Ham, Egg & Cheese Casserole
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Filled with ham, melted cheese, and hashbrowns, this ham, egg, and cheese casserole recipe is the perfect low-carb and protein-rich breakfast to make the morning after a big holiday feast.
Hey friends! Today I’m sharing a recipe from my second book, Come Home To Supper (page 155). This ham, cheese, and egg casserole is a favorite for a low-carb and protein-rich supper, weekend brunch, or breakfast for a group over the holidays or any celebration. Christmas and Thanksgiving morning will be here before you know it!
It’s overflowing with all the good stuff you need to make the perfect brunch. This includes ham (the perfect recipe to make with ham leftovers), cheddar cheese, golden hashbrowns, and eggs, of course. Fortunately, it’s also one of the easiest casseroles to make – just what you want after a big celebration. Simply combine the ingredients and cook in the kitchen appliance of your choice.
I’m using my Instant Pot to make my ham, cheese, and egg casserole. However, it is a slow cooker or oven recipe as well. Instructions for the different cooking methods are in the printable recipe at the bottom of this post. I’ve had tons of people ask me for Instant Pot recipes since I first mentioned having one, so here we go!
Recipe Ingredients
- Onion
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Frozen cubed hash browns
- Diced ham or meat of your choice
- Milk
- Eggs
- Salt and pepper
How to Make Ham, Egg, and Cheese Casserole
Layer 1/3 of frozen hash browns, 1/3 of onions, 1/3 of ham, and 1/3 of shredded cheese in your insert. Repeat this two more times until it is all used up.
Beat eggs, milk, salt, and pepper together and pour over layers.
Instant Pot Instructions
The instant pot has several settings. Personally, I’m just tossing all this in and using the slow cooker setting.
I press “slow cooker” and then press “adjust” until it goes to the “less” light on the display screen.
I now have it slow cooking on low. From there I use the plus or minus sign to move the time up to 7 hours. If you want to cook this on high, just press “slow cooker” and it is automatically on high. Then adjust your time to anywhere between 3 to 4 hours.
You could probably adapt this recipe for a pressure cooker, but I usually reserve pressure cooking in my instant pot for roasts, chickens, stews, dried beans, boiled eggs, and potatoes.
Dig in!
Storage
- Store breakfast casserole leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To freeze this ham, egg, and cheese casserole, wrap it up tight and freeze it unbaked for up to 3 months (learn how to freeze a casserole the right way!). To bake, completely thaw in the refrigerator for 24 to 36 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking and then follow the baking instructions as shown above.
Recipe Notes
- You can chop the onions yourself and shred the cheese if you like but I just love buying these frozen chopped onions for a great shortcut on the days when I just want to make my life a tiny bit easier.
- This breakfast casserole recipe is wonderful with crumbled turkey breakfast sausage. I recommend the Jenn-O brand because that is our favorite. Another option is bacon, of course.
- See the Instant Pot I have by clicking here.
- Want to add more flavor? Opt for a teaspoon of Dijon mustard added to the egg mixture or a teaspoon of Italian seasoning. You could also add some fresh herbs, like chopped fresh parsley, chives, thyme, or rosemary.
- If you’d like to add vegetables, opt for thinly diced bell pepper, zucchini, or mushrooms. Another option is spinach, which pairs perfectly with the casserole.
- You can use any cheese in this recipe or a combination. Other options include Swiss, Colby, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, and Gouda.
- If you decide to oven bake your casserole, you can also add layers of cubed bread (I recommend between 4 to 6 slices of bread cut into pieces). They just won’t crisp up as well in the Instant Pot.
- Serve your ham, , and casserole with salsa, hot sauce, or sour cream and chives.
You might also enjoy these Instant Pot recipes:
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 hash browns in the bottom. Top with 1/3 onions, 1/3 ham, and 1/3 cheese. Repeat two more times.1 bag frozen cubed hash browns, 1 large onion, diced, 1-2 cups cooked ham or crumbled turkey breakfast sausage, 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper until well blended. Pour over the ham and potato layers.10-12 large eggs, 1 cup whole milk, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper
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 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 sign to get it to 7 hours. If you'd like to cook it faster, press "slow cooker", don't adjust to less, then adjust the time to 3-4 hours.
Nutrition
I made this over the weekend and it was very good. I used a 6 qt Instantpot and cooked it for 8 hours. A little bit too long. I think 7 would have been fine. Also, I noticed that many folks complained about there’s being runny. I used frozen potatoes BUT I thawed them before using. The recipe didn’t indicate which way to use them. Try that. The same would be with the onions. Good luck
Thanks for your comment Jeanne and for the 5 star rating! We really appreciate it! I use the cubed hash browns frozen.
Could I use shredded hash browns instead of cubed? I noticed that some say this can turn out soggy, so I’m wondering if you thaw your hash browns and then squeeze out all the liquid if that might help. Any thoughts?
I think that might would work. If you give it a try I would love for you to come back and let me know how it turns out.
Can this be made with egg beaters?
I’ve never used egg beaters in an instant pot but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work 🙂
Thanks!
I cooked this recipe in my Instant Pot for 7 hours on low Slow Cooker and the eggs were still runny and the frozen potatoes were crunchy. So I cooked it on high for 2 hours and it’s still sort of soggy. I’m going to transfer it to a pan and cook it the oven. What’s the consistency supposed to be like when cooked in the Instant Pot? It’s nowhere close to browned.
This didn’t cook well in either a crockpot or an instant pot (I made it in both for s party) thank goodness I made other food as well because this tasted like nothing. Don’t waste your time making it. I’ve never commented on a blog before, but this was bad enough to compel me.
Came out great! A little brown on the edges just right! Top with salsa for a little zing!
There were several questions asking if this could be cooked under pressure. I have read in several blog posts and maybe even in the manual that dairy will curdle under pressure. I would stick to using the slow cooker function of the instant pot for this recipe. Also, if you use the lid that came with the instant pot to slow cook, make sure the pressure value is set to venting.