Christmas morning is the perfect time to enjoy an indulgent, relaxing breakfast or brunch -- without any hassle in the kitchen. This easy recipe for Overnight Ham, Egg and Cheese Monkey Bread takes only a few minutes to prep and can be baked right away or chilled until the morning. The savory breakfast casserole is special enough to celebrate the holidays or serve to guests.
Does your family sit down to a special brunch on Christmas morning? It's definitely a tradition in our house, and I spend a lot of time planning the perfect menu! In addition to muffins, pastries, and fruit, I always like to include a savory breakfast casserole as well. My only requirement? Everything has to be ready the night before!
In a house full of little boys, there's NO CHANCE that I'll have any spare moments on Christmas morning to stand in the kitchen making a fancy meal.
Fortunately, this savory monkey bread meets all of my criteria. The family thinks it's delicious, it's easy {heck, it uses refrigerated biscuit dough!}, and I can make it ahead of time.
These three factors also mean that it's a perfect weeknight dinner! No need to wait until the holidays -- you can serve this any night of the week when you're too busy to spend more than a few minutes in the kitchen (isn't that every night? Hah.).
HOW TO MAKE HAM, EGG AND CHEESE MONKEY BREAD BREAKFAST CASSEROLE:
This ham, egg and cheese breakfast casserole only requires about 10 minutes of prep, thanks to help from some shortcut ingredients. To start, you'll need eggs, milk, and refrigerated biscuit dough.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and milk.
Chop the biscuit dough into quarters,
and then toss the dough in your egg mixture.
Next up: the grated cheese, diced ham, and green onions. I use an 8 ounce package of pre-diced ham for a shortcut, but this recipe is also a great way to use up leftovers from your holiday ham!
Stir the cheese, ham and onions into the egg mixture. That's it!
At this point, you can cover the bowl and keep it in the refrigerator overnight OR you can bake it right away.
If you choose to refrigerate the mixture overnight, just make sure that you give it all a good stir in the morning before transferring it to your baking dish.
After about 30 minutes in a 350 degree F oven, you'll be greeted by the most beautiful puffy, golden brown breakfast casserole. I honestly can't think of a better way to start the day!
COOK'S TIPS AND RECIPE VARIATIONS:
- I like it with ham, but you can substitute with your favorite cooked meat such as sausage or bacon!
- Mix up the cheeses! I used sharp cheddar, but you can pick your favorite grated cheese instead. American, Swiss, or Gouda would all be great.
- You need a total of about 20 ounces of refrigerated biscuit dough. If you can't find two of the small (10.2 ounce) cans, then just use one full can and part of an additional can to total 20 ounces of dough.
- If your biscuits start to get too brown on top while the egg finishes baking, simply cover loosely with foil.
- I used a small, deep 2-quart dish, so my casserole took a bit longer to cook through. You want to bake it until it's no longer jiggly and the eggs are set. My deep casserole dish took about 30-33 minutes to set. If you're using a shallow 2-quart dish, your casserole may be done in as little as 25 minutes.
- You do NOT have to prepare the monkey bread the night before! If the prep-ahead option is most convenient, great. Otherwise, bake it right away! Either method works.
- If you choose to prep the mixture in advance, make sure that you give the mixture a good stir in the morning before transferring it to your baking dish.
What to serve withHam, Egg and Cheese Savory Monkey Bread:
There are so many other easy recipes to add to your holiday brunch! Here are a few options that pair nicely with the savory breakfast casserole:
- 2-Ingredient Pumpkin Gingerbread
- 5-Minute Cranberry Fluff Salad
- Cranberry Baked Oatmeal
- Overnight Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread
- Mom's Cranberry Bread
- Dump-and-Bake French Toast Casserole
{Overnight} Ham, Egg and Cheese Monkey Bread
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- ⅓ cup milk
- 2 small (10.2-oz. cans) refrigerated biscuit dough (You need about 20 ounces of refrigerated dough total, so if you can't find the small cans, just use one full can and part of an additional can to add up to about 20 ounces)
- 1 ½ cups diced, cooked ham (about 8 ounces)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup finely chopped green onions plus extra for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- In large bowl, beat eggs and milk with whisk until smooth.
