Easy Breakfast Casserole
By
I’m so excited you decided to come over for the beginning of our Christmas Brunch!! I appreciate you taking time out of your final busy days of holiday preparations to join us.
I’m sure you don’t mind…I didn’t vacuum before you all came over. I figured we’d probably make a mess of the Vanilla Muffins with Cinnamon Crumb Topping anyway. I’ll have one of the boys sweep later. (It’s all a part of Our Chore System after all.) The Vanilla Muffin recipe will be coming up later on during our brunch, so be sure not to miss it. Today, we’ll be starting with an Easy Breakfast Casserole recipe.
I used to think that making a Breakfast Casserole was a big deal, difficult, complicated and tricky. It seems that the recipes I found called for ingredients I never had and they always overwhelmed me.
One day a few weeks ago, I had an abundance of eggs and a few leftover ingredients from other meals so I decided to experiment. What do you know? You can build an egg casserole with just about anything. Quickly. Inexpensively. Without difficulty. I am very excited.
Here’s the beauty of this recipe: You can build your breakfast casserole however you want. This recipe has a few “base ingredients”, then you stir in whatever “add ins” you want…then you top it with cheese…then you bake it. It doesn’t get much easier than that! (And did I mention that this recipe is Gluten Free?!)
Easy Breakfast Casserole
8 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup shredded cheese (I use white cheddar, but you can use whatever cheese you want!)
Begin your casserole by whisking together the eggs, cream and salt. Pour the ingredients into a 9×13 inch casserole dish. Sprinkle in any “add in” ingredients you wish. Stir them around with a fork. Top casserole with cheese. Bake in a 350° oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the middle doesn’t jiggle.
Add In options:
Cooked sausage (I have a wonderful recipe for turkey sausage here.)
Chopped ham
Chopped and cooked bacon
Leftover baked potatoes, cut into chunks or shredded into hashbrowns
Sauteed veggies
Add anywhere from 1/2 cup to 2 cups of any of these “add ins”. You can use a different sized casserole dish, you’ll just need to adjust the bake time. The thicker your casserole, the longer it will take to bake.
Thanks again for coming over for our brunch! Remember to leave a comment so that you’ll be included in our giveaway for lots of wonderful presents! Please feel free to mingle for a while. I’ll soon be whipping up a Sucanat Powdered Sugar Frosting for our Gingerbread Cookies. You’re welcome to come into the kitchen and help if you want. I may even let you lick the beaters!
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Looks good, I like them when other people make them. I will have to give it a try. Julie
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This looks so good! And so easy to personalize!! Thanks!
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I am making your breakfast casserole for Christmas morning. Love all your recipes that I have tried so far and I’ve tried many of them!
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Hi Laura,
I made your breakfast casserole this morning and it was so good that I just had to post about it on my blog.
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Do you butter the pan?
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Laura Reply:
January 16th, 2011 at 2:26 pm
No, I don’t, but you certainly could if you find that you have trouble getting the casserole out easily.
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I’m sure this is a doubt question (I’m still new at cooking at home) but what is heavy cream? Is that the same thing as whipped cream?
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Laura Reply:
January 16th, 2011 at 2:27 pm
Heavy cream is the same as whipPING cream and will become whipped cream if you beat it with beaters for a few minutes. You’ll find heavy cream or whipping cream close to the milk in the dairy section.
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Can you make this the night before, refrigerate it, and bake the next morning? By the way, I tried your vanilla muffins, and they were yummy!!
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Laura Reply:
February 17th, 2011 at 6:15 pm
Yep!
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Inpired by you to be better at meal planning, I made this last night to heat up each morning this week while Hubby is on an earlier shift. (Don’t tell, but I don’t like getting up early and making his breakfast and lunch, but then, we all do things we don’t like!)
This smelled insanely good as it baked and as it cooled. It was so easy to heat up and it’s delicious! Hubby’s happy and I’m happy. And breakfast is made for the rest of the week!
