This baked Western omelet is a simple egg casserole that includes ham, sweet bell peppers, onions, and cheese — with just 15 minutes of prep!
Table of Contents
Looking for even more breakfast inspiration? Try this tater tot breakfast casserole, Sallie’s overnight breakfast casserole, a brioche French toast casserole, this easy French toast casserole, and this ham and broccoli quiche, too!
How to Make a Baked Western Omelet | 1-Minute Video
I have been making your recipe every so often since 2015. Have some house guests who are still asleep and intend having them wake up to this deliciousness… Always a winner!
– Megan
A Few Notes Before You Get Started
- Here you get all of the classic flavors and ingredients of a Western omelette (namely, the eggs, bell peppers, onions, and ham); however, the dish is baked in the oven rather than fried in a skillet. That means that it’s easier to prepare, completely hands-off, and a simple way to serve a family without slaving over a hot stove.
- Dice the onion and bell peppers into very fine pieces so that they soften in the oven. Alternatively, if you prefer softer vegetables in your omelet, sauté the onion and bell peppers in a skillet before adding them to the egg mixture.
- Use leftover ham (such as holiday extras from Easter or Christmas), or just purchase ham at the grocery store to use in this recipe. You can buy a ham steak and dice it yourself at home, or pick up a package of pre-diced ham and avoid the extra prep. Even sliced ham from the deli counter will work!
- Use whole milk or at least 2% milk for the best texture. You need some fat to make a good egg custard, so even half-and-half or heavy cream will work for a richer, more decadent dish.
- Don’t skip the Lawry’s seasoned salt. This single ingredient is an easy way to add tons of flavor to the omelet, since it includes a blend of seasonings like paprika, onion, and garlic. The omelet just doesn’t taste quite as good without it!
Serving Suggestions
This versatile dish works well for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner. It tastes special enough for holidays and celebrations (such as baby showers, bridal showers, and Easter), but it’s also simple enough for a quick weeknight dinner.
Pair the baked Western omelet with sides such as fruit salad, a mixed greens salad dressed in pepper jelly vinaigrette, sour cream blueberry muffins, banana nut bread, zucchini bread muffins, Amish friendship bread, cranberry bread, lemon poppy seed loaf, healthy banana pancakes, baked apple cider donuts, a French farmhouse breakfast cake, Southern fried apples, 3-ingredient biscuits, blueberry bread, this easy cinnamon coffee cake with cake mix, or this cinnamon roll casserole.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- How to Store: Unlike a quiche, there’s no crust to get soggy, so a leftover oven omelet keeps very well in the fridge. Store the Western omelette squares in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. It’s a nice way to prep ahead for busy weekday breakfasts!
- How to Freeze: Let the omelet cool to room temperature. Slice into squares, wrap each individual square in plastic wrap, and then again in foil. The tightly wrapped squares will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- How to Reheat: To reheat the entire casserole, let the dish sit on the counter for at least 30-60 minutes to come to room temperature. Warm in a 350°F oven just until heated through, about 20 minutes. You can also reheat individual slices in the microwave for about 1 minute, or until warmed through.
Love this recipe. I double the ingredients for my family and use ham, green onion, a little bit of mushrooms and cheddar cheese. It tastes fantastic! Thank you for the great recipe!!!!
– Lena
More Egg Casserole Recipes to Try
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Crustless Quiche with Spinach
1 hour hr
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Watch How to Make It
Baked Western Omelet
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs (or use 4 eggs and 6 egg whites)
- 1 cup whole milk or 2% milk (or sub with half-and-half or heavy cream)
- ½ teaspoon seasoned salt (such as Lawry's brand)
- 6 ounces (about ¾ cup) diced cooked ham
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- ½ cup finely chopped green bell pepper
- ½ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley or chives; diced avocado; sliced green onion; salsa
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch-square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk together eggs, milk, and seasoned salt in a large bowl.
- Stir in ham, cheese, onion, and bell peppers.
- Pour egg mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes – 1 hour, or until eggs are cooked and the omelet is set. Cut into squares and garnish with herbs, sliced green onion, salsa, or diced avocado, if desired.
Notes
- Dice the onion and bell peppers into very fine pieces so that they soften in the oven. Alternatively, if you prefer softer vegetables in your omelet, sauté the onion and bell peppers in a skillet before adding them to the egg mixture.
