Overnight Egg Bake

When I started cooking over 30 years ago, this is one of the first recipes I made. Over the years it’s become a favorite go to recipe for Christmas morning breakfast. It’s such a versatile recipe – keep the egg mixture the same and change up the fillings to create new breakfast dishes! The egg mixture is a silky custard quiche-type filling, but without the crust so you don’t deal with a soggy bottom. It’s perfect because it’s easy to make, it can be prepared the day before and it’s a back pocket recipe! I usually prepare a few casseroles for Christmas morning and everyone enjoys a delicious and stress-free family breakfast.

When my daughter was younger I would add ham and vegetables, and during her vegetarian years, I made it like a Quiche Lorraine with spinach and a dash of nutmeg. Throughout the years I’ve made it a few different ways, but I always return to ham, cheese and festive red and green bell peppers for Christmas morning breakfast. This year I made it with lump crab meat, artichoke hearts and Asiago cheese. No matter how you make it, it always comes out delicious! Below I’m sharing two ways of making this recipe.

LET’S MAKE THE ORIGINAL HAM AND CHEESE EGG BAKE
Add two tablespoons of unsalted butter to a skillet over medium heat and cook 1/2 cup diced onions and 8 ounces of diced ham and 1/2 cup red & green diced bell peppers. Sauté until the onion is translucent and the ham begins to crisp around the edges. Allow the mixture to cool completely before transferring to a buttered 9X13 oven safe casserole. Evenly sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese and most of the parsley over the ham and vegetables. Set aside.

For the egg mixture: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 8 extra large eggs, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper until completely blended and you don’t see any flour. Whisk in 1 cup heavy cream, 3/4 cup whole milk and blended well.

Pour the egg mixture through a sieve directly into the casserole dish. The sieve will collect any egg particles and flour bits that didn’t incorporate well and it also ensures the silky custard-like texture. Top with extra cheese. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.

In the morning, set the casserole on the counter, remove the plastic wrap and preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour, until the center is set and light golden. Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining parsley. Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings. That’s it! The original Overnight Egg Bake recipe.
Note: The casserole will puff up in the oven and as it cools it will shrink and slightly separate from the sides.

Below is the crab meat & artichoke recipe.

NOW LET’S MAKE THE CRAB & ARTICHOKE EGG BAKE
Add two tablespoons of unsalted butter to a skillet over medium heat and cook 1/2 cup diced onions, 3 scallions cut in bias, and 1 12-ounce jar of artichoke hearts (packed in water and drained) until the onion is translucent and begins to crisp around the edges. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, stir and cook for an additional minute. Allow the mixture to cool completely. Spread mixture evenly onto a buttered 9X13 oven safe casserole and add about 6-7 ounces of lump crab meat. Evenly sprinkle Asiago shredded cheese and most of the parsley, tarragon & basil chopped herbs.

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I love the lump crab sold at Costco. It’s a 16 ounce container of clean meat, no shell pieces.

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For the egg mixture: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 8 extra large eggs and 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese until well blended. Add 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper until incorporated and you don’t see any flour. Whisk in 1 cup heavy cream, 3/4 cup whole milk and blended well.
Note: I added 1/4 cup of mascarpone cheese because it’s a creamy Italian cheese that works well with Asiago cheese and adds another layer of flavor. This is optional so if you don’t have or don’t like mascarpone cheese, you can leave it out.

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Pour the egg mixture through a sieve directly into the casserole. The sieve will collect any egg particles and flour bits that didn’t incorporate well and it also ensures the silky custard-like texture. Top with extra cheese. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.

In the morning, set the casserole on the counter, remove the plastic wrap and preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour, until the center is set and light golden. Remove from oven and sprinkle the remaining herb blend. Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings.
Note: The casserole will puff up in the oven and as it cools it will shrink and slightly separate from the sides.

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ADDITIONAL FILLING IDEAS
Asparagus and Prosciutto or Crab Meat | Mushrooms with Pancetta or Fried Eggplant | Zucchini and Leeks | Bacon, Broccoli and Caramelized Shallots |Spinach and Artichokes | Ham and Spinach or any other flavor combination of your choice. Remember you can also change the shredded cheese to complement the flavor combinations you are creating and if you add spinach or kale, add a little nutmeg!

Keep in mind the filling and egg mixture need to fit in a 9X13 casserole so don’t greatly increase the filling amount. I hope you and your family enjoy this easy breakfast casserole. This recipe was from one of those little recipe booklets you would purchase at the grocery store checkout line, next to Reader’s Digest.