Making this Overnight Egg Bake is a great way to feed a crowd early in the morning for breakfast or to serve as lunch when paired with a salad. It also makes for an ideal dish to take to brunch get-togethers and is great for using up a lot of milk so you don’t waste it.
Love eggs? Got extras that need using? Be sure to check out our recipes for what to make with eggs.
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Somedays you’ve got time to prep a meal right before you want to eat it. Other days, you just don’t have the time.
That’s when freezer meals and other make-ahead dishes come into play.
You can do the cooking when it’s convenient to do so and enjoy the dish when you’re ready — without a lot of last minute hassle.
Overnight Egg Bake with Bacon and Cheddar
One recipe that fits this bill perfectly is the Overnight Egg Bake. A creamy egg custard enrobes tender bread cubes studded with bacon and cheddar cheese. It’s an ideal make-ahead breakfast or lunch.
What is in an overnight egg bake?
An egg bake is basically cubed bread, cheese and/or meat and/or veggies, covered in an egg and milk mixture that is refrigerated overnight and baked in the morning.
In some ways it’s like a savory bread pudding.
Of course, you don’t have to add the bread, like this Spicy Turkey Egg Bake
What kind of bread should I use in an egg bake?
Since the bread cubes absorb moisture from the egg custard, dry bread is best for an egg bake.
Bakery bread that is close to its “sell by” date is often marked down in order for it to sell quickly before it spoils. This bread is perfectly good, but may be a bit dry, making it perfect for egg bakes!
What size pan do you use for an egg bake?
Usually egg bakes are prepared in 9 x 13-inch baking pans. However, if you enjoy making things in individual servings, be sure to see the notes for directions in making single-serve portions.
Can I freeze an egg bake?
Egg casseroles freeze beautifully. Assemble, wrap, and freeze prior to the baking step in the recipe.
The night before you want to serve it, remove the dish from the freezer and place it in the fridge to thaw. Bake as normal in the morning.
How do you make an overnight egg bake?
An egg bake is super easy to prepare, especially since you can make it several hours in advance.
- Assemble all your ingredients.
- Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.
- Spread the bread cubes across the bottom of the dish.
- Sprinkle the cheese and bacon over the bread cubes.
- Whisk together the eggs, milk, mustard, and pepper. Pour this mixture over the bread cubes. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for several hours.
- Preheat the oven and bake.
- Serve hot or warm.
How can I make this recipe economically?
This recipe isn’t expensive to make, even from scratch. However, there are things that you can do to make your sweet treat even better.
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. When you see a good price on bacon, cheese, and eggs, stock up and stash for later.
- Use up leftovers. This is a great recipe for using up whatever you have left from other meals: obviously cubed bread and shredded or crumbled cheeses, but also chopped onion and cooked veggies. You can swap out the bacon for leftover ham or sausage if you have it.
How I make this recipe easily:
This recipe really couldn’t be easier than it is, but having the right kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs.
Here are the tools that I use for this recipe:
- stainless steel mixing bowl – I’m not sure you have too many of these.
- silicone spatula/spoon – I have two or three of these – so convenient!
- USA muffin pans – best pans ever. No need to spray and they easily wash up.
- wire whisk – be sure to get one with a sealed barrel so that dish water won’t get stuck in the crevises.
If you prepare this recipe, be sure to share a picture on social media and hashtag it #GOODCHEAPEATS. I can't wait to see what you cook up!
Overnight Egg Bake with Bacon and Cheddar
Ingredients
- 6 cup bread cubes
- 5 oz cheddar cheese (shredded) (1 ¼ cup)
- 4 slices bacon cooked and chopped
- 9 egg beaten
- 2 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Spread the bread cubes across the bottom. Sprinkle the cheese and bacon over the bread cubes.
- In large mixing bowl, combine the egg, milk, mustard, and black pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the bread and cheese mixture.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- In the morning, preheat the oven to 350F. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until puffy, and a tester inserted comes out clean.
- Serve hot or warm.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on July 2, 2009. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Deja
I make this is once a month. Versatile to change based on what ingredients I have.
Emily R. Kapszukiewicz
Delicious! We used an extra piece of bacon, thick cut with cracked black pepper, and a little extra cheese. The pepper flavor from the bacon added a lot – I recommend finding a way to add more black pepper like in the bacon, cheese, or bread. Will be adding this to the rotation.
Jessica Fisher
Sounds delicious! Definitely could add cracked pepper to the egg mixture. 🙂 Thanks for the review!
Sarah Bass
Bacon, cheese, eggs, bread??? What’s not to love? I’m going to try this in an 8×8 for our Saturday morning breakfast! I have a large loaf of simple bread I made yesterday that will be perfect for this. I LOVE breakfast casseroles but my dear husband and children are not so crazy about them. Hmm…maybe I’ll make pancakes for them and eat this myself! 😀
By the way, we don’t buy hotdog or hamburger buns or sub rolls anymore. We use your recipes in the bread machine and we’re all happy! And I’m putting together the onion soup mix today for dip with our Friday night chips and hamburgers. Thanks so much, Jessica.
Jennifer
Hello,
Do you have the recipe for making this in say a 8 x 8 or 13 x9 pan? Thank you!
Jessica
@Jennifer, you should be able to multiply it by 3 or 6 for those pans.
Zina :: Let's Lasso the Moon
Do you think this recipe could be made in a Giant Muffin tin? The 6x size? How long would you guess for a baking time then? Have you ever made it smaller than the 2-cup size?
Jessica
@Zina :: Let’s Lasso the Moon, I don’t know. I don’t have that size pan. But, when I’m testing something for size, I just go for it, and check for doneness after the first 15 minutes, and then every 5 after that.
Zina :: Let's Lasso the Moon
Thanks Jessica! I just *had* to share on Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/peanutblossom/bring-back-the-family-meal/
Do you have an account over there? I’d love to follow you or add you as a contributor to some of the fun group boards I’ve got rolling:
http://pinterest.com/zina/
I am smitten with your blog. Thank you for all you do!
Jessica
Thanks, Zina. I’m fishmama on pinterest. Thanks so much!
sharon
Would this work in the microwave. I’m trying to think of good microwave egg dishes for work. I leave for work very early and work out before I start my day and am ravenous by the time 8:00 AM rolls around. But we don’t have an oven in the office…
Jessica
I don’t know. I’ve never microwaved egg dishes. Try it and let me know?
Nancy Johnson
Does this have to be refrigerated overnight or can it be cooked immediately?
Jessica
I have never tried cooking it right away. I don’t know. Try it and tell me?
Miranda
Hello, I am new to the world of blogging. I was admiring your selection of freezer recipes, as these are some things I would like to try in our attempt to be as prepared as possible before children. But anyways back to my question…How are you freezing these? Just prepare and instead of placing in refrigerator over night put in freezer? Thank you so much.
Jessica
Yes, that is how I prep for freezing.
Sophia
I love making delicious, comforting breakfasts in the morning! I’d love to make this! You should consider submitting this to Recipe4Living’s Breakfast Casserole Recipe Contest! You could win a whole bunch of things from Melitta Coffee!