Cozy Ham, Cheese, & Egg Casserole
This easy Ham, Cheese, & Egg Casserole is the kind of breakfast bake that earns its spot in the regular rotation. Gooey cheese, salty ham, and fluffy eggs? Yum! You’ve got options too: bake it in the oven, toss it in the slow cooker, or whip it up in the Instant Pot. Pick whatever works best for your schedule!
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ✅ Recipe Name: Cozy Ham, Cheese, & Egg Casserole
- 🕐 Ready In: 1 hour 15 minutes
- 👥 Serves: 6 servings
- 🥣 Main Ingredients: Frozen hash browns, Large Onion, Cooked ham or crumbled turkey breakfast sausage, Cheddar cheese, Large eggs
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: This easy Ham, Cheese, & Egg Casserole is the kind of breakfast bake that earns its spot in the regular rotation.
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One of My Favorite Ways to Start the Day
If there’s one breakfast dish that never lets me down, it’s a good Ham, Cheese, & Egg Casserole. It’s hearty, comforting, and exactly the kind of recipe that makes mornings feel manageable when the coffee hasn’t quite kicked in.
This easy breakfast casserole is the perfect way to use leftover ham, but it’s just as good with crumbled turkey breakfast sausage. The hash browns create a hearty base, while the eggs and milk bake up tender and custardy, holding everything together.
It’s also a great base recipe! Once you’ve made it the first time, you’ll start thinking of all the ways to tweak it next time, which, in my humble opinion, is what defines easy recipes.
Make sure to add these Hearty Grab and Go Breakfast Burritos to your breakfast lineup!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Frozen cubed hash browns
- Large Onion, diced
- Cooked ham or crumbled turkey breakfast sausage
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Large eggs
- Whole milk
- Salt
- Pepper
A Few Pointers
- Keep those hash browns frozen! Putting them in frozen helps the casserole bake evenly and stops them from turning into mush.
- Got room-temp eggs? Use ’em. They mix into the milk way better and help everything bake more evenly.
- Grease that dish! No matter what you’re baking in, a good spray of nonstick will make your life so much easier when it’s time to clean up.
- Let it rest before slicing. Give the casserole about 10 minutes to rest. This helps it firm up so it doesn’t fall apart when you serve it.
How to Make Ham, Cheese, & Egg Casserole
Step 1: Layer the Casserole
Spray your casserole dish, slow cooker insert, or Dutch oven with nonstick cooking spray. Spread one-third of the hash browns in the bottom, followed by one-third of the onions, ham, and cheese.
Repeat the layers two more times, finishing with cheese on top.
Step 2: Mix the Eggs
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper until fully combined. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the layered ingredients, making sure it seeps down into the potatoes.
Step 3: Cook Using Your Preferred Method
- Oven: Bake uncovered at 325°F for about 90 minutes, until the eggs are set and the top is lightly golden brown.
- Slow Cooker: Cover and cook on low for 7–8 hours or high for 3–4 hours.
- Instant Pot: Use the slow cooker function and cook for 7 hours on “less,” or 3–4 hours on standard slow cooker mode.
Make It Your Own
This casserole is easy to customize depending on what you have on hand. You can swap cheddar cheese for Swiss cheese or a cheese blend, add bell peppers, green onions, or fresh parsley, stir in cottage cheese for extra protein and creaminess, or use bread cubes or white bread instead of hash browns for a different texture.
It’s a great recipe for experimenting without ruining breakfast!
What to Serve with Ham, Cheese, & Egg Casserole
This dish is filling on its own, but it pairs beautifully with fresh fruit, homemade biscuits, or a simple green salad if you’re serving it for brunch.
Storage & Leftovers
Let leftovers cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave or warm larger amounts in the oven, covered loosely with aluminum foil to prevent drying out. It’s just as good the next morning, which is always a plus!
Frequently Asked Questions
Most certainly. Assemble the casserole, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. Let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before baking.
The center should be set and no longer jiggly. A knife inserted in the middle should come out mostly clean.
Of course! Bake it first, cool completely, then wrap tightly and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight before reheating.
Ingredients
- 1 bag frozen cubed hash browns 32 ounces
- 1 large onion diced
- 1-2 cups cooked ham or crumbled turkey breakfast sausage
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 10-12 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Spray the insert of a slow cooker, instant pot, or 5-quart Dutch oven with nonstick cooking spray. Place 1/3 of the hash browns in the bottom. Top with 1/3 onions, 1/3 ham, and 1/3 cheese. Repeat two more times.
- In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper until well blended. Pour over the ham and potato layers.
To make in the oven
- Bake, uncovered, at 325 for 90 minutes, or until the eggs are set.
To make in the slow cooker
- Place the crock in the slow cooker, cover with the lid, and bake on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
To make in an Instant Pot
- Place the insert in the Instant Pot. Press “slow cooker”, then “adjust” until the light comes on under “less”. Adjust the time using the plus and minus signs to get it to 7 hours. If you’d like to cook it faster, press “slow cooker.” Do not adjust the temperature to less; instead, change the time to 3-4 hours.
This took a little longer in my instant pot, set it for 7 hours on low, checked it around 6 and the eggs were still completely wet. Turned it up to high at this point, at 7 hours the eggs were still pretty runny. So next time may try setting on the med setting for 8 hours. Also used frozen potatoe obrien (diced potatoes, green peppers, onions) instead of just hash browns because they happened to have these at Aldis this week. Was very yummy when it was finally done, some of us made breakfast burritos by just filling tortillas & topping with salsa, super yummy!
I was so looking forward to this recipe but I just woke up to an instant pot breakfast failure. 🙁 I followed the recipe exactly but ended up with a super wet (still not sure if it’s underdone eggs or water from the hash browns) casserole that burned to the bottom of my instant pot. If I try it again I might try it in an actual slow cooker instead.
Hey Kara! I’m sorry you had a problem. I’ve never had any issue with it on my end. When you say you “woke up” to an instant pot failure, did you cook it overnight? It sounds like it cooked too long but your sleep schedule is very likely very different from mine 🙂 (Mine is a little cray cray)
I had almost the exact same problem. After 7 hours on low in the Instant Pot, the bottom third was cooked and starting to brown, but the rest of it was like soup.
I had the same problem. I’m hoping it will turn out by manually cooking for 30 minutes after cooking on slow cooker for 4hrs on high.
Have you done any other Instant Pot recipes?
My bad…I didn’t read the whole blog. Sorry. However, I would like to know it I didn’t use potatoes and used green & red peppers as well as spinach if I should use less time?!? Tks in advance
Have you made this in your Instant Pot slow cooker yet? How did it turn out?
Would love to know how you can convert it to the quick pressure function
I would love to know if this can be converted to the quick pressure time too!
Me too!
So I played around with this recipe and finally came up with this: I used an oven safe bowl that fit inside my IP and sprayed it with cooking spray. I added a cup of water to the IP, halved the recipe and loaded up the bowl (you could also do mason jars and fill multiple ones) and set it on a trivet inside the IP insert. I pressure cooked on high for 12 minutes plus 5 minutes of natural release. It came out great. I added salsa and sour cream and it was a family hit.
Do you just use the lid that came with the instant pot when you use it as a slow cooker?
Yes the the lid that came with it
is used when slow cooking.