Ham And Cheese Breakfast Casserole is my family’s favorite make-ahead breakfast for special occasions. Packed with ham, cheese, bread, eggs, and aromatic herbs, this easy breakfast casserole is both hearty and delicious. It’s cheesy, savory, and is so easy to make!
5-Star Review
“Sweet Heaven! This is sooo decadent and delicious!!!” -Sandi
Breakfast Casserole with Ham, Egg, and Cheese
My overnight ham and cheese breakfast casserole is the perfect solution for serving a satisfying and filling meal to a crowd, especially during holidays. You can prep it the night before and just bake it when you’re ready to serve your guests or your family. It’s so comforting, creamy, simple, and bursting with flavor!
Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 cups day-old, challah or brioche bread, cut into 1-inch cubes.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 medium sweet yellow onion peeled and diced
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ lb. thinly-sliced good deli ham roughly cut
- 6 large eggs
- 1½ cups milk or half and half
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves minced
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese
Instructions
- Spray an 8-inch baking dish (1½-2 qt) with non-stick cooking spray.
- Cut brioche bread into small cubes and spread the cubed bread in the bottom of the dish.4 cups
- Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat.Add diced onion, salt, black pepper, and sugar. Sauté until onions are lightly caramelized, approximately 10 minutes. Be careful not to burn the onion.2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1 medium sweet yellow onion, ½ teaspoon Kosher salt, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
- In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, half and half, dry mustard, nutmeg, thyme, salt, and pepper.6 large eggs, 1½ cups milk or half and half, ½ teaspoon dry mustard, ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg, 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, salt & pepper
- Spread the ham over the bread cubes, then spread the onion mixture on top of the ham.½ lb. thinly-sliced good deli ham
- Layer on the Gruyere or Swiss cheese then pour the egg mixture over the cheese.1 cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese
- Press down gently on the top to ensure all bread cubes get soaked with the egg mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Before baking, warm the casserole on the counter for 15 minutes and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake, uncovered, 40-50 minutes or until center is set and edges are bubbly and top begins to brown. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean.
- If casserole is browning too soon, loosely cover it with foil near the end of the cooking time. The casserole is delicious served for any meal. Enjoy!
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
How to Make Ham and Egg Casserole Step by Step
Start by spraying an 8-inch baking dish (1½-2 qt) with non-stick cooking spray.
Cube the bread: Cut brioche bread into small cubes (should be 4 cups) and spread the cubed bread in the bottom of the dish.
Cook onions: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat.
To this add 1 medium diced sweet yellow onion, ½ teaspoon of Kosher salt, ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon of granulated sugar.
Sauté until onions are lightly caramelized, approximately 10 minutes. Be careful not to burn the onion.
Prepare the egg mix: Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the 6 large eggs, 1½ cups of half and half (or milk), ½ teaspoon of dry mustard, ¼ teaspoon of grated nutmeg, 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme leaves, and salt and pepper. Keep it aside.
Layer the casserole: At this point start layering the casserole. Spread the ½ lb. thinly-sliced deli ham over the bread cubes, then spread the onion mixture on top of the ham.
Now layer on the 1 cup of shredded Gruyere (or Swiss cheese) then pour the egg mixture over the cheese.
Press down gently on the top to ensure all bread cubes get soaked with the egg mixture. Cover with plastic sheet and refrigerate overnight.
Bake and serve: Before baking, bring the casserole to room temperature for 15 minutes and preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake, uncovered, 40-50 minutes or until center is set and edges are bubbly and the top begins to brown. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean.
If casserole is browning too soon, loosely cover it with foil near the end of the cooking time. Enjoy!
How to Store and Reheat
Leftovers can be refrigerated for 3-5 days. Reheat in the microwave and serve.
To freeze, let the casserole come to room temperature. Cut in portions, wrap each portion in plastic wrap. Transfer all individually wrapped pieces to a freezer-friendly bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight and reheat in the microwave.
Serving Suggestions
I enjoy my ham and cheese breakfast casserole with White Bread slices sometimes and a serving of Sautéed Vegetables. If I have any leftover Ham Fried Rice then the combination is just heavenly!
Can I substitute the Brioche like you’re using with a loaf (like a loaf of bread) but Brioche? My store is out of Brioche right now and I’m wanting to make this so badly and submit a picture. The review with 4 stars is wrong. I guess I accidentally missed a star, so please delete that one. Thanks in advance
Hi Donna, brioche is our favorite for this recipe, but other types of bread will also work!
Sweet Heaven! This is sooo decadent and delicious!!!
Thanks for sharing, Sandi!
This is really good for everyone
Thanks Jenny!
This was easy and tasted great.
Really a great breakfast for morning. I want to have it. I’ll try to make it at home hope it will be good.
Thanks for shearing that great recipe.
Awesome, hope you love it!
Oh also, I added green pepper like a previous commenter and used regular mustard so maybe the liquid from those didn’t balance out?
I’m new to cooking and I made this and the knife wasn’t clear after 35 minutes or 50 so I let it sit longer. Maybe 10 minutes. The knife was clean when i tried it after in the center and all over. The center doesn’t seem set like your pictures lol it seems kind of wobbly so I was worried it didn’t get all the way cooked?
Hmm…the alterations you made shoudln’t have made things runny so I’m not sure what could be wrong. Did it cook all the way through? I hope so! Hope you loved it. Some ovens vary so you might have to cook longer or if your pan is at all different (resulting in a deeper or more shallow casserole) the cook time would be a little different as well. If yours was deeper it might just have needed some more time to cook. Sorry you had trouble!
Can this be doubled or i it t mu for a 13×9 pan?
Yes that should work great!
This looks tasty! It would be ideal for a healthy, end of the week breakfast.
Thanks so much!
I would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this article. I am hoping the same best work from you in the future as well.