- Use whole milk or at least 2% milk for the best texture. You need some fat to make a good egg custard, so even half-and-half or heavy cream will work for a richer, more decadent dish.
- To serve a larger group, double all of the ingredients and bake the omelet in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. You will likely need to increase the baking time by 5-10 minutes to account for the larger casserole.
Nutrition
Baked Omelette Recipe Variations
- To serve a larger group, double all of the ingredients and bake the omelet in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. You will likely need to increase the baking time by 5-10 minutes to account for the larger casserole.
- Add more vegetables: stir in just about any sauteed vegetables that you like. Good options include zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, and broccoli. Spinach is also a nice addition to the egg bake, and you don’t need to cook it first.
- Try herbs: mix fresh herbs right into the eggs for even more flavor. Good options include chopped fresh parsley, chives, thyme, rosemary, and basil.
- Almost any good melting cheese will work in this omelet. Instead of the sharp cheddar, try Swiss cheese, Colby, Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, or Gouda.
- Instead of the diced ham, use an equal amount of cooked bacon or cooked, crumbled sausage.
This post was originally published in June, 2015. It was updated in August, 2024.
I made this but with no veggies. My husband doesn’t like them. I put ham cheese and mushrooms. Was delicious. Hubby had 2 helpings. I got my veggies by having it with some salsa. Will make it many times.
Sounds like the perfect compromise, Laura! So glad that you both enjoyed it!
Really good. I added hot sauce and topped with more cheese right before it was finished. I also used sausage instead of ham but I’m sure either are perfect!
Thanks so much, Nicole!
This recipe looks delicious, but I’m looking for a vegetarian option. Would I need to do anything different if I omit the ham?
Thanks!
Hey, Jenny! No, you don’t need to do anything different if you omit the ham. You can certainly replace it with something else, though — maybe some sauteed mushrooms?
Hi there. Do I cover this with foil while its cooking?
Thank you
Amber
Hi, Amber! No, you bake it without a cover. 🙂
Delicious and so easy to make. Wife gave me the thumbs up.
Awesome! Thanks, David!!
Hi, there!
This looks fantastic and I can’t wait to try it! Quick question about the baking dish though — does it have to be a square baking dish? Or can I do a round? Thank you in advance!
Oh! One more question — can I use feta, instead of cheddar? Or is cheddar recommended b/c of how it melts?
The feta will work as well. 🙂 It might not melt as seamlessly into the dish because feta is crumbled in chunks, rather than grated finely like the cheddar, but those little pockets of feta throughout will still be delicious!
Thank you! (For the answers to both questions!)
Hi, Andrea! A round pan is great, too!
Hi Blair, Do I need to cover this when I reheat in the oven?
Hi, Irene! Either way will work. I don’t usually cover it, but if you’re planning to keep it warm in the oven at a very low temperature for awhile until you’re ready to serve it, I would cover loosely with foil. Enjoy!
Is this recipe gluten free?
Yes. Lawry’s Seasoned Salt is supposedly gluten free, and you’ll just need to make sure that your ham is gluten free. While the meat doesn’t contain gluten, I believe that some spices and glazes can include gluten.
I made this Friday for our dinner and I have to say it was delicious… and so easy to throw together. I served a fruit cup with it and sourdough muffins!! So good! 🙂 Thanks again for all your recipes and website. 🙂
I’m so happy to hear that, Tess! Thank you for letting me know!
Hi! I am lactose intolerant, do you think almond milk or coconut milk would work well? Do you think the recipe would still work without the cheese?
Thank you!
Hey, Kristen! Yes! You can definitely use non-dairy milk. The consistency of the eggs may not be as fluffy, since the fat in milk helps to create that decadent custard, but the dish will still be good. And similarly, you can definitely prepare the omelet without cheese — it just won’t taste quite the same. Let me know if you give it a shot. Enjoy!
I love this recipe; it is so delicious!!! I like to add rotel to it, and I use cooked chicken instead of ham. But I have made it several times, and it is always a big hit.
Great suggestions, Lydiana! Thank you!
Hello,
I would like to double this recipe and bake in a 9 x. 13 dish.
Question:
Do I use 16 eggs?
Hi, Joan! Yes — you’ll want to double all of the ingredients for the 9 x 13 pan, so instead of using 8 eggs, use 16. Enjoy!
