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
- ½ cup ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
- ½ tablespoon melted butter
- ½ cup meat and/or veggies
- ⅓ 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.
NEVER MISS A RECIPE! SUBSCRIBE to our free EMAIL LIST – LIKE us on FACEBOOK – Follow on INSTAGRAM
Recipe
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
- ⅔ 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, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ 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.
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Liz
Will this work with adding frozen hashbrowns at the bottom of the casserole dish?
Thank you!
Liz
Allison
Sure. They should be thawed, and I would recommend baking it in the center to lower third of the oven so the top doesn’t get too dark before the hashbrowns heat all the way through.
Darlene
Can I keep the egg casserole on warm in my microwave oven while baking another dish in my oven for approximately 30 mins?
Allison
Yes, that should work. Just be aware that it will deflate a bit (it will be quite puffy when you pull it out of the oven).
Ashley
can this be prepped overnight and baked before serving?
Allison
Hi, Ashley. You can prep all of the components the night before, but I like to mix it up right before baking.
Cindy
This recipe is so delicious for adults and toddlers alike. I poured 1/2 of the mixture into mini muffin pans and baked for 15 min. My toddler grand babies loved them!!
Allison
Perfect! Thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂
Dotti
My son in law, granddaughter, and I thought the casserole was delicious despite the fact I somehow got the timer wrong and cooked it for 50 minutes. Since I had halved it I was concerned it would be tough. Not so. One question. I had trouble mixing the Ricotta cheese. It was lumpy. Suggestions?
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it. If you whisk it vigorously the ricotta should break up. You could also try whisking the ricotta separately (first) to smooth it out before adding it to the eggs.
Penny
What can you use for a substitution for the cottage or ricotta cheese?
Allison
I’m not sure, I’ve only made the recipe as written. You could maybe use a couple tablespoons of sour cream or milk?
Karen Wilson
I have been desperately looking for a recipe just like this all day. So happy I found it. I am making Easter brunch and have not been able to find just the right thing. This is it. Thank you ever so much. Happy Easter
Melissa
Can i freeze it after its been cooked?
Allison
I would assume so, but I haven’t tried it.
Claudia
This was a hit with my 11 year old!
Soooo, to say the least, this will be a regular sleep over dish!
Kara
I love eggs in all forms and the cottage cheese in this turned me off. Not a fan and none of my egg loving kids would eat more than a bite of this!
Allison
Sorry to hear that! Maybe try the ricotta next time? Thanks for sharing your experience.