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Buttery croissants, smokey ham, and gooey cheese are all baked together for the ultimate breakfast casserole. Inspired by the French classic, Croque Monsieur, this is an easy-to-make recipe that’s heavenly served with powdered sugar, jam and perfect for breakfast, brunch, and a must for the holidays.
Ham, cheese, eggs, and light, fluffy bread. That’s the stuff dreams are made of. Well, at least that’s true for my family. When all those things come together in one place like a make-ahead casserole, then let’s just say, life is grand!
One of my favorite brunch dishes is a French bistro classic, Croque Monsieur. The name means “Mister Crunch” and is a toasted sandwich made with ham and cheese. I’ve taken a few (well, maybe more) liberties with the original method of making that recipe, put them all together, and turned everything into a casserole.
This recipe is effortless and comes together in just minutes. It’s the perfect make-ahead dish for a lazy weekend brunch. It makes a lovely light supper served with a fresh salad. And, I promise this Ham and Cheese Croissant Breakfast Casserole will be everyone’s favorite when served on a holiday morning or family celebration.
Ingredients For This Recipe:
- Croissants
- Ham
- Swiss or Gruyere Cheese
- Eggs
- Half and Half or Whole Milk
- Dijon Mustard
- Salt
- Powdered Sugar
What Makes Ham And Cheese Croissant Breakfast Casserole So Good?
There are two things that makes this breakfast casserole so good. These simple tips will make your recipe turn out great every time.
Select croissants from the bakery section of your local grocery store or favorite bakery. Choose a nice, slightly smokey ham, and make sure to shred the cheese yourself.
Before baking, it’s important to let the bread soak up the yummy, rich, egg mixture. That’s done by covering the casserole and letting it chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes. This recipe is ideal for making it ahead of time so letting it sit overnight is recommended.
How To Store This Breakfast Casserole
This dish makes a marvelous leftover meal! Once baked, it will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheating in the oven is best but you can also pop it into the microwave if you just can’t wait.
Is This Recipe Freezer Friendly?
Yep, it sure is! After baking, wrap the casserole tight in plastic wrap or foil and freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to serve, thaw in the fridge then reheat.
How To Serve This Yumminess
As if this casserole was not good enough on its own, I like to add a few more touches to take it over the top.
I give the top a dusting of powdered sugar. Here’s how:
- put a couple of tablespoons of confectioners sugar into a small strainer and tap it against the palm of your hand while moving over the baked casserole. Add as much or little as you like.
I also like to serve strawberry or raspberry jam on the side for an added bit of sweetness. I load up my fork with a bite of the baked ham, cheese, and eggy croissant then drag it through a bit of the jam. It’s total, absolute perfection!
More Delicious Breakfast Recipes
- Sausage And Cheese Breakfast Casserole
- Easy Cinnamon Rolls
- Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins With Lemon Glaze
- Ham and Cheese Strata
- Waldorf Salad
- Cheesy Sausage Cornbread Quiche
Last but not least…
I love hearing from you, so please leave a rating and a comment if you don’t mind. And don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and tag me with a photo.
Ham And Cheese Croissant Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 6-8 medium-sized croissants
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup half and half or whole milk
- 1 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- pinch of salt
- 8 ounces deli or leftover ham (about 6 thin slices)
- 6 ounces shredded swiss or gruyere cheese
- powdered sugar
Instructions
- Lightly coat a 9×6 deep baking dish with cooking spray. **A 9×11 baking dish can also be used.**
- Tear croissants in half and place in prepared pan. Cut ham into thirds and nestle around the croissants. Sprinkle on shredded cheese.
- In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, half and half, Dijon mustard, and salt. Pour over croissants. Cover with foil and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or overnight.
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place covered breakfast casserole in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until hot and bubbly with a golden top.
- Remove casserole from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.
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Cheri
Delicious! Made it this morning for brunch. Thanks so much for sharing another amazing recipe!!!
Donya
Hey there Cheri!
Thank you so much for this fantastic rating and your sweet comment! I am so happy to hear you liked this Casserole, honestly it’s one of my absolute favorite breakfasts! Thank you for your support, hope you have a great rest of your day!
