Beth’s Puffy Egg Bake Casserole
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This puffy egg bake casserole is one of my go-to brunch recipes. Anybody who knows me well has enjoyed this casserole and once they try it, they always leave with the recipe! It enjoys neck-and-neck popularity as my Foolproof Spinach Quiche Recipe.
It’s so easy, so delicious, and perfect for any springtime occasion like Easter, Mother’s Day, or even Father’s Day. Serve with my Foolproof Roasted Potatoes and quick and easy Maple Glazed Sausage for a fantastic meal!
And the best part is you can prep it the night before and then all you have to do is bake! Looking for more egg bake recipes? Try my Egg Souffle Bake, Easy Egg, and Goat Cheese Casserole, or my Christmas Morning Mini Egg Bakes.
My Most Requested Recipe
This recipe comes from a Brunch Episode I did for Kin Community’s YouTube Channel years ago. Out of all the recipes I did for Kin’s Menu Series, this recipe is the one viewers keep looking for on my blog. So here it is!
The Ingredients:
What I love most about this egg bake recipe is the fact that it uses only 6 ingredients! Many of which you may already have on-hand.
- Eggs This recipe calls for a full dozen of eggs, which sometimes throws people, but it is meant to feed 8-9 people. You can get away with using 10 eggs if that’s all you have in the fridge. In a pinch I’ve done that too.
- Cottage Cheese This must be the strangest ingredient for an egg bake, but it’s what really gives this recipe it’s fabulous souffle-like texture! Look for the small curd variety, it works best.
- Melted Butter Ensures your eggs won’t be dry, but instead fluffy and flavorful
- Flour I know another strange ingredient for an egg dish, but it helps give the eggs structure and makes the casserole easier to slice. Just trust me on this one, don’t skip the flour.
- Baking Soda Gives the eggs a bit of a lift and works well with the flour to give the casserole its beautiful texture.
- Cheddar Cheese I like to use the finely shredded Mexican Blend Cheese. The finely shredded will melt better into the eggs while it bakes.
Mixing the Egg Batter
- Be sure to mix the batter in a large mixing bowl, you’ll need the extra room.
- Once combined, I’ll warn you, this mixture will not look appetizing, but trust me a delicious fluffy, egg bake casserole is just 30 minutes away!
- Once the batter is mixed, a nice addition for a little heat are some Jalapeños, fire-roasted chilis or Serrano peppers
Make-Ahead Tips
- You can whip this recipe up the night before and all you have to do is bake it off the next day!
- Personally, I even the pour the batter into the casserole dish (be sure it’s greased first) then cover and refrigerate it over night.
- If you go the “make-ahead route” be sure to let it sit out at room temperature for 15 minutes before baking to come up to room temperature.
- This will ensure it will bake through, before becoming too browned on top.
Serving Tips:
- I love to bake this recipe in a 9×13 Pyrex dish so that I can place it in this 3-quart Wicker Casserole Basket. It makes for easy serving and is wonderful for hot casserole dishes on a buffet.
- You can choose to slice the casserole into squares of just spoon it out onto plates.
- It also pairs beautifully with my Home Fries Recipe of my Foolproof Roasted Potato Recipe.
- This works well as a main course for a baby shower too! Add some Blueberry Muffins and my Baby Shower Punch to round out the meal.
- Don’t forget to offer a selection of salsas or hot sauces too!
Beth's Puffy Egg Bake Casserole
A delicious egg bake casserole for any springtime occasion. It's light, airy and so easy to put together!
Ingredients
- 12 Eggs
- 16 oz (453g) of cottage cheese, small curd
- 1 tsp (5ml) baking soda
- ½ cup (64g) of flour
- ½ cup (120ml) of melted butter
- 16 oz (453g) of finely shredded Mexican Blend Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C)
- Whisk together the eggs and the cottage cheese until combined, then add the melted butter. Whisk until combined set aside.
- In a small bowl whisk together the flour and baking soda, and whisk into the egg mixture.
- Stir in cheese with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Pour batter into a 9 x 13 (23x33cm) greased baking dish.
- Bake for 30-35 mins. Serve with hot sauce or salsa.
Notes
- An optional addition to this casserole would be some fire-roasted chilis or Jalapenos.
