Ham, Egg & Cheese Casserole

Name: Ham, Egg & Cheese Casserole
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 12 servings.
Ingredients: 1 loaf (1 pound) frozen bread dough, thawed; 3/4 cup butter, cubed; 1/3 cup all-purpose flour; 2-1/2 cups 2% milk; 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard; 3/4 teaspoon pepper; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 1 pound sliced smoked deli ham; 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese; 6 large Nellie’s Free Range Eggs; 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

Ham and cheese just got a little naughtier. I turned a French classic, croque madame, from a simple egg-topped grilled sandwich into an impossible-to-resist saucy casserole. —Melissa Millwood, Lyman, South Carolina

Ingredients

1 loaf (1 pound) frozen bread dough, thawed
3/4 cup butter, cubed
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2-1/2 cups 2% milk
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound sliced smoked deli ham
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
6 large Nellie’s Free Range Eggs
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 14x10-in. rectangle. Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish; build up edges slightly.
In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until thickened. Stir in mustard, pepper, salt and nutmeg. Remove from heat; stir in Parmesan cheese.
Place a third of the ham over the dough; top with 1 cup sauce and 2/3 cup Swiss cheese. Repeat layers twice. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes or until bubbly and crust is golden brown.
Using the back of a tablespoon, make six indentations in top of casserole to within 2 in. of edges. Carefully break an egg into each indentation.
Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until egg whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken but are not hard. (If desired, bake an additional 5 minutes for firmer eggs.) Sprinkle with parsley. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Nutrition Facts

1 piece: 405 calories, 23g fat (12g saturated fat), 176mg cholesterol, 992mg sodium, 26g carbohydrate (6g sugars, 2g fiber), 22g protein.

Originally published as CROQUE MADAME CASSEROLE in Taste of Home December 2013

Reviews

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i_like_pie

Mar 12, 2014

This casserole is very tasty, but I agree that there was more sauce than I preferred. I used skim milk and cheddar cheese instead of Swiss. I was not sure about the frozen bread dough. When it said "thawed", I didn't know if should just thaw or actually be allowed to rise. I let it thaw in the refrigerator and then let it rise a little before using. It seemed a little tougher than I thought it needed to be, but that may be because it should have been treated differently.
CatMurphy

Jan 1, 2014

Great flavor. I only made half of the cheese sauce. Anymore than half would have been too saucy. This was served to six and everyone had an egg. This reminded me of a pizza version of a fancy egg Mcmuffin.
tommypoo

Dec 6, 2013

Wonderful flavor, and great presentation. I put aluminum foil on top when the eggs were baking to make sure the egg whites cooked till no longer runny. There seemed to be a lot more sauce than needed, but I didn't let it go to waste, and with the extra, served it over biscuits the next day.