~Donya
Liz webb
Trying this on Sunday I am a little confused, you say to tuck ham around the halved croissant so are you not assembling it like a sandwich where do the top halves go Assuming the go on top of the ham and cheese and bottom half, then with egg mixture poured over the whole thing? Do I have that right
Donya
Hey there Liz!
That’s a great question! Honestly, you can really arrange it any way you’d like. I generally place ham around the torn croissants, tucking them in only in some places, but if you would like to assemble it more like a sandwich and then pour the egg over, that would work as well. Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, I hope you enjoy!
~Donya
Liz
Thanks so much for clarifying I am anxious to try this on Sunday, I was looking for something different and this definitely fits the bill, I have also found a white sauce that I will try topping with
Donya
Hey there!
Yeah, my pleasure, always happy to help out with any questions. This dish is definitely something tasty most people haven’t tried, it’s one of my favorite Brunch recipes. I hope y’all enjoy, let me know how it turns out!
~Donya
Jessica Lawler
Might be a silly question, but if you’re letting the eggs soak into the croissant overnight, do I need to bring the dish to room temperature before putting it in the oven? Worried about the glass shattering going from cold to hot or does that not actually happen, lol I’m probably being paranoid, apologies but I am new to cooking, the recipe looks amazing though, I really want to try it. Thanks in advance
Donya
Hey Jessica!
That’s actually a really great question! You can do one of two things to make sure the glass doesn’t shatter in the oven; you can either allow your dish to come to room temperature after removing it from the fridge, or you can put it in the oven as the oven preheats and then cook it covered in foil for 15-18 minutes instead of 20 minutes. I hope this helps, let me know what you think about the dish if you end up trying it, I hope you enjoy! Thank you for your support!
~Donya
Natalie
This is hands down the best breakfast casserole I’ve had in 20 years! So different and easy to prep I took it to a girls weekend and we had 5 stars from five people and I gave the recipe to the others. Love Love Love
Donya
Hey there Natalie!
My goodness! Thank you so very much for your kind words and this fantastic rating! I am thrilled to hear that you and the girls enjoyed this recipe, I completely agree with you it’s so easy to make, you can make it ahead and freeze it or keep it in the fridge and reheat for weekday breakfasts. If you liked this recipe you should check out my French Toast Bread Pudding recipe, it’s a super easy make-ahead casserole with all the flavors of French toast. Thank you so much for your support, I really appreciate you sharing my recipe! I hope you have a happy holidays!
~Donya
Mom2boys
YUM!! 👍👍 I used 3 1/2 lg croissants & cheddar. Added a little yellow mustard to egg & milk. Baked in clear glass 9×12 pan. DELISH!
Donya
Hey there!
Wow! I am so thrilled to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, it sounds like you made a delicious meal! I highly recommend keeping this recipe in your back pocket to use when you have Ham leftovers, you can slice the ham thinly and then use the leftovers in this recipe, it’s delicious! Thank you so much for your kind words and this fantastic rating, I am so happy you liked this dish, I appreciate your support!
~Donya
Barbara jackson
To make this breakfast more portable (think grandson eating on the way to school) could I somehow spread the jam inside the crouissant so that it doesn’t have to be served on the side?
Donya
Hey there Barbara!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, that’s a great question! You can totally add the jam into the casserole before you bake it to lessen the mess. Spreading the jam inside the croissants, like you suggested, would be perfect. If you’re looking for other easy grab-and-go breakfasts to eat in the car, you should check out my ‘Sausage Egg and Cheese Breakfast Cupcakes,’ they’re super easy to make and are great to eat in the car on the way to school. I hope this is helpful, let me know if you have any other questions, I really hope you enjoy the recipes!
~Donya
Rachel
Hi,
Can you add more eggs to this to add more protein?
Donya
Hey there Rachel!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, that’s a terrific question! I wouldn’t necessarily add more eggs to this recipe because the ratio of egg to add-ons in this casserole is what gives the dish it’s great texture, adding more eggs would likely change the cook time as well as the texture of the dish. If you’re looking to add more protein, I would recommend adding extra ham or cheese instead of extra egg, it’ll give you that bump in protein without changing the cook time. I hope this is helpful, let me know how everything turns out!
~Donya