Easy Egg Bake (with Cheddar & Green Chiles)
Easy Egg Bake is a flavorful, crustless quiche loaded with cheddar cheese and (optional) green chiles for a quick, simple breakfast that's perfect for serving to overnight houseguests or hungry family members any morning of the week!
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If you enjoy egg dishes for breakfast or brunch, you'll also love Creamy Grits Casserole with Ham + Cheese, Freezer Breakfast Sandwiches, or Frittata Muffins!
Whether it's summer break or the holiday season, there are certain times of year that many of us find our homes welcoming extended family members and a variety of other houseguests. So on top of the extensive meal planning that comes with hosting guests and putting together big holiday dinners, there's also figuring out what to feed those extra mouths for breakfast and lunch! And when it comes to latter, I've become known around these parts for my Easy Egg Bake. 😉
I don't know about you, but when I have company, I do my very best to plan and make things ahead of time. That might mean whipping up a batch of muffins or an overnight breakfast casserole to serve the following morning. But sometimes, between all of the holiday happenings and activities, I plain run out of time! And just because I don't have a homemade breakfast already prepped when the rooster crows doesn't mean that my guests should be subjected to a bowl of cold cereal.
Enter this Easy Egg Bake...I've been making for years on just such occasions. Almost like a quiche without the crust, this egg bake recipe is quick and simple enough to throw together in a matter of minutes.
If necessary, it can be doubled to feed quite a few people, and as it bakes I can get the coffee brewing and slice up some fruit.
But just as importantly, everybody always loves this recipe! It's savory and cheesy with a kick of extra flavor from mild diced green chiles (which are completely optional if you prefer to leave them out).
This isn't just a breakfast for guests, though. I make it for my own household on a regular basis as well.
As much as I love me some carbs, I always feel good about feeding my family a good dose of protein for breakfast, and that typically means eggs. I find that eggs fuel them with energy and brainpower and keep them going strong until lunch time.
Ingredients
This egg bake recipe only requires a few simple ingredients.
- Eggs.
- Milk. You can use whole milk, 2%, or skim milk, unsweetened non-dairy milk (such as almond milk), or even half-and-half or heavy cream for a bit more decadence. 😉
- Salt + freshly ground black pepper.
- Diced green chiles. Mild. These are optional and can be left out, if that's your preference. Or you can opt to use fresh roasted or frozen (thawed) diced chiles instead...but keep in mind that they may be spicier.
- Cheddar cheese. Grated. You can substitute other types of shredded cheese if you like, such as Monterey jack.
Green Chile Substitutes
Keep in mind, as well, that this egg bake recipe is simply a blue print for your creativity! The same basic idea can be adapted using different ingredients.
For example, instead of green chiles, sprinkle the bottom of your pie plate with diced Canadian bacon or ham, or cooked and crumbled breakfast sausage. Or sauté some onions and mushrooms and use those instead. You can even swap in a shredded cheese that complements your substituted ingredients (such as ham + Swiss).
The possibilities are endless!
How to Make Easy Egg Bake
(The below photos are intended to be helpful, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for FULL DIRECTIONS.)
- Preheat the oven and generously grease a 9-inch pie plate.
- Spread green chiles over the bottom of pie plate. Sprinkle with grated cheddar. Set aside
- Crack the eggs into a large bowl. Beat in milk, salt, and pepper until well blended.
- Slowly pour the egg mixture into the pie plate, over the chiles and cheese.
- Bake until the center is puffy and a thin knife inserted in the center of the Egg Bake comes out clean.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving warm.
Doubling the Recipe
When I make this breakfast (or sometimes breakfast-for-dinner) for my family, I bake it up in a round glass pie plate.
However, if you require more servings, this recipe can easily be doubled and baked in a 9- by 13-inch baking dish instead.
You'll just have to increase the cooking time a bit, baking until the eggs are all puffed up and a thin knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Ideas for Serving
When we host overnight guests, I often set out a breakfast or brunch "buffet" that includes this Easy Egg Bake along with other options:
- Granola. I whip up a batch of homemade granola if I have time, but if not, I buy some good-quality granola from the store.
- Yogurt. I usually offer individual cups in different flavors.
- Fresh fruit. I typically put out a bowl of mixed berries, but it depends what's in season. Sometimes that means cubed melon or pineapple, whole bananas or mandarin oranges, sliced apples, etc.
- Muffins. Again, I prefer making homemade muffins if time allows, but there's no shame in grabbing some nice muffins from a local bakery instead.
- Bagels. Be sure to provide a toaster, along with cream cheese, jam, peanut butter, etc.
- Drinks. I always offer coffee + creamer and orange juice...and I sometimes offer other fruit juice options and maybe even champagne if I the adults are amenable to mimosas. 😉
This assortment of options is easy, can be made ahead of time (if you choose to go homemade with the granola and/or muffins), and seems to hit the mark when it comes to the varying tastes of different folks! 🙂
So whether you're looking for a protein-rich breakfast recipe to feed your hungry family year-round, or you need a quick, tasty, well-received egg dish to serve to a houseful of guests, Easy Egg Bake is an quick-to-make "keeper" dish to add to your recipe files.
