With Mother’s Day and graduation celebrations approaching, I want to share one of my all-time favorite dishes. Though humble in name, this ham and cheese egg bake has been dubbed “that egg bake” in our family because it is that good. It’s substantial, satisfying, and fuss-free. All the prep is done ahead of time, and you can bring it to the brunch buffet (or to the table) right out of the oven.
So why is this recipe so special? I mean, isn’t the egg bake pretty commonplace? The key here (as it often is), lies in the combination of quality ingredients.
Two to note, in particular, are the ham and the (cottage!) cheese.
For the ham, a delicious and resourceful hack is to use leftovers from spiral-cut ham you have on hand, perhaps from a holiday dinner. Dice up your leftovers, and you will have the best ham for your egg bake. If you don’t have spiral-cut ham on hand, I use freshly sliced ham from the deli, such as Boar’s Head Tavern Ham. About a half pound of sliced ham will do.
For the cheese, in addition to the expected Monterey Jack or Colby Jack, the secret ingredient is…. cottage cheese! This surprising addition to the recipe results in a creamy, almost silky texture in the egg bake. To get the best results, I recommend using small curd whole milk cottage cheese (as opposed to regular large curd or part-skim). Your friends and family will be lining up for the recipe.
Ham & Cheese Egg Bake Recipe
Gather your ingredients. You will need a dozen eggs, Tabasco sauce, salt and pepper, shredded cheese such as Monterey Jack or Colby Jack, small curd whole milk cottage cheese, diced ham, flour, baking powder and butter.
This is the cottage cheese I prefer, but you can use any small curd variety that your store sells.
For equipment, you need a 9×13 baking dish and a stand mixer with a whisk attachment.
Preheat the oven to 400°f.
Start by beating the eggs with 5-6 dashes of Tabasco sauce until the eggs are smooth.
Add a bit of salt and pepper to the mixture depending on how salty your ham is.
Next, mix in the cheese, cottage cheese, ham, flour, baking powder and ¼ cup of the melted butter.
Use the remaining ¼ cup of melted butter and swirl it into the baking dish, covering the bottom. It will look like a lot of butter, but this preparation step is key to the craveable crust that the egg bake will develop in the oven.
Pour the egg, cheese, and ham mixture into the prepared pan.
Bake for 15 minutes at 400°f.
Reduce the temperature to 350°f and continue baking for another 25 minutes, or until your dish is bubbly and golden.
Cut into squares and serve warm from the oven. Leftovers reheat beautifully in the microwave… if there are any leftovers! Enjoy!
Ham & Cheese Egg Bake
Ingredients
- 12 eggs
- Salt and pepper
- 5-6 dashes Tabasco sauce
- 1 lb Monterey Jack or Colby Jack Cheese shredded
- 16 oz small curd cottage cheese
- ½ lb good quality ham diced
- ½ cup butter melted and divided
- ½ cup flour regular or gluten-free (I like Mom’s Place Gluten-Free Flour Blend )
- 1 tsp baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉
- In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment beat eggs and add Tabasco sauce.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, depending on how salty the ham is.
- Mix in cheese, cottage cheese and ham, and stir until combined.
- Add in flour and baking powder and ¼ up of the melted butter and mix thoroughly.
- Swirl remaining butter in 9 x 13 pan to coat the bottom and sides of the baking dish, then pour in egg bake mixture.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 400℉, then reduce heat to 350℉ and bake for an additional 25 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
- Cut into squares and serve!
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