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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 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 recipe method, 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.
In This Post You’ll Find:
Ingredients For This Recipe:
Scroll Down For The Full Recipe
- Croissants – large or small
- Ham – I use sliced ham from the deli section
- Swiss or Gruyere Cheese
- Eggs – large eggs are the best for this recipe
- Half and Half or Whole Milk
- Dijon Mustard
- Salt
- Powdered Sugar
What Makes Ham And Cheese Croissant Breakfast Casserole So Good?
Two things make 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 shred the cheese yourself.
Before baking, it’s essential 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 30 minutes. This recipe is ideal for making it ahead of time, so letting it sit overnight is recommended.
How To Store A Baked 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 can’t wait.
Is This Recipe Freezer Friendly?
Yep, it sure is! After baking, wrap the casserole tight in plastic 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 Croissant Breakfast Casserole
As if this casserole was not good enough, I like adding a few more touches to take it over.
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.
What To Serve With This Yummy Goodness:
- Air Fryer Bacon
- Hashbrown Cassereole
- 3-Ingredient Fruit Dip
- Air Fryer Potato Wedges
- Apple Cider Mimosas
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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
Ingredients
- 6-8 medium-sized croissants
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup half and half or whole milk
- 1 ½ 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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Love lo e love this!
Its the trifecta of casseroles. Easy,elegant, & deliscious. It reminds me of the ham& cheese croissants in Paris!
I see you can make & freeze. Is it still just as good? Anyone done this? I want to make ahead for our girlfriend basshbut want it to still be amazing
Thanks
Hey Sheila! Thanks for your sweet words. Wow, I’m honored to be part of your party. 🥰
This casserole freezes really well. Just make sure to thaw it completely, then bake. If you bake it covered, take the foil off the last few minutes to let the bread get crispy on the top.
Let me know how it goes!
~Donya
Wow. Wow!! Our family spends summers on a lake in northern MN, and we are often looking for easy, delicious, stick-to-your ribs breakfast ideas that will feed our guests and us. This recipe fits the bill perfectly!! We serve with lingonberry jam for a little sweetness and tang. Love this recipe!
I love hearing this! Thank you for reaching out and for your terrific rating.
~Donya
My daughter cooked this for us this past weekend. It was awesome, you know how awesome when the kids go back for seconds.
I agree!
~Donya
I made this last night and baked it this morning. I basically halved it since there are only two of us. I used an 8×8 pan. I used three croissants and three extra large eggs. We enjoyed it and have leftovers for tomorrow morning. It is perfect with a fruit salad on the side.
It is definitely a keeper.
Sounds wonderful, Jean! Thank you so much for the terrific rating, too.
~Donya
I tried this recipe and unfortunately it came out so soggy and runny! What did I do wrong? I used the recommended pan size, followed the recipe exactly, etc.
I loved your recipe. I didn’t have any powdered sugar, so I substituted drained pineapple slices and diced them and coated them in brown sugar and it was still very yummy…
So good!! Used a 9×13, so added a few more eggs/milk & adjusted cooking time… served with warm raspberry jam drizzled… absolutely delicious 😋 reminds me of monte cristo sandwiches growing up! Thanks for an amazing recipe… great way to use up leftover Christmas ham!
~Jenny
I am a little confused.
In directions it says to use a deep 9×6 baker or 9×11 pan
In the comments you state you usually use a 9× 23 pan?
If I use a 9×13 will there be enough liquid?
Could I use a cast iron baking dish?
Thanks for your help!
9×23? The other size dishes listed in the recipe work great and using a cast iron pan will work beautifully.
~Donya
I imagine this recipe is delicious as written, but I made adjustments this morning based on what I had. I used your ratio of milk and eggs and added a splash of vanilla to cubed stale croissants and baked as you directed. Delicious!!
Hey there Sarah!
I am so happy to hear that you found your way to this recipe, it makes for a great breakfast or brunch! Personally, I’m a big fan of the ‘use what you have’ style of cooking, so I’m really glad you were able to make this recipe work for you, putting in vanilla sounds like a delicious addition. Thank you so much for your kind words and your fabulous rating, I really appreciate your support! Let me know if you ever have any questions about a recipe, I’m always happy to help!
~Donya
Love your posts. Easy to follow
Hey there Cathy!
I am so happy to hear that you’ve been enjoying my posts! My goal is to always create recipes that are simple to follow and super delicious, so I’m really glad that you found this recipe to be just that. Thank you so much for your kind words of support and your fantastic rating, let me know if you ever have any questions about a recipe, I’d be happy to help!
~Donya
Delicious! I will be making this for future get togethers! This would be delicious with green chili.
Hey there Shana!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, for your kind words, and for your fantastic rating! I am so happy to hear that you’re giving this recipe a try, it is simple to make and you can even prepare it ahead of time for special occasions, holidays or family get-togethers, I think you’re really going to love this dish! Let me know how ev3erything turns out, I’d love to hear what you think!
~Donya
I love your recipes and always look forward to finding a new one from you! I’d like to try this one and I’m wondering if the size of the pan changes the time for baking? I’m considering either the 9×11 or I have an 8×8. Thank you in advance!
Hey there Barbara!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, that’s a great question! So with recipes like this one, the length and width of the pan won’t impact the cook time as much as the depth does, the deeper the pan the longer it needs to cook. For this breakfast casserole, I usually use a 9×13″ baking dish, so I would recommend you use your 9×11″ baking dish. I hope this is helpful, let me know how everything turns out, I really appreciate your support!
~Donya
Hi,
Can you add more eggs to this to add more protein?
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
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?
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
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!
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
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
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
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
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
Delicious! Made it this morning for brunch. Thanks so much for sharing another amazing recipe!!!
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
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
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
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
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