Ham, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Bake

On the weekends I often make a breakfast casserole to make the morning meal a little easier to deal with, especially if the boys have guests overnight. A breakfast bake can be changed up with different meat ingredients, and we like to make this one that has ham. I'd made a loaf of homemade country white bread the day before, and leftover homemade bread is great in this recipe. This bake can be prepared the night before and kept in the refrigerator until you're ready for breakfast, or make it a couple of hours ahead the same morning, allowing time for the bread to soak up some of the milk-egg mixture before you bake it.

Ham, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Bake

3 cups cubed white bread (leftover homemade or store bought is fine)
2 cups half and half or milk
10 eggs
2 cups diced ham
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. To the baking dish add the cubed white bread. Evenly sprinkle the diced ham and shredded cheddar cheese over the bread pieces.

In a large bowl, combine the half and half or milk, eggs, ground mustard, salt and pepper. Stir until well combined. Pour the mixture over the bread, ham and cheese. Cover the casserole with foil. Refrigerate overnight (or 1-2 hours if making the same morning).

Bake the casserole, covered at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and bubbly and a knife inserted into the middle of the casserole tests clean.