Monte Cristo Breakfast Casserole
This Monte Cristo breakfast casserole features deconstructed elements of the classic breakfast sandwich baked to perfection in the oven. Chopped chunks of ham and melted Swiss cheese get baked together with a rich bread filling and topped with raspberry preserves. An absolutely delicious, easy, all in one breakfast or brunch bake!
Easter brunch is so important when we host guests.
Sure everyone thinks of Easter dinner, but let’s not skip starting the day off right.
No matter what time Easter dinner is, no one can hold themselves over without some solid morning fare.
And even though the days of early morning egg hunts are over in our house, my boys haven’t outgrown their hearty appetites.
Meaning I need something on the table that will keep my hooligans out of the kitchen until it’s dinner time.
I love a good breakfast bake like this Monte Cristo breakfast casserole.
It has all the flavors of a Monte Cristo sandwich- ham, Swiss cheese, mustard, French toast, raspberry- with a fraction of the work.
And with its filling mix of carbs and protein, it keeps my boys satisfied for more than half an hour, which is an Easter miracle.
What is a Monte Cristo?
A Monte Cristo is a essentially a fried ham and cheese (typically Swiss) sandwich, and is a twist on the more traditional French croque-monsieur.
This mostly savory sandwich is often lightly sprinkled with powdered sugar before serving, and plated with a side of raspberry fruit preserves.
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:- Eggs– Large eggs
- Half and half– You could substitute whole milk but not lower fat milk
- Dijon mustard
- Seasonings– Nutmeg, salt, and pepper
- French bread– Slightly stale, cubed
- Ham– Diced
- Swiss cheese– Shredded
- Garnish– Powdered sugar and warmed raspberry preserves
How to Make
This Monte Cristo breakfast casserole is pretty easy to make.
Just whisk the eggs, half and half, mustard, nutmeg, and salt and pepper together in a large bowl.
Once the mixture is smooth, stir in the bread until all of the bread is well coated with egg.
Then stir in the ham and half of the cheese until evenly incorporated.
Pour the egg mixture evenly out into an 8×8 pan you’ve sprayed with nonstick spray.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly out over the dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, or until the casserole is golden brown on top and a butter knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the casserole rest 2 minutes before slicing and plating.
Sprinkle each slice lightly with sifted powdered sugar and drizzle it with the warm raspberry preserves.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat in the oven until warmed through.
Tips and Tricks
- This is perfect for using up leftover ham from Christmas or Easter dinner.
- Don’t substitute lower fat dairy for half and half or whole milk. You want maximum fat for the best richness.
- Not a fan of raspberry preserves? Use strawberry instead or just skip them.
Other Breakfast Casseroles
This Monte Cristo breakfast casserole is one of the most delicious breakfasts you’ll ever have! Make it and enjoy!
Looking for other breakfast casserole recipes?
Try these:
- Farmer’s Breakfast Casserole
- Cheddar Bay Biscuit Bake
- Amish Breakfast Casserole
- Chile Rellenos Breakfast Casserole
- Italian Breakfast Bake
Monte Cristo Breakfast Casserole
This Monte Cristo breakfast casserole features deconstructed elements of the classic breakfast sandwich baked to perfection in the oven. Chopped chunks of ham and melted Swiss cheese get baked together with a rich bread filling and topped with raspberry preserves. An absolutely delicious, easy, all in one breakfast or brunch bake!
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Servings: 6
Calories: 918kcal
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups half & half or fuller fat milk
- 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- pinch nutmeg
- salt & pepper to taste
- 6 cups slightly stale, cubed French bread
- 2 cups diced ham
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
- powdered sugar optional, for garnish
- warmed raspberry preserves optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Add the eggs, half and half, mustard, nutmeg, and salt & pepper to a large bowl. Whisk together until the mixture's completely smooth.4 large eggs, 1 1/2 cups half & half, 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard, pinch nutmeg, salt & pepper
- Add the bread, stirring until all of the bread is well coated with egg.6 cups slightly stale, cubed French bread
- Stir in the ham and half of the cheese until evenly incorporated.2 cups diced ham, 1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
- Lightly spray an 8x8" baking dish with non stick cooking spray. Pour the egg mixture out into the pan, evenly spreading it out. Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly out over the dish.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, or until golden brown on top and a butter knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the casserole rest 2 minutes before slicing and plating. If using, sprinkle each slice lightly with sifted powdered sugar. Drizzle with the warm raspberry preserves, and serve immediately.powdered sugar, warmed raspberry preserves
Notes
- This is perfect for using up leftover ham from Christmas or Easter dinner.
- Don't substitute lower fat dairy for half and half or whole milk. You want maximum fat for the best richness.
- Not a fan of raspberry preserves? Use strawberry instead or just skip them.
Nutrition
Calories: 918kcal | Carbohydrates: 127g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 191mg | Sodium: 2068mg | Potassium: 424mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 619IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 448mg | Iron: 10mg
This is something completely new to me but I can see how it would make a great brunch dish. I’d never have thought of serving it with powdered sugar or preserves so I’m excited to see what my family think of that. Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday.
Could this recipe be prepared the night before and baked off the next morning?
Absolutely! Just cover the dish tightly with plastic cling wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake.
Powdered sugar on eggs?????
