Overnight Ham & Vegetable Egg Casserole
This flavorful Overnight Ham & Vegetable Egg Casserole is the perfect brunch recipe for guests! Make this cheesy egg and bread bake with leftover ham the night before and pop it in the oven for a delicious and wholesome breakfast.
Overnight Ham & Egg Breakfast Casserole
When it comes to the holidays or just guests staying overnight, there is nothing quite like a delicious overnight egg bake. This Overnight Sausage Egg Casserole is my family’s long standing favorite, but I wanted to switch things up with a few more vegetables added to the mix in this Overnight Ham & Vegetable Egg Casserole.
What vegetables to add to egg casserole
Sautéing up some bell peppers, onions and mushrooms not only adds a healthy element to the breakfast dish, it adds great flavor to the ham and cheese egg bake as well.
If you want to add a variety of vegetables to your egg casserole, the possibilities are endless. If you aren’t a fan of one of the vegetables in this cheesy ham and egg bake, you can substitute one of the following
Sautéed Baby Spinach
Roasted Squash
Sautéed Asparagus
Oven Roasted Tomatoes
Sautéed Leeks
Roasted Poblanos for a bit of spice
What is the advantage of letting the eggs set overnight?
The overnight egg casserole, also sometimes referred to as an egg bake too, takes advantage of the time it sits to let the wet ingredients absorb properly into the day old bread. You don’t necessarily have to let it sit overnight, but it helps the dish look, feel, and taste more like a casserole and not just like eggs and toast.
How to make Overnight Egg Casserole
To get started, melt butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 diced red bell pepper and 1/2 cup diced red onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add 1 Tablespoon diced garlic and 8 ounces sliced mushrooms to the pan and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
Meanwhile grease a 9×13 casserole pan and layer in the 4 cups cubed day old bread. Cover the bread with 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan and 2 cups cubed ham. Top with the sautéed vegetables.
In a large bowl, whisk 8 large eggs, 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard and 2/3 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt. Mix in 2 1/2 cups milk and whisk until well combined.
Pour the egg mixture over the bread and vegetables. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Place the casserole on a sheet pan and bake at 300° for 1 1/2 hours until the eggs are set. Allow the ham and egg casserole to rest 10 minutes before serving.
How far in advance can I make the dish?
If you don’t plan on cooking your egg casserole right away, then don’t worry. Letting it sit another day or two before you pop it in the oven will be fine as long as you cover it tightly.
You don’t want the eggs to dry out, but you do want them to seep into the bread. For this reason, a bit of extra time is not an issue.
Why do I use day old bread and can I use fresh bread?
The advantage of using day old bread is that it has less moisture in it. When the casserole cooks you don’t want a lot of moisture in the dish since it will end up steaming the eggs rather than letting them bake. It makes a difference in the texture because steamed eggs don’t have as pleasant a consistency as baked ones.
So, if you are pressed to prep the casserole and you don’t want to wait for the bread to dry out, then just give it a bit of help. You can set the bread in your oven or pop it in the Air Fryer. Heat it up on very low heat, about 175°F for about 15-20 minutes. You don’t necessarily want the bread to cook, but you do want to dry it out.
What to serve with Ham and Egg Bake
This Overnight Ham & Vegetable Egg Bake is a fantastic meal all on its own. It makes a delicious and filling brunch and the leftovers are a great lunch the next day. If you are looking to serve this for brunch with a full spread, here are a few of my favorite sweet brunch recipes that are the perfect compliment to egg casserole.
If you are looking for a healthier option to serve alongside the ham and egg casserole, Fruit & Quinoa Salad or an Easy Salad Nicoise are great sides.
- Caramel Apple Monkey Bread
- Sweet Roll Orange Knots
- Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake
- Banana Nut Streusel Muffins
- Fruit & Quinoa Salad
Leftover Holiday Ham Recipe
The best part of this cheesy Overnight Ham & Vegetable Egg Casserole for the holidays is that if you are serving a ham for the big holiday, you can use some of the leftovers for this egg bake.
If you are anything like my family and make a ham twice the size you need and have leftovers coming out of your ears, be sure to check out more easy leftover ham recipes.
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