Yield: 12 servings
Overnight Ham Breakfast Casserole
This Overnight Ham Breakfast Casserole is perfect for your Christmas morning breakfast or brunch. What could be better than a make-ahead casserole with croissants, smoky ham, and melted cheese?
Ingredients
- 6-7 croissants, cut in half lengthwise
- 12-14 slices of deli ham, or leftover ham
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, cut into 1” cubes
- 7 large eggs, beaten
- 2 cups half and half
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ cups cornflakes, crushed
- ½ cup salted butter, melted
- Parsley, optional garnish
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Instructions
- Place one layer of croissants flat side down onto the bottom of the 9×13 casserole dish.
- Place two layers of ham over the croissants, followed by 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Evenly place the cream cheese cubes over the cheddar cheese.
- Whisk together eggs, half and half, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Pour over other ingredients.
- Top with the additional croissants, flat side up. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese. Sprinkle on crushed cornflakes and pour butter evenly over cornflakes.
- Leave overnight in the refrigerator or let soak 1 to 2 hours if you are in time crunch. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F.
- Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until golden brown and no longer jiggly in the middle and the eggs are no longer runny. If the casserole is browning too quickly, cover with aluminum foil.
- Serve warm with chopped parsley on top, if desired.
Notes
Store: After baking, cover and refrigerate the breakfast casserole with ham within 2 hours. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat: To reheat a small portion, heat in the microwave in 30 second intervals until warmed through. For a larger portion, reheat in a 350°F oven covered with foil for about 15 minutes.
Freeze: I do not recommend freezing leftovers as the texture will not be the same once frozen and thawed.
Croissants: Stale older croissants work perfect in a breakfast casserole like this. Don’t use super soft, fresh croissants or canned crescent rolls. The texture will not work well.
In a Rush: Forgot to assemble your casserole the night before? You can let it soak in the fridge for 2 hours instead of overnight. Any less and the croissants might not soak up all the eggs and half and half in time.
Fridge to Oven: Be careful moving the casserole directly from the fridge to a hot oven if using a glass casserole dish as it can break. Instead, let the casserole warm on the counter for 30 minutes before baking.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 484kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 37g, Saturated Fat: 20g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 213mg, Sodium: 940mg, Potassium: 257mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 1225IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 194mg, Iron: 2mg