I made this wonderful recipe but used onion, celery, sliced green stuffed olives, diced pepperoni and seasoned with 1/4 tsp. celery salt and 1/4 tsp. garlic salt.
First time making a crustless quiche… easy peasy, it turned out awesome! I used half and half for the milk in the recipe,
the omlet was was very fluffy. Added about 1/4 tsp granulated garlic, 1/2 tsp ground pepper with the seasoned salt.
My husband’s associates at their breakfast meeting devoured both 8×8 pans.
Next time I am going to add some mushrooms and spinach. Thanks for the great recipe.
Rotel tomatoes would be a great addition too to kick up the heat a little.
Awesome! I’m so glad that it was a hit, Aprile! Thanks for your note. 🙂
I am hosting a 30 people brunch and I am thinking of increasing 3x the recipe. I have 2 questions. First, can I use one very deep 14×10 ceramic pan and second can I make it a week ahead of time (I have a loot of other dishes to make) bake it, freeze the whole pan, then reheat it on the day of the brunch at 325F (from room temp). Thank you in advance for your answer.
Hi, Anastasiia! Yes, you can freeze the dish in advance — that should work fine! The recipe feeds about 6 people, so you might need to multiply it by 5 to feed your crowd of 30 (unless you’re also offering a lot of other filling options, in which case you probably wouldn’t need quite as much). One recipe requires a 2-quart baking dish. If you multiply the recipe x3, you’ll need to just make sure that your 14 x 10 dish can accommodate about 6 quarts. Otherwise, I would multiply the recipe x4 and bake in two regular 9 x 13 pans. I hope that helps to answer your questions. Enjoy!
I made this but I changed it up a bit by lessening the milk to about a third cup and added a third cup of sour cream. I don’t really measure I go by gut instinct when making food for my family. It always comes out really good cause it’s made with my heart therefore it comes out really good.vI also used more cheese Monterey and cheddar last 5-10 minutes if baking added cheeses on top
Sounds perfect, Cindy! Thank you!
Delicious!! This one is a keeper!
Wonderful! Thanks, Sarah!
This is a super easy breakfast casserole and it’s so yummy too! The only thing I added was some freshly ground black pepper to taste. It made for a very tasty breakfast for dinner that the kids also enjoyed. It’s healthy too!
Thank you so much, Christine! I agree — a healthy, easy, and family-friendly option. Thanks so much for taking the time to come back here and leave me a note. 🙂
I made this Omelet last night for our dinner and it was delicious! I’ve made it twice nice now and we’ve enjoyed it both times! It’s yummy! Easy to make and easy clean up too. So thanks again Blair. 🙂
That’s awesome, Tess. Thank you!
My family decided this is a keeper and requested it be moved to our Christmas breakfast menu. We are blessed that now some of our children, spouses, grandchildren and a soon to be grandson live within driving distance for a day visit. I found this recipe Friday night and pinned it. I knew a couple of the children and their families were coming up on Sunday for brunch and decided perfect time to try it but knew I would have to double the recipe. Technically it should have fed the six adults but I knew with our men it wouldn’t work.
I made a few changes. I added 2 yellow, red and orange peppers, 4 green peppers, added 7 diced Roma tomatoes and a large package of sliced mushrooms. Kept the other ingredients, just doubled the amount. After I put everything except eggs in my baking dish I added 2cups of shredded Mexican cheeses. I then poured on my 16 egg batter that set with everything in bowl the eggs set right above the Mexican cheeses. I baked for 45 minutes and pulled it out and it still was a little liquid in the middle. I added a bag (2 cups) of cheddar cheese and three diced Roma tomatoes on top and cooked 15 more minutes. Came out perfect, passed the toothpick test and lightly brown start to cheddar cheese. (In the old days when the children were home it would have been full of jalapenos but spouses of children don’t care for the heat) I served with mild and medium Salsa. Everyone started talking after the first bites, keeper!!!! Thank you so much for your recipe that got me thinking and made a our family recipe. A big hit!!
Your version sounds great, Darlene. Thank you for sharing! Merry Christmas to your family! 🙂
Just wondering if I could use cooked bacon instead of ham? I made a similar recipe years ago using ham which made the dish extremely salty.
Yes, that will definitely work, Linda. 🙂