Enjoy!
More Easy Breakfast or Brunch Recipes
- Ground Beef & Egg Breakfast Casserole
- Wholesome Breakfast Cookie
- Quick & Easy Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal
- Asparagus Tart with Ham + Mushrooms
- Banana Apple Oatmeal
Easy Egg Bake (with Cheddar & Green Chiles)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 (4-ounce) can mild diced green chiles
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 6 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch glass pie plate (or comparably sized baking dish) with butter or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Evenly spread green chiles in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle grated cheddar on top. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, scramble eggs. Beat in milk, salt, and pepper until well blended. Slowly pour eggs over green chiles and cheese. If any cheese is sticking up, press down on it with the back of a fork until submerged.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until center is puffy and a thin knife inserted in the center of the eggs comes out clean. Allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving warm.
Notes
- Fresh (roasted) or frozen (thawed) diced green chiles may be substituted for canned. However, keep in mind that they may be spicier than mild canned green chiles.
- Easy Egg Bake is highly customizable. The diced green chiles may be omitted completely, if you wish. Or you can swap them for a different option, such as diced Canadian bacon or ham, cooked and crumbled breakfast sausage, sauteed onions/mushrooms, etc.
- You can also substitute the cheddar cheese for your favorite variety of shredded cheese, such as Monterey jack, pepper jack, or even Swiss (which would complement diced ham nicely).
- RECIPE EDIT: This Egg Bake recipe originally called for 5 eggs, but this was changed to 6 eggs with the July 20, 2024 update, which very slightly increases the serving size and makes it easy to double the recipe using an entire carton of eggs.
Nutrition
Post originally sponsored by Goldrich Eggs and Acorn Influence (as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own). Post originally published on November 20, 2014, and updated on April 11, 2020, and July 20, 2024.
Can you add salsa to this recipe without making it runny?
Hi Diane! I always serve this recipe with salsa on the side, but I've never tried incorporating salsa into the eggs before baking. However, I think you could add some salsa without worrying about runny eggs as long as your salsa wasn't too watery. So if you're starting with really runny salsa, maybe just drain or strain it before stirring in and I think it'll be fine. Hope this helps and hope you enjoy! 🙂
I just love the green chile and eggs combo. This egg bake is a keeper. I am pinning to make again.
This does look delicious and very easy to make. One question,what about using heavy cream in place of milk? I always have that here for the hot cocoa I make but rarely have actual milk (well I have unsweetened almond milk) thank you for your time 🙂
Cream will work fine! 🙂
This looks really good, do you know how many fresh roasted chilies to use instead of the canned? Thank you in advance!
Hi Tamara! In my experience, fresh roasted chiles can be much spicier than canned mild diced green chiles. So I would say you should probably taste the fresh chiles and determine how many to add to this recipe depending on how spicy you want your final dish! Typically with this recipe, the bottom of the baking dish will be covered by a thin layer of chiles, but you can honestly add as much or as little as you like. 🙂
Loved this recipe. Quick, easy and delish. Paired well with breakfast potatoes.
Absolutely loved this! Will add this to my rotation for sure.
I love this recipe!!!
Thank you for sharing...it was liked by everyone. We had it for brunch with summery fruit salad. Sooo Good!!!
I made this for the first time around a year ago, and now it’s in my regular rotation! So satisfying, easy and tasty— my husband always goes back for seconds and even thirds! This recipe is also a great base for tweaking in different ways. I’ve added ham, bacon, or sausage, tried out different kinds and combinations of cheese, and I’ve even replaced the green chiles with sautéed mushrooms and onions. Every single version has been delicious! Thanks so much for this versatile recipe!
I made this today with some frozen fire roasted green chiles from my local Farmer's Market and it came out wonderful! Also, because I love garlic pepper with my eggs, I used a few shakes of that instead of just the plain pepper. This will be my go to recipe with the rest of my frozen chiles. Thanks!!
This is one of the best SIMPLE egg casseroles ever! I hate cooking, but I love to make this - quick, easy and such basic ingredients if you have the green chiles. I can't wait to try some different add-ins with this great foundation!
This looks WONDERFUL and perfect for my family. Do you see any problems with adding veges like onions, red peppers and zucchini? I thought I'd saute the veges slightly before including them.
Delicious!!! Made this with our Christmas french toast casserole this morning. Loved it!
Yay, Tammie...I'm so happy to hear that this was a hit! 🙂 Hope you had a very Merry Christmas with your family!
Oh yum! I love that your recipes have a little twist to them. The green chiles are such a great idea! xo!
Thanks so much, Laura! I think the green chiles make this recipe. 😉
This recipe has it all!
Always looking for yummy egg bake dishes for brunch - yours looks deelish!! 🙂