Thank you for all your great recipes, Laura! :)
I know there must be a zillion recipes for egg casseroles, but I made this b/c of you, so you get all the credit. Love your blog, your recipes, your podcasts, and your inspiring me!
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Thank you for this recipe…I made the mini breakfast quiches today and they were a hit!!! I added diced onion, mushrooms, and tomatoes and a little pepper. YUM! Thanks again.
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I just made this tonight and there are not any leftovers!
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I made this for Mother’s Day and it came out of the oven all puffy and beautiful but then fell flat. It tasted good but I wonder what could have happened. The dish was a little smaller than 9 x 12.
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Laura Reply:
May 9th, 2011 at 1:01 pm
Aw bummer. Not sure what happened. Mine always falls a little bit too though, now that you say that. Glad it still tastes good!
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I would love to make this right now but I don’t have heavy cream, is there anything else I could use?
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Laura Reply:
June 29th, 2011 at 11:49 am
Whole milk would work, maybe just use a little less than the recipe calls for since it’s not as thick!
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All I have on hand is skim milk and a can of evaporated milk, could these work for this recipe?
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Laura Reply:
August 10th, 2011 at 1:48 pm
I’d say – use the evap milk over the skim. I think that should work!
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I am searching for some good make ahead meals that I could freeze. Do you think I could make these in little cupcake tins and freeze them for meals later? (Maybe this is a silly question… I’m new at this!)
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Laura Reply:
August 10th, 2011 at 8:09 pm
Yes, actually – a few months after I posted this casserole recipe, I posted this: http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/mini-crustless-breakfast-quiches. So you and I are thinking alike!
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Would this 9×13 make about 6 servings as this is the ‘main course’? Or do you make smaller servings and add other ‘sides’ with this? I’m guessing ‘adult’ servings and not small kid servings in this now.
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LindseyforLaura@HHM Reply:
October 7th, 2011 at 8:06 am
This will make 9 adult servings. If you have hungry boys (like Laura) serving fruit as a side also works great!
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We’ve always loved a breakfast casserole similar to this with a crescent roll crust. I know those are awful for health…do you have an alternative healthy “crust” suggestion? In the meantime I will try this one without the crust!
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Rebecca Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 12:52 pm
I often put bread cubes in mine, or leftover rice. You could try toasted bread, or mashed potatoes, both of which I use for quiche crusts. Or use bread dough, and parbake before filling.
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LindseyforLaura@HHM Reply:
November 10th, 2011 at 8:23 am
Here is a link to the recipe Laura loves for a crust: http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/my-favorite-versatile-whole-wheat-dough. :)
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I am loving your site and information. We have an in-home Christian childcare and the ideas and recipes are fun and very pleasing to the kids but the family is saying I want to eat the daycare food can you make more?!!
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LindseyforLaura@HHM Reply:
November 11th, 2011 at 8:35 am
Yay! That is so great. Thank you so much for your encouragement. I know it means the world to Laura.
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I sometimes take a breakfast casserole to work when someone has a birthday. I mix it together the night before and put it in the refrigerator, then pop it in the oven in the morning while I am getting ready, and it’s ready to go when I am. And still hot and yummy when we eat it at work! Thanks for the great recipes, Laura!!
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I LOVE this site that I learned about from my daughter who LOVED it first! I also LOVE recipes like this that are so easy to “personalize”!
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Thank you so much for a GF recipe that doesn’t call for every crazy flour/starch out there. I’m a Celiac with a very picky family to feed. Something simple and ‘normal’ is very much appreciated!
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This turned out wonderful! Thanks for the recipe. I used ham, onion, pepper, and hashbrowns or the fillers.
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Thanks Laura. So simple and I love that it’s freezeable;it took 5 more seconds to make 2 of these instead of 1. :)
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Call me crazy, but I can’t seem to find enough ways to sneak ground flaxseed into my foods- especially for the fiber…Might add some to this too- my kids never do see it……
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After cooking, can this recipe be frozen for a few days, then heated up before serving?
