If you’ve got leftover holiday ham, this overnight breakfast casserole recipe is the perfect home for it! Reminiscent of a savory bread pudding, it’s crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. Hearty and delicious!
I always make a spiral ham for Easter and also (around) Christmas time, making sure to save the ham bone for soup and some of the meat for left over sandwiches and this overnight breakfast casserole recipe. I just love a make-ahead breakfast casserole!
Reminiscent of a savory bread pudding, this casserole with ham is crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. It’s really delicious and like most casseroles is pretty versatile.
Recipe Variations
- Cooked sausage or bacon can be used instead of the ham, or a combination of all three!
- Any colored bell pepper is fine, or you could use a combination.
- Added diced cooked mushrooms would be delicious.
- For added heat, you could use pepper jack cheese instead of colby jack.
- Whole milk can be used instead of the half-n-half, but it won’t be as rich and creamy.
Can I bake this right away?
Sure! If you’d rather make this and serve it the same morning, that’s totally fine. Simply prep the casserole, press down with a spatula to make sure all the ingredients are coated in the egg mixture, let it rest for at least 1 hour to soften the bread, and then bake!
Can this ham breakfast casserole be frozen?
Yes. Make sure to let it cool completely. It will keep up to 2 months in the freezer in an airtight container. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Save, bookmark, pin, print…whatever you need to do – just keep this one in your back pocket for the day after Easter when you need a brunch idea to serve a group. Prep it the night before and the hardest thing you’ll have to do in the morning is make coffee.
Or just buy a pre-cooked ham steak at the store so you can make this all year round!
Other Breakfast Casserole Recipes We Love!
- (Make Ahead) Amish Breakfast Casserole
- (Make Ahead) Eggs Benedict Casserole
- Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
- Breakfast Croissant Puff Casserole
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
{Ham and Cheese} Overnight Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups diced cooked ham
- 1 small sweet onion , diced small
- 1 small red bell pepper , diced small
- salt and pepper , to taste
- 2 scallions , diced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 15 ounce loaf french or Italian bread , day old, cut into small 1-inch cubes
- 2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese , divided
- 10 large eggs
- 3 cups half-n-half
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Warm the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Toss in the ham in an even layer and don't touch for a minute, to develop a nice crust. Then stir for a minute.
- Add in the onions and bell pepper; cook until soft, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Season with a little salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and stir in the scallions and parsley. Set aside.
- Lightly coat a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Scatter the bread cubes on the bottom. Sprinkle with half the cheese, followed by all of the cooked ham mixture.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-n-half, and salt. Pour over the top of the casserole; cover and refrigerate overnight. (Bring to room temperature before baking.)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover; sprinkle remaining cheese evenly over the top.
- Bake for about 50-60 minutes or until puffed and golden and a knife inserted comes out clean. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
- Cut into squares and enjoy!
Notes
- Cooking time will depend on the depth of your baking dish and how your oven circulates the heat. Tent with foil the last 15 minutes if ingredients are browning too much.
- Half-n-half is equal parts whole milk and heavy cream.
- For recipe variations, please refer to the full article.
- To freeze: make sure to let it cool completely. It will keep up to 2 months in the freezer in an airtight container. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
I don’t eat ham, but this looks really good. I wonder if I could switch it to cubed turkey or turkey bacon? Mmmn!
Absolutely! It obviously will have a different flavor, but I imagine still very delicious. This is very versatile.
I’m such a ham fan. Wait, that sounds funny. I LOVE ham! Ok, there, better. This recipe looks great :)
In my perfect dream world, one of my guys would assemble this and bake it for me so I could eat this in bed. Is that weird? :D
There is nothing better than an amazing ham. Except an overnight ham casserole with that amazing ham.
Substitute credit card bill with tax estimates and dropping nesting bowls with “spilling fritatta filling all over the floor”. And, yeah. I need this cheesy comfort casserole.
I actually remember that Food Network magazine article! I thought it was brilliant, and then I promptly lost the magazine in the expanse I call my bookshelf. Oops. Ham was always my parents’ favorite choice, so we’d all totally love your casserole!
Boo for the bad day stuff but yeah for all the good things! I need to get on the breakfast casserole bandwagon.
at least you had three good things to outweigh the bad :( and I am ALL over a good breakfast casserole
What a great recipe for Easter guests!
Perfect for ham leftovers! Totally going to use this in my ham round up next week :)
Wow, that was a bad day, especially the glass bowls just before picking up your child from school. I feel for you on that one. But, that ham. Yeah, that’s a double good bonus. I love what you did with it too. To have a good, hot breakfast ready that quickly, count me in.
I made a huge ham a few weeks ago and still have tons of leftover ham. I threw it in the freezer but still looking for tasty leftover dishes. This totally fits the bill!
This is my kinda breakfast/brunch!
Dropping the bowls alone would have done me in. Yikes. But man, that’s a helluva triple whammy on the deliveries!
It was as awful as you can imagine. I’m still finding tiny pieces along the base of the cabinets. Nobody is allowed to walk barefoot! Ugh.
Aw Amy, I love an overnight dish though in all honesty I almost never make it. It does fascinate me though. If I was eating ham I will be all over this dish though I can probably substitute with something else. :)