This is such a fun dish. The flavors are unexpected and it’s a great way to use up the remnants of the big holiday dinner. Sometimes stratas can be too eggy for me. Basically it’s a flavor bomb between the ham, cheese, sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing. It’s tangy and texture wise it’s right on.
When I was telling a friend about this dish, they said I couldn’t put eggs with sauerkraut. Um…apparently I could and it’s fabulous! You really don’t taste the eggs anyway…just all the other goodies.
Do you see all that cheese? Yep, it’s epic.
You really want the bread crispy so it can absorb all the liquids. Leaving out the bread overnight and staling it is another option but I like putting it in the oven to get the crispness I’m looking for.
Last layer of cheese before popping in the oven.
This is a great way to really enjoy the flavors of a Reuben sandwich, even when you don’t have corned beef.
Leftover Holiday Ham Strata ~ Reuben Style
Ingredients
- Butter, to coat the pan
- 12 slices pumpernickel bread
- 2 cups diced leftover ham
- 2 cups sauerkraut, drained
- 2-1/2 cups shredded Swiss Cheese
- 3/4 cup Thousand Island dressing
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place bread on a baking tray and put in oven for 20 minutes. This will crisp up the bread, giving it the potential to hold the egg mixture. Butter bottom and sides of a 9 x 9 baking pan.
- Cover bottom of dish with crisped bread. You will have to slice to make it fit evenly. Top bread with 1 cup ham, 1 cup sauerkraut and 1 cup cheese. Spread half the dressing over the cheese. Repeat. Top with one more layer of bread. Press down layers as your building the strata to make it fit into the pan.
- Whisk eggs, milk and Dijon until combined. Pour over layers in baking dish (do this slowly, let some settle in and pour more.) Finish with final 1/2 cup of cheese. Refrigerate for at least one hour or up to 24.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Wait 10 minutes before serving.
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Ashley says
My husband would absolutely love this!
Cathy says
Thanks Ashley, it’s ridiculously good.
Gayle says
Oh YUM!
MaryAlice Ridgway says
I’ve saved this recipe because I knew I’d want to try it. We are both diehard fans of Reubens. THIS IS A KEEPER! So easy to make, SO good! It was so good with ham, I can hardly wait to try it again with corned beef or pastrami. One note: I misjudged the amount of bread I’d need, and ended up toasting in the toaster one piece of bread. Don’t do this. I had one soggy bite and I just know it’s from that piece of toaster-toasted bread. Follow the recipe. Thank you, thank you!
Mary Jo Smith says
Can leftovers be frozen?
Cathy says
I have personally never tried that.