Ham, Artichoke and Goat Cheese Strata combines smoky ham, tangy goat cheese, marinated artichokes, and melty cheeses for a satisfying brunch centerpiece.
We hosted friends for Sunday brunch recently, and this strata was my contribution. There’s something special about a relaxed morning with coffee or mimosas, good conversation, and the aroma of a savory egg bake coming from the oven. I chose this recipe because it’s easy to prepare ahead, feeds a crowd, and the flavor combination is reliably delicious.
The recipe I used was adapted from an Epicurious recipe that a friend shared. I made a few small changes: I omitted some oil, reduced the total cheese slightly, and added a bit more bread. I also used a crusty whole-grain bakery loaf; sourdough or French bread would work just as well.
I decided to add leeks because they lend a sweet, mellow onion flavor that complements the goat cheese and ham. If you don’t have leeks on hand, onions or shallots would be suitable substitutes, but the leeks here were wonderful.
This strata layers bread soaked in milk with sautéed leeks, crumbled goat cheese, chopped cooked ham, marinated artichoke hearts, and a mix of shredded cheeses. The assembled dish bakes until the center is set and the edges are golden brown. The result is creamy and savory with pleasant textural contrast from the crusty top and tender interior.
One of the best features of this strata is that it can be assembled the night before. Simply put everything together, cover, and refrigerate. For best results, remove the dish from the refrigerator about an hour before baking so it comes closer to room temperature; otherwise allow an additional 10–15 minutes of baking time.
This ham, artichoke and goat cheese strata was a crowd-pleaser and is now a repeat item in our brunch rotation. It’s hearty, flavorful, and easy to scale for larger groups.
Ham Artichoke and Goat Cheese Strata
30
1
1 30
8 -10 servings
Taylor Ellingson
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 large leeks white and light green parts, sliced
- 3 ½ cups whole milk divided
- 9 cups bread cut into 1″ cubes (whole wheat, sourdough, or French bread)
- 5 large eggs
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 ½ teaspoons herbes de Provence
- 12 ounces fresh goat cheese crumbled
- 12 ounces cooked ham chopped
- 2 6.5 ounce jars marinated artichoke hearts drained and chopped
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
- 1 cup Fontina cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13″ baking dish and set aside.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter.
- Add the sliced leeks and cook over medium heat until very soft, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine 2 cups of the milk with the cubed bread in a large bowl. Let stand about 10 minutes until the milk is absorbed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining 1 ½ cups milk with the eggs, garlic, salt, pepper, nutmeg, sage, and herbes de Provence until blended.
- Assemble once the leeks are cooked and the bread has soaked. Place half of the bread mixture into the prepared dish.
- Top with half of the leeks, half of the goat cheese, half of the ham, half of the chopped artichoke hearts, and half of the shredded cheeses.
- Pour half of the milk-and-egg mixture over the layered ingredients.
- Repeat the layers with the remaining bread, leeks, goat cheese, ham, artichokes, cheese, and milk-and-egg mixture.
- If baking later, cover and refrigerate. For morning baking, remove from the fridge about an hour before baking or add 10–15 minutes to the bake time.
- Bake uncovered in the preheated oven about 1 hour, until the center is set and the edges are golden brown.
- Let rest briefly, then serve and enjoy.
Tried this recipe?
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Need more ideas?
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