Egg, Ham, and Croissant Breakfast Casserole Recipe for Christmas Morning

12/07/2018

I almost wish I had never made this casserole. As breakfast casseroles go, I usually stick to the lighter sort. Many times they’re crustless, often times including things like kale and butternut squash, and almost never do they contain 2 cups of whole milk.

But it’s Christmas and when I found a similar recipe strumming through the pages of Southern Living, I couldn’t help but think that this combination of honey baked ham, flaky croissants, and creamy eggs that have been whisked to perfection with whole milk was exactly what Santa wanted us to be eating as we watched our nearest and dearest tear into colorfully wrapped gifts.

Eek! These croissants got a little more done than I would have preferred. We were knee deep in shooting Chocolate Linzer cookies when I realized that I had blackened the tops of these buttery treasures for our Croissant Breakfast Casserole recipe, but they were still delicious. Speaking of delicious, this casserole is THE BEST BREAKFAST CASSEROLE you will ever eat. Wow. That’s a big statement I realize. Maybe let’s try it this way: I PROMISE THIS IS THE TASTIEST BREAKFAST CASSEROLE I HAVE EVER EATEN.

Keep reading for the full Croissant Breakfast Casserole Recipe…

Egg, Ham, and Croissant Breakfast Casserole with Spinach and Havarti

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Jen Pinkston

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Description

Basically the best breakfast casserole you will ever eat.

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 3/4 lb honey baked ham from the deli, sliced thick (on a scale of 1-10, I sliced it a 5), coarsely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 sweet yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cups roughly chopped baby spinach
• 7 large eggs
• 2 c. whole milk
• 2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 3/4 c. grated Havarti cheese (mozzarella would also work)
• 5 large croissants, chopped into about 5 pieces each

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Instructions

1. Add 1 Tbsp oil to a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add ham and cook for 2-4 minutes , stirring once or twice until slightly browned
3. Remove ham from the skillet and add to a medium size mixing bowl.
4. Add remaining oil to the skillet and stir in onions, cooking on medium low heat for about 10-12 minutes until very soft.
5. Add spinach for 1-2 minutes then transfer onion-spinach mixture to the mixing bowl with ham.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
7. In a lightly greased 11 x 7″ pan, arrange chopped croissants, all of the pieces should be touching each other and perhaps even overlapping slightly.
8. Top the croissants with the onion / ham / spinach mixture, spreading it around evenly.
9. Pour the egg mixture on top until the liquid settles evenly around the pan, possibly nudging the croissants in certain places so that the egg mixture can get through.
10. Top with cheese.
11. Cover casserole with aluminum foil and chill for at least 2 hours, but up to overnight.
12. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
13. Bake for 45 minutes while covered then remove the foil for an additional 10 minutes to brown the tops. (I let them “brown” for about 25 minutes– too long!)

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Photography for Croissant Breakfast Casserole Recipe by Katie Jameson