Don’t knock it til ya try it, Karan! LOL, but really like I said in the recipe, it’s totally optional. It’s just as yummy without it :)
I am going to try his. Sounds so good. Years ago, there was a gourmet restaurant in my town which served a dessert omelette – it was filled with preserves and sprinkled w/confectioners sugar….delish! So, I can totally picture it working in this recipe.
Can this recipe be doubled and put in 9 x 13 pan?
Yes :)
Can you prepare and bake this recipe the night before, refrigerate and heat for breakfast in the morning? School mornings leave little time for baking but I can reheat something already baked. If so, what temperature to reheat and for how long?
Definitely! I’d put it in the oven at 325 for 15-20 minutes, or until hot throughout. I totally can relate to busy school mornings. Meal prepping breakfasts is my saving grace!
Any idea if this could be made in the crock pot…? How long you think?
It easily could be! I’d do low for 6-8 hours, and start watching it/checking for done-ness at the 6 hour mark.
Thank you!
I would think that you could do this in a crockpot. Since the author is so good at replying to questions in a timely manner, I thought Before replying I would see if the originator would comment. When I asked about “making ahead” I got a quick reply. It came out perfectly by the way. Hope you have the same luck as I did. Please let me know if it is adaptable to the crockpot.
Sorry, Mary. I do really try to reply promptly, but sometimes my own life gets in the way and it takes some time. I did reply earlier to the original poster of the crockpot question (I’ll have to double check that it went through), and let her know that it should work just as well in the crockpot. I suggested cooking for 6-8 hours, on low- and begin checking at the 6 hour mark for ‘doneness’.
This was really good! I didn’t have a whole loaf of French bread so I added a couple chopped up bagels. I think the bagels helped it not have a soggy texture or bread pudding texture. It was perfect and reheats really well. Don’t skip the powdered sugar and preserves. It totally makes the dish!!
I love the idea of using bagels! And you’re so right, the powdered sugar & preserves are an essential part of the equation.
Try some oysters & spinach in this, pinch of old bay, put oysters in later to not over cook, no sugar or preserves, top with french fried onions & parmesan cheese. Nice dinner meal
Not a fan of ham, can anything else be used in its place? I know it kind of defeats the whole purpose of this recipe, since you mentioned the name of the recipe stands for ham & cheese, but no one in my family eats ham!
It wouldn’t be the same, obviously, but I think cooked, crumbled breakfast sausage would also work :)
Excellent. Company totally loved it!!
Could this be made ahead and frozen?
You can definitely make it ahead of time, but I would also bake it before freezing. Then when you’re ready to use it, pop it in the oven until it’s heated through.
I have made this several times and it is soooo good. I serve it with powdered sugar and a sauce I make with berries. I’ve also used whatever bread I have around. Even cut up bagels. Turns out great every time.
So glad you enjoyed it, Rachel. I love the idea of using bagels in it. I’m going to have to give that a try next time I make it. I like to serve mine with raspberry jam- but any berry sauce would be delicious!
That was AMAZING!!!! I will make it the next holiday when all the kids are home. So easy and delicious! The powdered sugar and warm jam is a must. Thank You!!!
You’re so right, Jacolyn- those little extra garnishes really are what sets a serving of this casserole apart! It’s good by itself, but those elevate it to greatness.
I cannot believe how delicious this was. Also how easy to prepare.We are camping in an RV and had company this morning. They raved about how good it was. I prepared it the night before and baked it the next morning.I used heavy whipping cream. I only had a 9 inch square pan. Baked it 45 minutes. Served it with a fresh fruit compote. This served 4 of us with some left over. This will become a special morning breakfast at our house, Can’t wait to fix it again. Thanks so much for the recipe.
I love the Monte Cristo at Blue Bayou in Disneyland. This is such a yummy way to enjoy the same flavors. I used what I had so my bread was some torn up bagels and English muffins. Turned out perfect!! I know the sugar and preserves sound weird but it’s a must! It rounds out all the flavors! Don’t skimp on that. Try something new. You never know…
This was an epic fail. I doubled the recipe and used a larger pan. Very expensive failure. I am a very experienced cook and baker and have never had a failure like this. It was awful. Dumped it in the garage. No taste. Don’t waste your time or money on this garbage
I’m so sorry you had this experience. What exactly went wrong? Did it not bake through? You just found the taste too bland? Happy to try and help trouble shoot as we’ve never had any of these issues before.
This was delicious and all the flavors from the raspberry as the crowning glory LITERALLY to this tasty dish——amaze balls! I had it for dinner on a Sunday, lazy night as had left over ham and used some of my brioche hot dog buns that were sitting here. Light, fluffy and browned beautifull—I even used 2% milk and just put a few dollops of butter here and there before putting in oven. I have one piece left and am already thinking of who can I make it for or when do I serve it next!! Thanks so much for a winner!
I’ve made this several times. It is a family favorite. I use half ham, half turkey and always double it.
That’s great that you added turkey to it; makes it a true Monte Christo!
Made this Christmas Eve to eat Christmas morning. Perfect way to use leftover ham. We loved it!
I look forward to making this dish for a brunch. Would croissants be okay to use, or would they be too “airy”, causing the dish would be mushy?
Is there any nutritional info for this recipe? I’m counting calories, protein, and fiber.
There’s an ‘estimated’ nutritional value at the bottom of the recipe card; however, if you want to be as accurate as possible I recommend running it through whatever your preferred calorie measuring app is on your own.