- Separate biscuit dough; cut each biscuit into quarters. Gently stir biscuit pieces into egg mixture to coat evenly. Fold in ham, cheese and onions. Spoon mixture into sprayed dish; arrange biscuit pieces in single layer. At this point you can either cover it and place it in the refrigerator to sit overnight before baking, OR you can go ahead and bake it right away. Whatever is most convenient for you!
- If preparing in advance, cover the bowl and refrigerate the mixture for up to 12 hours. Alternatively, you can bake the mixture right away.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Give the biscuit mixture one more good stir to make sure that all of the ingredients are evenly combined. Transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish.
- Bake, uncovered, at 350° F for about 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and eggs are cooked through. You will know that it's done when it's no longer jiggly in the center. If the biscuits start to brown too much on top, just cover loosely with foil until the inside finishes cooking.
Notes
- I like it with ham, but you can substitute with your favorite cooked meat such as sausage or bacon!
- Mix up the cheeses! I used sharp cheddar, but you can pick your favorite grated cheese instead. American, Swiss, or Gouda would all be great.
- You need a total of about 20 ounces of refrigerated biscuit dough. If you can't find two of the small (10.2 ounce) cans, then just use one full can and part of an additional can to total 20 ounces of dough.
- If your biscuits start to get too brown on top while the egg finishes baking, simply cover loosely with foil.
- I used a small, deep 2-quart dish, so my casserole took a bit longer to cook through. You want to bake it until it's no longer jiggly and the eggs are set. My deep casserole dish took about 30-33 minutes to set. If you're using a shallow 2-quart dish, your casserole may be done in as little as 25 minutes.
- You do NOT have to prepare the monkey bread the night before! If the prep-ahead option is most convenient, great. Otherwise, bake it right away! Either method works.
- If you choose to prep the mixture in advance, make sure that you give the mixture a good stir in the morning before transferring it to your baking dish.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in December, 2014. It was updated in November, 2018.
I've never seen monkey break like this and it sounds WONDERFUL!
This looks like the perfect Christmas morning food!
This sounds fantastic Blair! I'm spreading some foodie love for you! Can't wait to try it! Thanks so much for sharing it with us at #FoodieFridays!
Thanks so much, Michelle!
Hope you had a wonderful holiday Blair! Wishing you a fabulous 2015!
Thank you, Michelle! 🙂
This monkey bread looks so good! It has a such great things going for it--can be assembled the night before and can be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Thanks, Thao!!!
This looks so tasty and EASY to make. Easy is what it's all about, especially on Christmas morning when everything is pretty much chaotic everywhere else! Thanks for posting, I will be making. I mean I probably can just memorize the ingredients, no need to even make a shopping list!
Easy is RIGHT, Danielle! I can't handle anything else on Christmas. 🙂
Wow, this recipe looks sooo good! I need some more recipes like this in my arsenal--prep ahead meals that are delicious!
Thanks, Jennie! It's great for busy weeknight dinners, too! 🙂
love this easy recipe will be adding to my to do list thanks for sharing visiting from saturday night hop have a great x-mas
Hi there! I made a variation of this today (I used broccoli instead of green onions) and wanted to drop by & tell you how much we thoroughly enjoyed it!! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe! Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!! 🙂
Oh, that's wonderful! Thanks SO much for letting me know! 🙂 I love how versatile the recipe is, so I'm glad that you made it your own. Have a Merry Christmas!
Ham and cheese omelets are my favorite breakfast. I have a feeling I am going to love this.
Yes, you will Chrystal! And you'll love how easy it is. 🙂
Question.. what part do you do the night before? Can you roll the biscuit dough and everything the night before?
H Jillian! You can do it all the night before and just cover it in the refrigerator and bake in the morning. Or, you can just do it all in the morning and bake it right away -- whatever is easiest! Enjoy! ?
