Ham and Cheese Breakfast Bake
And bacon. It also has bacon in it. The magical animal. Or so says the omnipotent Homer Simpson. At least that bumbling animated oaf got something right.

Growing up I had a terrible case of the I-hate-bread-puddings, imagining old people food and Isotoners abound. But then I realized one day that adding bourbon to the mix and a heart stopping amount of butter could make anything better. This time around I opted instead for a savory bake that one could actually feed to one’s family and children that was a mix of ham and cheese grilled sammie with eggs.
Life is better when you can do a mash-up of breakfast foods and childhoo
d favorites. It’s like the Glee of breakfast foods. Get it? Mash up?
*Sidebar* Is anyone else still into that show? As much as I loved it in the beginning, I think I’m kinda getting over it. I’ve tried pin pointing what the jump-the-shark moment was, but I suppose kind of like Grey’s Anatomy – at some point it just didn’t do anything for me anymore.
End rant.
This breakfast bake is put together quite similarly to another bread pudding recipe, chock full of thinly sliced pears and well, as any self respecting girl w/should – chocolate. They’re practically the same, but for that. And the sugar. And the cheese. And the bacon. Ya know.
Everything good and decent in life starts with 2 cups of shredded cheese.
5 slices of bacon, fried and chopped.
Black Forest ham is the hammiest of the Black Forest hams.
And when combined all together with slices of crusty carby French Bread – the world is a more peaceful place and so is your tumtum. Like the mother of a toddler, I just said tumtum. Sorry about that. Truly.
Into a 13×9 inch sprayed pan, line it with one slice of bread, two slices of ham, a drizzle of shredded cheese and then another bread. Lather, rinse, repeat with the rest of the pan – cramming as much of these into the pan as possible.
Once the layers are combined, and the magical animal is sprinkled on top like Oinking Fairy Dust – 8 whisked and beaten eggs with 1 cup of milk are poured over the top of the whole hammy, cheesy pan and tossed into an oven at 350 for 40-45 minutes.
If you’re really feeling like a rebel – you can even make this the night before a family brunch. Because the last thing you want is to be panic with the in-laws arrive and you’re still in your bathrobe with bunny slippers and scrunchie clad.
With fluffy eggs, melty cheese and magical bacon and ham mixed in – this is a dish bestowed upon you by the ham-gods. Mmmm, ham gods.
*Sidebar* Just enjoy this cheesy hammy bake with a side of fruit. It would make your mother happy.
Print
Ham and Cheese Breakfast Bake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
With fluffy eggs, melty cheese and magical bacon and ham mixed in – this is a dish bestowed upon you by the ham-gods. It can even be made the night before for an easy brunch dish that you just pop in the oven!
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French Bread, sliced 1/2″ slices
- 8 whole Eggs
- 1 cup Milk
- 3/4 pound, sliced Black Forest Ham
- 2 cups Cheddar Cheese, shredded or variety of your choice
- 5 slices Bacon, fried and chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 13×9 inch pan with non-stick spray. Slice french bread into 1/2″ thick slices. Set aside.
- Fry five slices of bacon, let cool and then chop into small pieces. Set aside.
- In medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk until evenly combined.
- Shred cheddar cheese, or other cheese of your choice, and set aside.
- In 13×9, layer one slice of french bread on it’s end, placing two slices of ham next to it. Sprinkle on cheese.
- Layer another slice of french bread next to cheese and ham – like a sandwich standing on it’s end. Repeat process until all of bread, ham and cheese has been layered.
- Sprinkle chopped bacon on top.
- Pour milk/eggs mixture over the top of the whole pan of bread/ham/cheese.
- Place in oven for 40-45 minutes or until egg is cooked through.
- Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes. Slice and serve.

Savoury bread puddings are amazing, just look at all that breakfast goodness!
This is my first savory pudding – and I think it’s the start of a new obsession.
This looks delicious! I love all the ingredients.
I love breakfast bakes! They’re so easy to make and they can serve and army! And this baby has so much depth. Will have to make this at my next brunch get-together.
I hope you make it and love it. I ate it at two meals a day until it was gone hahah
Bwuhahahahaha…. you had me at ‘Oinking Fairy Dust’. This looks amazing, Megan. I love me a good breakfast bake. I never really thought of them as meat-laden bread pudding, but it is an absolute truth. I’m thinking this needs to go on my dinner menu for next week.
Oinking Fairy Dust – I was feeling particularly snarky. haha
Breakfast bakes are the jam (ha, pun not really intended, but kinda funny nonetheless). Savory ones, sweet ones, whatever…I love them.
btw…I love you even more for calling Homer Simpson an oaf goat. I cannot stand him or the Simpsons (although he definitely did get the bacon thing right) and usually people look at me like I’m an alien when I say that.
I grew up on the Simpsons, the classic ones are great – but the new ones just suck terribly. Somedays I can watch an episode or two and somedays I just want to flip the channel faster than if an informercial were on. haha
But you’re right – he did at least totally nail down the amazingness of bacon.:)
I have an irrational fear of bread puddings, but this looks and sounds so amazing I’m going to have to try it. Pinned 🙂
WOW! That looks SOOOOOOO good!!!! I just pinned it. I know my hubby will love it. Great pictures too!!
I hope your hubster loves it! I know I did – I ate it for breakfast and dinner until it was gone! haha
I’m salivating. Gimmie some of dis!!
I am never tried a bread pudding, something about it makes me think there is no way I could like it. I know, makes no sense! Someday I will get over it though!
Now this is one mouthwatering, manly breakfast! My husband would go nuts for this… if I didn’t eat it all first. 😉 Thanks for sharing Megan! Also, I’m having a ChicWrap giveaway today that you should enter!
I don’t love bread pudding, it’s a texture thing. Soggy bread gives me the willies. But my husband loves it, and I’ve been trying to talk myself into making it for him. Turning it into a breakfast food is a great idea, because I’m pretty sure we could both eat it this way!!
mmm… bacon.
Oohhhh black forest ham and bacon all in one breakfast… yes please!
BTW, I had a very tawdry (ok, not tawdry at all) email and phone relationship with Matt Morrison when I was in college, we were introduced by a mutual friend. And the summer before Glee was first aired I threw out an entire box of photos and letters from him thinking, “I haven’t seen this guy in YEARS why would I keep this??” It’s OK to hate me for that. OOOOHHHH and don’t worry about telling us all about your TV debut, it’s fine. Seriously we aren’t DYING to hear about it. At all. Seriously, whatever.
Uh, yum. I will take two please. One for me, and the other for, well, me!
That looks realllllly fluffy and delicious!!!
Breakfast is the most wonderful of meals. Yum!
Yum! This looks delicious. I love breakfast bakes, and this one looks fantastic!
My goodness…I luuuuurve breakfast bakes!
I never used to like bread pudding until I moved to the South. I’ve never had a savory pudding! This looks eggcellent!
This looks incredible.
I’d eat this for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
Megan, this looks amazing. . dude, I want this for breakfast. . and yeah, stopped watching Glee many many seasons ago. . didn’t even know it was still on!
If you make this the night before, I’m assuming you would also have to reheat it before you eat it, correct?
What do you recommend for oven temp and time?
This was very tasty! I served with some sour cream on top. I used a loaf of homemade bread and sausage as the meat, because that’s what I had on hand. Thanks for a yummy weekend recipe!
Thanks so much, Stacy! I’m so glad it was a hit! And dang, I will definitely have to remake this with sour cream on top!
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