Ham and Cheese Souffle, photo courtesy Thy Hand Hath Provided
For a special Christmas, weekend or other holiday breakfast, try this Ham (or Sausage) and Cheese Souffle. You make it up the night (or afternoon) before and it is ready to pop in the oven while you begin to open gifts, or whatever your tradition is!
It’s best when it sits in the fridge for an hour (or even overnight) before baking. Make for breakfast or dinner. We eat it for dinner at home and occasionally make it for a larger group for breakfast on vacation. This dish is hearty and will feed eight easily.
16 slices whole wheat bread, cubed
1/2-1 pound cooked ham, cubed; or sausage browned and crumbled
1 pound cheese, shredded (cheddar, monterey jack, Swiss or a combination)
6 eggs
3 cups milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
2 cups oat and honey (corn-flake-type) cereal, crushed a bit (generic brand works just fine)
1/4 cup melted butter
Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan with cooking spray. Spread half of the bread cubes in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the cooked ham or browned sausage over the bread. Spread cheese over that. Lay the rest of the bread cubes over the cheese. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, salt and dry mustard until well combined. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread cubes, cover and refrigerate for an hour (or overnight, or any length of time in between).
Just prior to baking, combine cereal and melted butter and spread over the top. Cover loosely with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the souffle has set and the topping is nicely browned. Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.
From the blog Thy Hand Hath Provided, written by “Jane,” www.thyhandhathprovided.com.
