Over the holidays I always like to make some tasty breakfasts and things work out really well if you make a ham for dinner as the leftovers can be used to make this quick and easy ham and cheese egg casserole. I first came across the idea for this egg breakfast casserole on Kalyn’s Kitchen about four years ago and I made it right away and I have been making it ever since. With some leftover ham in my fridge and the holidays here it was the perfect time to make it again and update the four year old photos for the recipe!
This breakfast egg casserole is super easy to make and really light to boot. It consists of eggs and cottage cheese at it base and from there you can add pretty much whatever you want. I like to experiment with different flavour combinations but the one that I keep coming back to is the classic ham and cheese combo. You pretty much just need to mix the eggs, cottage cheese and the fillings and bake until golden brown! You can even assemble everything the night before so that you only have to bake it in the morning making it even easier for a busy morning.
I am a big fan of spicy heat so I like to add some pickled jalapenos to my ham and cheese egg casseroles and you can never go wrong topping it off with some salsa and sour cream! What a tasty to start the day!
The original photo from 4 years ago:
Ham and Cheese Egg Casserole
A super easy breakfast egg casserole with diced ham and cheddar cheese.
ingredients
- 10 eggs
- 1 cup ham, diced
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapeno peppers, sliced (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
directions
- Mix everything and place in a greased 9×9 inch baking pan and bake in a preheated 375F/190C oven until the eggs have set and the top is a light golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.
Option: Replace the ham with steamed broccoli.
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Oh, now I know what to do with cottage cheese! -lol-
Funny, I was just looking around for a baked macaroni and cheese recipe so I could use up some leftover cheese and ham. But this looks pretty tempting, too.
This looks delish. I don’t feel so good right now and this looks wonderful.
I love the addition of cottage cheese, I will try it.
I love casseroles like this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Great recipe!
mmm…try it with green chiles and chorizo sometime, you won’t be disappointed!
I was just thinking that looked good when I saw that you got inspired by my recipe! Love the idea of adding some jalapenos, yum!
yum, this casserole looks amazing. What could be better for breakfast?
Beautiful picture, love that crusty top!
Looks yummy! I know what you mean, I think ham is always better the next day. And, theres so many thing you can do with left over ham too.
Looks fabulous, Kevin! I have missed a few weeks of checking your blog, so many great recipes and pics to catch up on! This one looks right up my alley! I accidentally deleted my blog so I started from scratch!
I also cook ham just so I can find all the fun ways to use the leftovers. My favorite is in a bread pudding.
It’s great how you managed to turn a baked ham into so many other meals. good planning.
Kevin, this looks absolutely amazing (as usual). If I had this for breakfast, I’d be a happy lady!
love this kinda meal 🙂
This is a wonderful idea for breakfast. Wow!
Simply delicious Kevin.
Cheers,
Elra
Your casserole is great, I like that you added some jalapenos.
that casserole’s makin me really hungry now! i actually thought of doin somethin similar but i lack the cheese at home 🙁
That looks like a good way to start a day.
This is definitely a full breakfast.I love casseroles too.
Kevin this looks great just like mom always made on Christmas can’t wait to try your recipe.
My family always makes lasagna and ham on Christmas, but everyone is usually so full from the lasagna that the ham goes straight to the fridge. This Christmas, I used it for all kinds of omelets and frittatas…ham and cheese are such a versatile combination, they taste good with nearly everything! Another good use for leftover ham could be to make a pizza or calzone with it!
That looks yummy! I make a similar dish that also contains bread slices.
Reminds me of quiche! Looks really deilcious.
This looks so incredible and is perfect for a cozy rainy weekend!!
This looks really yum Kevin! If I had cottage cheese I would have made this today! I baked a ham yesterday..
What a great dish! Breakfast casseroles are a perfect way to use up leftovers.
Kevin, this looks so good, but can you make this with 4 eggs? instead of 10? Is it possible? Can you make them with omega 3 eggs, then you have less cholesterol than normal eggs!
Bye for now, greets, Sophie
Looks tasty!
If you have a leftover ham hock, making a batch of split pea soup with it, or some bean stew, is a great way to use it. But yes, ham and eggs always seem to go together perfectly.
A great way to use up ham! I love the addition of cottage cheese.
Perfect for Sunday brunch!
The casserole looks very tasty! Ham leftovers really are great for many recipes.
Greetings,
Tiina
Breakfast casseroles are my favorite. Can’t wait to try this one. I just made your spinach and artichoke dip and it was delish!
I like how you plan ahead and make breakfast for the whole week at one shot! There’s nothing like a good egg casserole!
I got a job! This will be perfect for the upcoming week.
Cottage Cheese….wow now that is different, sounds great and looks fabulous.
I’d have to add some chopped green chiles to that but even without it looks great. Your photos are fantastic!
i love the simplicity, yet so yummy, of this dish… 🙂
I love this! Eggs for breakfast and a perfect use for leftovers 🙂
my comfy food!! look delicious!!
I must say that this dish has really caught my eye, but I would also have to say that I love your blog… it’s ACE!!
Your photo’s are great as is your wording. I really look forward to reading every new post.
Will definately be trying this dish for breakie this week.
