This fluffy Egg Casserole is perfect for busy mornings or serving a crowd. Add your favorite meats, vegetables, or cheeses and choose from a large or small recipe.
With Easter and Mother’s Day on the horizon I thought it would be a great time to share a few new tips for this super easy Egg Casserole recipe. You only need three basic ingredients and the option to add any “mix-ins” that you choose. This is the perfect way to make eggs for a crowd.
Note: If you’d prefer a smaller portion, you can easily cut this recipe in half. I do this often for my family of four (more on that below).
More BREAKFAST RECIPES we love: Easy Banana Bread, Carrot Muffins, Almond Croissants, Baked Oatmeal, Pancake Casserole.
How to make Egg Casserole
This casserole is made with only 3 ingredients: eggs, ricotta cheese or cottage cheese, and butter.
- Eggs: I use 14 large eggs for the big version of this casserole and 8 large eggs for the smaller version.
- Ricotta cheese or cottage cheese: This what helps make this casserole moist and fluffy. You won’t actually taste the ricotta or cottage cheese, but it really helps to impart and fluffy and tender texture.
- Butter: I always cook my eggs in melted butter, so this recipe is no different. Melted butter gets mixed into the eggs and plenty of softened butter greases the baking dish. This adds an underlying buttery flavor that can’t be beat!
- Mix-ins: Prefer your eggs with something in them? Add your favorite mix-ins before baking. Vegetables, meat, cheese, and herbs are all delicious!
What mix-ins to use
Add your favorite meat, vegetables or cheese to the eggs before baking.
- MEAT: Bacon, sausage, or ham. All meat should already be cooked before adding it to the eggs.
- VEGETABLES: Diced bell peppers, potatoes, onion, spinach, kale, green chiles, mushrooms etc. Vegetables are best if they have been pre-cooked. If you are using something with high water content (like spinach or mushrooms), pre-cook and pat dry with a paper towel so that the eggs are not runny.
- CHEESE: Cheddar, mozzarella, gouda, pepperjack, parmesan, goat cheese, or feta are all delicious. You can even use a combination of cheeses. I like to mix some cheese directly into the eggs, and top the eggs with additional grated cheese a minute or two before pulling them out of the oven.
How to make a smaller recipe:
This recipe makes a 9×13 casserole dish of eggs, which serves about 12 people. If you’d like a smaller version you can use the following measurements and bake in a well greased 8×8 baking pan. Cook time should be similar, start checking it around 20 minutes.
- 8 large eggs
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
- 1/2 tablespoon melted butter
- 1/2 cup meat and/or veggies
- 1/3 cup cheese
Make-Ahead Tips
This is a great make-ahead recipe for busy mornings. I often make this at the start of the week and we reheat individual portions for breakfast as needed. Reheating these eggs will not result in that rubbery texture you get from reheating regular scrambled eggs. Even after microwaving they are still moist and fluffy!
Note: If serving company I prefer to bake this recipe fresh, because the eggs are extra thick and puffy straight from the oven which makes for a nicer presentation.
What makes these eggs fluffy?
Two things make this Egg Casserole fluffy:
- The ricotta cheese or cottage cheese.
- Whisking the eggs with the ricotta/cottage cheese really well to incorporate some air into the mixture.
When the eggs are baking they will puff up quite a bit. If you like them puffy and thick, serve them immediately, piping hot from the oven. As they cool they will sink down a bit, but they will still maintain a light, fluffy texture when reheated.
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Egg Casserole
Ingredients
- 14 large eggs
- 1 cup ricotta cheese or small curd cottage cheese
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 1 cup mix-ins, optional, see note
- 2/3 cup grated cheddar, optional
- softened butter, for greasing the pan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°. Generously grease a 9x13 baking dish with softened butter.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs, ricotta/cottage cheese, melted butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Whisk until well combined. The more you whisk the fluffier the eggs will be. Some curds of cottage cheese might still remain, but that's fine.
- Pour the eggs into the greased casserole dish. Sprinkle your mix-ins around evenly. Note: if adding cheese, I prefer to add some into the eggs and the rest to the top of the eggs near the end of cook time.
- Bake until the eggs are puffed and set, approximately 25-35 minutes. Beginning checking at 25 minutes*, then every few minutes until the center is no longer jiggly. A minute or two before you pull it from the oven, top with additional grated cheese. Cut into squares and serve immediately. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator and reheated in the microwave.