- If making the batter the night before, allow it to sit out at room temperature for 15 minutes before baking. This will assure the center is fully baked before the top gets too brown.
- If the casserole gets too brown while in the oven, cover it with foil until fully baked inside.
- For a less cheesy casserole you can cut the quantity of cheese in half and it will still be good!
Your other egg souffle type recipes, use goat cheese which I cannot eat. Do you have another type of cheese that I can use as they look so good! I want to try them all!
Oh sure you could replace with a little grated Gruyere cheese 🙂 that would be good too!
Beth, would you feel adding sausage, peppers etc., and then using muffin tins would work just as well? Especially when you don’t need to serve as many.
Thanks
Ahh well for that idea I would use this recipe, and add the sausage and peppers to it. The puffy egg bake doesn’t do well with mix-ins it deflates unfortunately.You could also freeze the rest of the other recipe if you have leftovers. Hope you enjoy!
Can this recipe be cut in half successfully, for a smaller group?
Oh sure I would just use a 9×9 pan instead :). Hope you enjoy!
I’m curious why there’s no salt in this recipe?
Since there is so much cheese in this recipe, that can be pretty salty, there is no need. 🙂 Hope you enjoy it!
Hi Beth, we’ve been making this delicious casserole for a while, sometimes using circles of it on breakfast sandwiches and sometimes just eating it out of the pan! Question for you, curious if you have tried this with gluten-free flour? I have family coming for the holidays who are gluten-free and I would love to make this for them. Thanks in advance for this great recipe, it is a keeper and a crowd pleaser!
Hi Christie! I’m so glad it’s been a hit! I haven’t tried this with GF Flour, but I’m sure it would be OK so as as you used a flour that has a 1:1 ratio with regular flour. My favorite brands would be Cup4Cup or Bob’s Red Mill they both make 1:1 GF flours that I have had great success with! 🙂
are you sure it’s baking soda and not baking powder? every other recipe I’ve seen for this calls for baking powder.
I have always used baking soda in this recipe and it turns out great! 🙂
Hi Beth,
I am hoping to make this for 20 people. Would I just double the recipe? Is the bake time the same?
Thank you!,
Katherine
I would make the recipe twice in 2 9×13 casseroles (rather in anything larger) and yes it may take a bit longer to bake 10-15 minutes but start checking on them at 30 mins in. Hope you enjoy!
Thank you! Crazy question here, but how do you know when it’s done? Toothpick test? Jiggle test?
Thank you! Can’t wait to make this Saturday for a sweet baby shower! 🙂
Yes exactly! Do both, giggle test and just to be sure a toothpick test is great too. If you find it is getting too browned before the inside is done, just place a sheet of foil over it until it’s baked all the way through. I hope it’s a hit! Let me know how it goes! And for a quick and easy muffin recipe, try these blueberry muffins they are great! You can make 2 batches of 12 to get 24 🙂 Make them in the AM before popping in the egg bakes 🙂 Enjoy!
Thank you so much! You are very kind to respond, and include the extra recipe!!! 🥰
I’m making this right now for tomorrow morning. If I bake it today and reheat it tomorrow will it still be puffy and nice? I have to transport it. Thanks!
Hi Beth, love your blog and utube channel!!! Can you use ricotta instead of cottage cheese?
Yes you could do that. The egg bake will be a little denser than if you use cottage cheese, but it will still be good! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
I’ve made this a few times now and it’s delicious and so simple! I’ll plan to serve it at a baby shower brunch soon. But just a note to the other cooks – it always takes me MUCH longer to bake it than the listed time. I’d say definitely check it at the prescribed time, but give yourself at least 20 minutes leeway if you’re planning on serving this to a crowd.
Would adding a generous amount of veggies and bacon compromise the fluffli-ness.of this dish? 🙂
Yes it might. If you were to add anything I would add some fresh chives. Otherwise best to keep the additions to a minimum to keep the fluffiness 🙂
When it says you can cut the cheese in half, would that just be the shredded cheese or the cottage cheese as well?
Oh no just the shredded cheese. Keep the cottage cheese as is for the best, light and fluffy texture! :). Hope you enjoy!