Take care,
Jo
hey, this meal totally fits into my low-carb plan! yay! looks yummy!
Just cooked a ham on the weekend….This was perfect timing…Delicious breakfast!!!
That looks AMAZING. What a great twist to a breakfast favourite!
Sophie: It would be pretty easy to scale this recipe down to 4 eggs or you could just halve everything and use 5. I did not mind making such a large batch as the leftovers are just as good and I will have quick breakfasts for the week. I am sure that omega 3 eggs would work as well.
This looks like a great lunch with a green salad. Hmm something to think about! I wish it was what I was eating right now instead of this sandwich.
Yum. I can’t wait to make this. Looks so comforting and tasty.
I have lots of Christmas ham leftover in the freezer…what a great way to use it up! This looks wonderful!
Kevin, this looks yummy! From the photo, I was expecting to see cubed bread and a liquid, in addition to the eggs, in the recipe. Is this similar to a frittata then? Looks like a great brunch dish.
Kevin, this looks great! This would make the perfect weekend brunch with a nice arugula salad.
simple and delicious .. perfect for breakfast .. Laila .. http://limeandlemon.wordpress.com/
Wow I never would have thought about adding cottage cheese but now I must try….
These are my favorite kinds of breakfasts. Just throw it in a dish and bake.
Do you know, I’ve wanted to make one of Kalyn’e breakfast casseroles for the longest time, but have never got round to it? Maybe seeing your beautiful version will finally persuade me!
This looks awesome and low-carb. Totally going to try making it this weekend… Thanks for posting!
Just love this recipe.
I love the photo better. I am using this in an original recipe contest hosted by Frenchs.com
http://www.frenchs.com/Contest/recipe/brunch-of-fun-casserole-743.html
Check out my recipe with me using your picture.
I hope I win and wish me luck.
Lori from Texas
This was delicious! I shared this with my friend and her coworker and they both loved it! Will definitely make it again.
I think this is much better than my mac and cheese recipe! This is really perfect!
I cannot stand Breakfast Casseroles that have bread in them. That being said, I found this on Pinterest almost 2 years ago and it has become our go to recipe for Holidays, taking a meal to someone or church gatherings. It is amazing! If I am running short on time I will use the real bacon bits in a package that you find in the salad dressing section of the store. Thanks so much for posting this!
Love this for my New Years Day breakfast! Great recipe, Kevin!
Yum! The PERFECT breakfast!
This looks so darn good! 🙂
Can't wait to try it…
Q:
How would I know a good cottage cheese brand, from a not so good brand?
what do I look for?
I have never cooked/baked with cottage cheese before…
One thing I got to thinking of…
if you have a TON of turkey, goose, duck, etc., left over after Christmas, why not use that if you do no have ham?
If like us, you have candied Sweet potatoes left over, there's another thing you can add to the casserole.
I guess what I'm saying in a roundabout way is, though this recipe is a Great one I believe the options of what can be added, are only limited by what's in your fridge & what's in your imagination.
T.Y. Mr.Lynch for sharing this recipe, and your time, with all of us. 🙂
I've been eyeing this casserole for a while now and still have to make this – thanks for the reminder Kevin. Wishing you the very best this Holiday Season and a Happy New Year!
JAMES09: It is difficult to tell which brand of cottage cheese is a good one based on the package, you really need to try them and see which one you like best. One of the beauties of this recipe is that after the eggs and cottage cheese you can throw in whatever you like so turkey and candied sweet potatoes are another great way to go! Enjoy!
Jeanette: Happy New Year!
this breakfast casserole looks fantastic!!
Uh, yes! This looks absolutely delicious. And dip totally counts as a meal, regardless of if it’s a Thursday or if it’s breakfast. 😉 And I was thinking the same thing as Dorothy
Looks amazing! Love the fact that it has the jalapenos in it! Yum!
don't think this would all fit in a 9×9 pan. More like a 9×13 if that.
If overfilled it would make a horrible mess in the oven and a forever seeming stench in the house.
Anonymous: With a 9×9 pan it will end up ~1 inch thick and it will not overflow.
Thank you for this recipe ! This is exactly what I want on Mother's Day !
Seriously genius!!
Been doing variations for some time. Try cubes of Spam or corned beef sometime. I generally use more meat, onions (green or ramps), and cheese (Italian, Mexican) than the recipe calls for and it still works out well. Bacon is a great addition. I want to try it with some left over salmon next.
Has anyone tried to add hashbrowns to this? If so do you just add them in raw or try and cook/brown them first?
I've made this several times now, it's delicious and my family likes it.
But it never takes less than 50 minutes to bake. It doesn't seem to matter what kind of pan I use, it takes twice the time you give in the recipe. Does it really cook in 25 minutes for you?
I tried this in a 8×8″ dish because that’s all I had and the center wouldn’t cook at all. It was pure liquid. I added 15 extra minutes to the cooking time and the center still didn’t finish cooking. I ended up moving everything into a 8×11″ dish and spread everything out so it wasn’t so dense in the center and added 10 extra minutes. So it was a total of 45 minutes cooking time. If I were to make this again, I would use the 8×11″ dish because then the egg mixture is spread out and not so tall and the center cooks better.