Notes
- MEAT: Bacon, sausage, or ham. All meat should already be cooked before adding it to the eggs.
- VEGETABLES: Diced bell peppers, potatoes, onion, spinach, kale, green chiles, mushrooms etc. Vegetables are best if they have been pre-cooked. If you are using something with high water content (like spinach or mushrooms), pre-cook and pat dry with a paper towel so that the eggs are not runny.
- CHEESE: Cheddar, mozzarella, gouda, pepperjack, parmesan, goat cheese, or feta are all delicious. You can even use a combination of cheeses. I like to mix some cheese directly into the eggs, and top the eggs with additional grated cheese a minute or two before pulling them out of the oven.
Jamie Starns says
Mine has currently been in for 35 minutes and is still not set up. What did I do wrong?
Celebrating Sweets says
Did you use a different sized baking dish? If your dish is smaller it will take longer to bake through. Or if your eggs were jumbo or extra large that could add to the bake time as well. Also, the very center can go from uncooked to set in a matter of minutes, so you’ll want to keep an eye on it.
Jane says
Generally, this was really good. However, I too found that it was not nearly ready after 25 minutes. I didn’t read the comments, but a heads up that it takes longer for larger eggs etc. would be helpful. Thankfully I had given myself extra time before I had to leave for a girlfriend reunion brunch, that I could cook it an extra 15 minutes. Not sure if maybe I overcooked it… but I do think it is better right out of the oven and not an hour or more later. They all still liked it. Either way, it’s a great base and I like that there’s no bread in it. Thank you from San Diego!
Celebrating Sweets says
Hi, Jane. Thanks for your feedback. I went ahead an updated the recipe with a slightly longer cook time since I received a few comments about it taking longer. Ovens, bakeware and the variety of mix-ins can all have an affect on the final cook time. I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Violet says
I used ricotta cheese. now normally I am not a fan of ricotta cheese at all. But I had actually bought it for a different recipe. I had no cottage cheese but had some leftover ricotta cheese. It turned out amazing!!!! I tried making this recipe a few days later when I had some cottage cheese. And I actually prefer it with the ricotta!
Celebrating Sweets says
That’s fantastic! Thanks for sharing. I’m going to try that!
Traci says
Hi! Can you prepare this recipe the night before?
Celebrating Sweets says
You can mix up the eggs, cottage cheese, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and refrigerate overnight. Right before baking, whisk vigorously and transfer to a casserole dish. The whisking helps to incorporate air and make the eggs fluffy. Enjoy!
HANNAH FOX says
I tried this recipe for Christmas and it was a hit! So easy, and delicious! I used ricotta instead of cottage cheese because of Violet’s comment, and for the fact that I love ricotta-it was incredible! I’ll be making this regularly. Thank you.
Celebrating Sweets says
Perfect! Thanks for taking the time to comment. Enjoy!
Lin says
Made this for a family brunch and added chopped ham. My husband doesn’t like like cheese but he couldn’t taste the cottage cheese. This recipe was great! Thank you.
Celebrating Sweets says
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Courtney Masrud says
You mentioned that you reheated it. Did you use a microwave or oven?
Celebrating Sweets says
Hi, Courtney. I reheat individual servings in the microwave. Enjoy!
Kel Berg says
very good! i halved the recipe using 8 eggs and added sausage and broccoli for my mix-ins! the ricotta was a secret ingredient!
Celebrating Sweets says
That sounds delicious! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Ashley says
I made this for my mom for Mother’s Day
Nancy says
Was looking for an easy, yet tasty recipe for an egg casserole. This one sounded perfect especially since there were directions for a smaller size. I made it this morning and have to say it was delicious. I used cut up breakfast links and shredded mixed cheddar cheeses. I’m very disabled so this was a big project for me but I have to say that I’m very happy I made the effort. Plenty left over for probably 5 breakfasts for me and all I have to do is microwave it for a short time and breakfast is ready. Thank you so much for this recipe. I’ve bookmarked it as I have a feeling it will be one of my favorites.
Allison says
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Susan says
We have been asked to provide scrambled eggs at a Wounded Warrior event for 35 people. Would this work in a crock pot? Any other suggestions would be appreciated!
Allison says
I would not recommend cooking it in the crock pot, but I’m guessing that you could cut it into squares and keep them warm in a crock pot.