HOLIDAY HAM & CHEESE BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

I always try to make a special breakfast for Christmas, but the last thing I want to be doing on Christmas morning is spending all my time in the kitchen!  The solution to this problem is the breakfast casserole – one that can be made the night before so that all you have to do is pop it in the oven and let it bake while everyone is opening their presents.  By the time all the gifts are opened, breakfast is ready to serve!

What is Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole?

It’s an easy breakfast casserole recipe that everyone can enjoy. Whether you choose to make it for the holidays, special occasions, or simply because you feel like it- it’s always a big hit. Making this overnight ham and egg breakfast casserole is a great way to reduce time in the kitchen in the morning, which is even better on those busy days! This ham and cheese breakfast casserole with bread is filling and easy to make so it’s sure to hold you over until the next meal arrives.

Holiday Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole Ingredients

-Ham: We need 1 cup of diced ham. You can use prebought diced ham or even leftover ham if you have it on hand!

-Roasted red peppers: With 1 cup of diced red peppers we can add color and flavor. You can find these jarred in an aisle in your grocery store or roast peppers yourself at home.

-Parsley: You can use 1 tablespoon of minced fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon of dried parsley.

-Onions: We need 1/2 cup of minced onion. This is about 1/2 a small sized onion.

-Sourdough bread: A nice loaf of sourdough bread with the crust removed and then the bread sliced into 1 inch thick cubes.

-Gouda cheese: I used Arla Dofino Gouda cheese and used about 2 packages to get 3 cups worth. You should shred the cheese or use pre-shredded for best results.

-Eggs: We need 12 whole eggs to make this casserole.

-Milk: With 1 cup of milk we can add some moisture and make the mixture more abundant.

-Heavy whipping cream: We need 1 cup of heavy whipping cream to go in the mixture. This will add a little more richness and creaminess to the end results!

-Spices: We need 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper, and an 1/8 teaspoon each of ground nutmeg and cayenne pepper to make this casserole really flavorful.

How to Make Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

Grease a 9×13 baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine the ham, peppers, parsley, and onions.

Place half of the bread cubes into the bottom of the baking dish and then layer half of the ham mixture on top of that.

Sprinkle half of the cheese on top the that and then repeat the layers again.

In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne.

Pour the egg mixture over the top of the layered bread and ham in the baking dish.

Cover the baking dish and place it in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, remove the pan from the fridge and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until a knife can be inserted and come out clean.

Let the casserole stand for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Enjoy!

HOLIDAY HAM & CHEESE BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Author: Jessica & Nellie

Ingredients

• 1 cup diced ham
• 1 cup roasted red peppers diced
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley I used about 1 Tbsp dried parsley
• 1/2 cup minced onions
• 1 loaf sourdough bread crust removed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 cups Arla Dofino Gouda Cheese shredded (I used about 1 1/2 pkgs to get this amount)
• 12 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

• In a small bowl, combine the ham, peppers, parsley and onions.
• Place half of the bread cubes in a greased 9 X13 pan.
• Layer half of the ham mixture on top of the bread and then sprinkle half of the cheese on top of that. Repeat the layers one more time.
• In a large bowl, mix the eggs, milk, cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne.
• Pour over the top and then cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Remove from the refrigerator before preheating the oven to 350.
• Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Let stand for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Enjoy!
• **I combined several recipes from several different cookbooks to come up with this casserole. One of the recipes called for sun-dried tomatoes which I thought would be very festive and color-appropriate for Christmas, but when I went to make the casserole I realized that I only had roasted red peppers but I used those instead and I love the results! I used dried parsley so the green isn’t very obvious, but if you use chopped fresh parsley, you’ll have a lovely red/green combination for Christmas! I think spinach would work great too! The best part about this recipe is that it is very versatile – you can use any combination of veggies and/or breakfast meats (sausage, ham, bacon, etc) and it will still be delicious!

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More Ideas For This Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole Make Ahead

Would another cheese taste good in this recipe?

Monterey Jack, cheddar, or a nice mixture of cheese blends could also work great in this recipe. This casserole is pretty versatile so almost anything can taste great mixed together in this simple recipe.

Need some new Breakfast Ideas? Here are several more Breakfast recipes:

Savory Breakfast Ideas:

• Protein Breakfast Wraps
• 3 Cheese Breakfast Casserole
• Loaded Breakfast Burrito recipe
• Bacon, Egg & Cheese Breakfast Pockets
• Best Ham & Cheese Scrambled Eggs
• Easy Breakfast Nachos
• Easiest Way to Cook Bacon
• Savory Breakfast Rolls
• Fiesta Egg Bites recipe

Sweet Breakfast Recipes:

• Easy 15-Minute Maple Bars
• Baked Oatmeal Cups
• Best Blueberry Muffin recipe
• Nutella Banana Muffins
• Apple Bread Pudding
• Berry Protein Pancake Bites
• Oatmeal Waffle recipe
• Cinnamon French Toast Casserole
• Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Cake recipe
• One Hour Orange Rolls
• Easy 15 Minute Donut Recipes
• Vanilla Butter Syrup recipe
• Perfect Crisp Belgian Waffles

This Holiday Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole is a great make ahead meal that will fill tummies and reduce time in the kitchen in the morning. You’re going to love how simple and easy it is to put together.