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Overnight Breakfast Casserole made with leftover ham is so easy to make and makes serving breakfast in the morning so easy.
A good overnight breakfast casserole will be your best friend when you have overnight guests. No one wants to get up at the crack of dawn to prepare breakfast for company or family. This breakfast casserole is the perfect solution. But don’t save it just for breakfast, it makes for a great weeknight dinner idea too. Make it in the morning and you can bake it that evening or make it the night before and pull it out in the morning.
One of my other favorite things about this breakfast overnight breakfast casserole is that it uses leftover ham. It’s perfect for a post Easter breakfast or dinner. Who doesn’t love breakfast for dinner. If you don’t have leftover ham, add in some bacon or even shredded chicken instead. Chorizo sausage or any kind of sausage would be delicious too!
This dish combines all your favorite breakfast foods including eggs, ham, cheese and hash browns.
I used the frozen shredded hash browns but you could use cubed hash browns too if you prefer. My family prefers the texture of the shredded potatoes better and it doesn’t seem as potatoey (is that a word??) In this recipe, I used Swiss cheese, but you could use Monterey Jack or some kind of Mexican blend cheese too. Get creative with what you have on hand. The breakfast casserole also includes cottage cheese. I use small curd but you would never know there is cottage cheese in there. I don’t like cottage cheese! It gives it a nice light, fluffy texture, so use it.
The final touch on this breakfast casserole is some panko bread crumbs combined with butter and sprinkled on top. I love the little bit of crunchy texture it gives it. Then add some juice and fresh fruit and you’ve got a delicious breakfast for your house guests or an easy dinner for the family.
Other favorite breakfast ideas:
My favorite kitchen items I used to make this OVERNIGHT BREAKFAST CASSEROLE:
PYREX BOWLS – I love my Pyrex bowls and actually own a couple of sets. Perfect for mixing or serving.
9” GLASS PIE PLATE – perfect size for any pie!
Overnight Breakfast Casserole Recipe
Overnight Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 cup ham, diced
- 5 eggs
- 1 cup shredded cheese, Swiss or other blend
- 2 cups frozen shredded hash browns
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese, small curd
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1 Tbsp butter, melted
- additional green onions for garnish
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 9 inch glass pie plate.
- In a bowl, combine eggs and beat until foamy. Add in ham, hash brown potatoes, cheese, cottage cheese, milk, green onions, salt, and pepper.
- Pour mixture into prepared dish. Cover and chill for 2-24 hours.
- Before baking, mix together bread crumbs and butter and sprinkle over top of egg dish.
- Bake uncovered in a 325 degree F oven for about 50 minutes or until a knife, inserted in the middle comes out clean. Garnish with additional green onions
Nutrition Facts:
Marlene says
My family doesn’t like onions…can you eliminate the green onions without ruining the dish?
Leigh Anne Wilkes says
You can definitely leave them out. You loose a little flavor but it will still be delicious
temple run 3 says
So sorry about that – updated the recipe
Liz Chavez says
Does cottage cheese need to be used in the recipe? I’m not a fan of cottage cheese.
Leigh Anne says
Liz, I don’t like cottage cheese either. You will never know it is in this dish. It is used mainly as a thickening agent. I have made it without though too and it works fine.
Jules says
Hello. Is the chilling step necessary? Will the end result suffer without it? Thank you!
Leigh Anne says
No, it is not necessary and will work fine to mix it up and cook right away but if you are looking for something to prepare the night before and bake in the morning this is great too!