Or, could it be frozen before cooking, thawed and then cooked as per directions?
Thank you, Dick
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Laura Reply:
July 22nd, 2012 at 3:36 pm
I would say freeze it after baking it, then reheat pieces in the oven or toaster oven at 350 for about 10 minutes.
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Just wanted to say how much my kids loved this! Even my youngest who was convinced (until now) that she only liked her eggs scrambled. We did this with a mix of egg whites and whole eggs, as cholesterol is a huge concern in our family, and it was so good! Thanks for all you do.
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How many hungry people does this egg casserole serve? I am starting to think about meals for Thanksgiving weekend and wondered if I’d need to double this recipe!
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Laura Reply:
September 1st, 2012 at 6:18 pm
My family of six can eat the entire casserole easily, but we’re big eaters. :) I’d say 6-8 people maybe?
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This recipe looks amazing! I’m out of grocery money until Monday and not sure what to make for dinners with what little we have left. One thing I do have is eggs! I don’t have heavy cream, but maybe my fat free half and half will do. :)
Thanks for sharing!
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My Sunday School teacher used basically this recipe but lined the bottom of the pan with torn bread (you could use whole wheat, I did) and it IS a filler but a healthy filler.
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OH, and unless I’m mistaken she has added spinach to it and baked it in cupcake papers and frozen them for ‘take outs’ when you’re in a hurry. Defrost in microwave or on counter till soft.
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This is the easiest breakfast casserole I believe I’ve seen :) Thanks Laura for this and what is in the background ? Looks like some kind of cake or pumpkin bread, etc. ?
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LindseyforLaura@HHM Reply:
January 31st, 2013 at 4:50 pm
Vanilla muffins with cinnamon crumb topping! Here is the link for you: http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/vanilla-muffins-with-cinnamon-crumb-topping
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LOOKS WONDERFUL!
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This looks great! I want to try it with spinach — I just can’t decide if I want to use cheddar or feta. Decisions, decisions! *sigh*
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I was needing a family casserole and this is perfect! Thank you!
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This looks delicious… I think I will make it tomorrow morning :)
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Looks like a good way to start our day.
Thanks
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Any thoughts as a heavy cream substitute? We have some milk sensitivities so I can’t use cream or milk. But I love egg casserole.
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Laura Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 8:55 am
I would maybe try using coconut milk to see if that would work. :)
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YUM! Makes me hungry!
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I have been wondering if you could throw leftover veggies and such in some eggs and make a breakfast casserole. I’m inspired to give this a whirl for breakfast tomorrow. I’m thinking ham and broccoli.
thanks for the tip!!!
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I just mixed up one of these, but we won’t have time for it to bake in the morning, as my husband is getting in from a trip at 2am and then we’re meeting with our realtor at 9am… and then both sides of the family are coming over for brunch immediately after! (What was I thinking?)
Anyways, I tossed it all into the crock pot and turned it on low. Other recipes I’ve seen do this, so here’s hoping it turns out well!
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I too am inspired to eat better and cook more for my family. I love your posts and promise to make some recipes soon! I can’t find that sucanat sugar in the stores here, is sugar in the raw the same thing?
Thanks Dorraine
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LindseyforLaura@HHM Reply:
April 15th, 2013 at 10:33 am
No, sugar in the raw is different. Here is a link to a post Laura wrote about sweeteners.
http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/the-most-nutritious-sweeteners
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Making two of these for a baby shower this weekend. Going to prepare the night before and bake in the morning. Any adjustments to baking time/temp for cooking two at the same time?
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Laura Reply:
April 5th, 2013 at 3:16 pm
No adjustment needed. :)
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My egg casserole was made with 5 eggs, heavy cream, green olives, feta cheese, browned sausage, onions, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and topped with mozzarella. Baked in 9×9 pan. Fantastic served with icy cold watermelon. Thanks for the idea.
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