cup of cubed ham
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• ½ teaspoon of paprika
• ½ teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
• Optional: (1 can of diced green chiles)
• 1 stick of real butter, melted
• 1 can of black beans.
• 1 sweet red pepper, minced
• 2 green onions, minced
• 2 cups of red leaf lettuce

Preparation:
Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
Mix the eggs, with milk, ham, and seasonings.
Place a layer of bread, 1/3 of the egg mixture, and 1/3 of the cheese in the pan.
Repeat the layers twice, ending with the cheese.
Pour the melted butter over the top.
Place in the refrigerator to sit overnight and allow the egg mixture to soak into the bread.

To bake the ham and cheese strata:
Set the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Place the casserole in a pan with water and allow it to sit while the oven preheats.
Bake in the pan of water for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
If the strata begins to get too brown on top, cover it with foil.

Make the bean salad:
While the strata is baking, mix the beans, peppers, and onion in a dish.
Place the beans on a bed of lettuce.





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Find more recipes and menus with the Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner and wine pairings with the Sacramento Budget Wine Examiner.






This is a nice wine from a vintner near my home. It's a small, local, independently owned winery.