Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole is an easy and delicious combination of ham, cheese, hashbrowns, and eggs.  Easily prepared in advance or thrown together in the morning.  We have used leftover Honey Baked Ham and Crockpot Honey Ham for this recipe, but you can use a store-bought version as well.

Ham Breakfast Casserole

Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

Sometimes shaking up the breakfast routine is important.  We get so busy in our day to day that sometimes it is easier to hit the repeat button and just move on.  We were feeling a little blah in the breakfast department so we thought we would try something a little different.  The kids loved the taste of this breakfast casserole, and I loved that I could make it without a whole lot of effort.

Easy Breakfast Casserole

Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole Recipe

A recipe is only as good as the ingredients.  The staple ingredients in this breakfast casserole recipe are relatively simple, but let’s talk about how you can make them even more special.

  • Ham – We love to use our leftover ham for this recipe.  In fact, breakfast casserole will be found after any holiday featuring ham.  You know there will always be leftovers and this is the perfect way to deal with them.  When we make a ham, we use one of two methods.  Either Crockpot Honey Baked Ham or Oven Honey Baked Ham.  You can use store-bought ham, but I suggest purchasing a ham steak versus deli ham.  You want those nice big bite-sized pieces.
  • Cheese – A blend of Monterrey jack cheese and cheddar cheese makes this breakfast casserole perfect.  You can save on some calories by lowering the amount of cheese in this recipe.  I won’t tell anyone if you don’t though.
  • Eggs – Farm fresh is the best.  If you can’t get them right off the farm though, go for organic.
  • Hashbrowns – We cut up our own potatoes that we grow.  We grate them with the large side of a cheese grater.  A couple of things to note about this method. The potatoes will look brown.  Rinse them well and they will be good as new.  Don’t let them sit in water, potatoes hold moisture so you will want to drain them well or your breakfast casserole will come out soggy. If you are using frozen hashbrowns, allow them to thaw for at least 30 minutes before baking.
Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

How to Make Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

We use the double bake method to get the hash brown crust extra crispy.  This is done in two steps.  If you are looking for overnight potatoes, you can skip the first step, but the hashbrowns may not be as crispy.  It will still taste great though!

Step 1:  Prebake the Potato Crust

Heat up your oven and grease your baking dish well.  You don’t want the bake to stick to the edges.  Pour in the shredded hash brown potatoes and cover them with melted butter, salt, and pepper.  Toss it all up and pat it down.  Pop it into the oven until it starts to get crispy.  I will sometimes take it out of the oven halfway through and flip the potatoes so they bake evenly on both sides.  This should cook solo for about 30-40 minutes.  While that is cooking you can start on the next step.

Step 2:  Prepare the Egg Mixture

Mix together eggs, evaporated milk, seasoned salt, salt, pepper, onion powder, and dry mustard.  Combine well.  Add in the ham and cheese and combine everything.  Pour it over the top of the cooked hash browns and pop it back into the oven for about 40 more minutes.  You want to make sure the center cooks, so as a rule of thumb, it shouldn’t jiggle when you shake the pan.

Cutting out a Piece of Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

Variations for Breakfast Casserole

The sky is the limit with this casserole.  You can add cooked veggies like onions, mushrooms, and peppers to the egg mixture to make it a western Breakfast Casserole.  Switch the ham to breakfast sausage for a change of pace.  Other toppings to consider:

  • green onion
  • jalapeno
  • diced tomato
  • sour cream
  • hot sauce (try my homemade Buffalo Sauce!)
  • salsa
  • ketchup

Fork Taking a Bite out of Ham Breakfast Casserole

casserole-blog1
5 from 12 votes

Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole is an easy and delicious combination of ham, cheese, hashbrowns, and eggs.  Easily prepared in advance or thrown together in the morning.  We used leftover Honey Baked Ham for this recipe, but you can use a store bought version as well.  

Ingredients

  • 8 cups shredded hashbrowns*
  • ½ cup (1 stick or 113g) melted butter
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • cups (170 g) Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
  • cups (170 g) cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 2 cups cooked ham, diced
  • 8 large eggs
  • 1⅓ cups (327 g) evaporated milk, you can also substitute heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 400°F.
  • Spray a 9×13 inch pan with nonstick spray, or grease with butter.
  • Add the shredded hashbrowns into the pan.
  • Melt a stick of butter in a small bowl, and pour evenly over the potatoes. Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and pepper. Use a spoon to gently toss it all together, then spread it out so that it’s even.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and lightly browned on top. Remove from oven, stir, and cook for 10 more minutes.
  • Remove the hashbrowns and reduce the oven temperature to 350 °F.
  • In a large bowl whisk together 8 eggs, evaporated milk, seasoned salt, kosher salt, pepper, dry mustard, and onion powder.
  • Add ham and cheese, and stir to combine.
  • Pour the mixture evenly over the top of the hashbrowns.
  • Bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until the edges start to brown and the center doesn’t jiggle when you shake the pan.

Video

Notes

*You can also use a 30-ounce bag of frozen hashbrowns, see blog post for cooking times.

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Meet Amanda Rettke

Amanda Rettke is the creator of I Am Baker, and the bestselling author of Surprise Inside Cakes: Amazing Cakes for Every Occasion – With a Little Something Extra Inside.Over the course of her 15+ year blogging adventure, she has been featured in and collaborated with the Food Network, New York Times, LA Times, Country Living Magazine, People Magazine, Epicurious, Brides, Romantic Homes, life:beautiful, Publishers Weekly, The Daily Mail, Star Tribune, The Globe and Mail, DailyCandy, YumSugar, The Knot, The Kitchn, and Parade, to name a few.

Reader Comments

  1. Hi there, I am going to make this ham and cheese casserole and I would like to know if this recipe can be frozen.

  2. I made this recipe last night for dinner and it was absolutely great it was a hit and everybody was going back for seconds. Instead of evaporated milk I use heavy cream and it made it that much better I will definitely be making this again. Great recipe

  3. i made this recipe exactly as stated except I added about 1/2c chopped green onions (since I love them) and it was a HIT! people could not get enough! LOVE this recipe and I will be making it again and again thank you!

  4. Made this for a brunch for the family. My husband is particular when it comes to breakfast casseroles because he is afraid of the bread or potatoes being gummy. But this was a huge hit with everyone and it was even delicious the next day. Will definitely make this one again.

  5. I made this for a girls get together and it was enjoyed by all. Now making it today, Christmas Eve morning for the family. This will be a go to for us and will vary some ingredients. Great recipe.

  6. Delicious
    To save morning time, I browned my hash browns night before…..warmed up in oven while preheating…..and preparing egg/ham mixture.

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