Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

I love making breakfast casseroles because they're "all in one" cozy, comforting, filling meals and you can mix and match the filling to use up various meats, cheeses, and breads you have on hand that need a "home"!

Breakfast casseroles are fantastic for "make ahead" making breakfast or brunch (or heck even dinner) and easy affair. Assemble, cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours in advance, then just pull out an hour before baking to allow the dish to come closer to room temp, before placing in the oven.

The flavors and texture can vary completely depending on which cheese, seasonings, and bread you use. I've used everything from english muffins, to bagels, sourdough, french bread, leftover buns, mixed and matched when I had odds and ends. Smoked gouda and sharp cheddar are my favorite cheeses to use in dishes like this - but use whatever you'd like! 

Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients

8 cups diced bread (use a light fluffy bread, not a dense bread - or use less bread if using denser bread so that it will fit into the casserole dish)

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided use

8 eggs

2 cups milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

 4-oz country ham, diced

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray
2. Place about 3/4 of the bread cubes into the casserole and sprinkle the ham pieces and 1 cup of the cheese over. 
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Carefully pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes in the casserole dish. 
4. Add remaining bread pieces and gently press all over to submerge the bread pieces into the liquid.
5. Once all bread is coated by the egg mixture, sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
6. Bake in the pre-heated oven 40-minutes, or until lightly golden brown and set in the middle. Allow to cool about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.