I'm going to try this recipe at the cottage this summer. There are better things to do at the cottage than spending the early part of the morning in the kitchen.
That's great, Janet! Enjoy! 🙂
I am making breakfast for 4-7 adults and 4 children.
If I double this, would I need double everything? Could I put it all in a 9x13 or two 9x13's?
What size pan do you use for the recipe?
Thanks!
Hey, Larissa! I used an 11 x 7-inch baking dish for the full recipe (2 cans of biscuits). If you want to double this, I would suggest using two 11 x 7 dishes. If you don't have that size, then you could probably squeeze a double recipe into a 9x13-inch baking dish (just leave out a few pieces of biscuits if it gets too full)! 🙂
If you decide to double the recipe, then YES -- definitely double all of the ingredients.
Hope that helps! 🙂
I've made this twice in the past 2 weeks and plan to make it again this weekend, haha. It's so easy and absolutely delicious!
That's great, Traci! I'm so glad that you've enjoyed it -- and YES...it's definitely easy! 🙂
I made this and all the extra egg mixture went to the bottom, any suggestion for this for the next time i make it?
Hey, Falon! If you prepared it the night before, I would suggest giving it a good stir in the morning to make sure that the egg is coating the biscuits and that all of the ingredients are combined well just before baking. Hope that helps!
What kind of biscuits do you use? Would buttermilk Grands do the job or no?
Hi, Rebecca! Yes, Pillsbury Buttermilk Grands biscuits should work perfectly!
Could I substitute frozen bread dough for the biscuits?
Yes, you probably could, but I've never tried it that way, so I can't tell you a specific baking time. Just keep your eye on it and pull it out of the oven when the dough is cooked through. 🙂
This is breakfast lunch And dinner winner! Easy and yummy!
Exactly! Thanks, Theresa! I'm so glad that you liked it!
I know you say you can prep the night before, but I'm curious if it is better done the day before or if I should just do it the morning of? Is there any difference in taste or texture?
Hey, Jodi! Nope, there's absolutely no reason (other than convenience) to prep it the night before. If you have time in the morning to put it together, that's perfect!
Language:The anguage spoken in Turkey is Turkish.
Made this a couple of days ago for a morning Rotary Meeting.
Everyone loved it and super easy. I wanted to use a 9x13 pan
So increased ingredients by 1/2. I will definitely make it again.
Wonderful! I'm so glad that it was a hit, Michelle! 🙂
Made this for work early in this morning, but with turkey sausage and 1/4 cup minced onion (some coworkers don't eat pork and I didn't have green onions.). I also used a 9x13 glass dish. Everyone liked it! Next time I'll use ham and bacon for home. Thanks for the easy recipe!
Awesome! Thanks so much, Cheryl!! 🙂
If using another meat, would you cook it before hand? I have some bacon to use up.
Hi, Briana! Yes, if you're using bacon, you'll want to cook it first. 🙂
My son doesn’t like onions. Any suggestions for a substitute? One person mentioned broccoli-I wonder if you would need to cook ahead of time?
Hi, Louise! I would just omit the onions altogether! If you do decide to use broccoli, I would steam it first. 🙂
Is a 9x13 dish going to be too big for the regular recipe?
Hi, Louise! Yes, if you use a 9 x 13 dish, I would suggest doubling the recipe (using twice as many ingredients). Otherwise I worry that the casserole will be too thin and spread out.
Can you make this in a crockpot??
Hey, Sarah! I've never tried! I'm sure that you could do that, but the texture would be very different because the Crock Pot holds in the moisture and condensation, so the monkey bread would be really damp (and not browned and crispy on top). It would probably still taste good, it would just be a different dish. 🙂
Hi Blair
This recipe looks delicious and easy. I want to make it ahead of time and am wondering if 12 hours is the maximum of time it can sit in the refrigerator before baking. My schedule would allow me to prep approximately 20 hours before baking. Do you foresee a problem with that?
I just made it and o.m.g I whish I could post a pic of it
Yay! So glad that you like it!