Delicious and easy, this Broccoli and Cheese Egg Bake is great for holiday breakfasts, meal prep, or even a weekday morning!
Fa-la-la-FRIDAY! We made it to the end of another busy week. I don’t know about you, but my meal prep always seems to suffer during the holiday season. So lately, I’ve been all about those EASY recipes, even more than usual.
I had this in mind when I whipped up today’s Easy Broccoli and Cheese Egg Bake. Specifically, I was thinking of all of you hosting guests or going to potlucks this season, because this is indeed a perfect Christmas brunch recipe!
Honestly, this is great for any brunch celebration: Easter, Mother’s Day, graduations, bridal showers, you name it. It goes really well with Carrot and Orange Mimosas too…speaking from personal experience here ;-)!
The ingredients are simple. You see a lot of them right here, minus the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Plenty of veggies in this one folks!
And the process?! Even more simple! Seriously, you can whip this one up in your sleep. Which is perfect, especially if you’re feeling pretty sleepy on Christmas morning.
As for the flavors, they’re classic. Broccoli and cheese, who doesn’t love that power couple?
Plus, you can prepare this egg bake in advance, and pop it in the oven before you plan to serve it to your hungry family and guests. Serve with some fruit (and maybe a salad), and you’ll have everyone asking “how do you do it?!” in no time!
FYI – some readers have asked if you can prepare this way in advance (like the day before), and the answer is yes. You can put everything in the baking pan and cover it tightly with foil, then keep it in the fridge until you are ready to pop it in the oven.
This recipe reminds me of a savory version of my Spiced Plum and Walnut Oatmeal Bake that I posted a while back (another great choice for Christmas brunch). Or maybe serve them side by side?! Whatever you decide on for your holiday brunch menu, you can’t go wrong.
Or you could take after me, and prepare this egg bake for tasty breakfasts all week long! Store in the fridge or freezer, reheat, and you are good to go.
For some other breakfast recipes, check out:
- Spiralized Beet and Goat Cheese Frittata
- Parsnip Carrot Cake Granola
- Spiced Parsnip and Apple Baked Oatmeal
- Carrot Banana Breakfast Bread
- Spinach Banana Muffins
📖 Recipe
Easy Broccoli and Cheese Egg Bake
Ingredients
- 12 eggs
- 1 cup milk - can use cow's milk or almond
- 1 small onion - diced
- 2 heaping cups broccoli florets - chopped
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheese of choice - recommend Mexican blend or cheddar
- ¼ teaspoon salt - more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper - more to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9x13 baking dish with oil.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs and milk together. Add chopped broccoli and onions, shredded cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until well combined.
- Pour into baking dish and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until eggs are cooked through. Let dish stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- You can prepare this up to 1 day in advance. Cover tightly with foil and keep in the fridge until you are ready to put it in the oven.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave on high for 1-2 minutes.
Nutrition
Don’t forget to pin this egg bake now to make later!
Happy holidays to all of you! And happy Friday 🙂
Lizzie
Constance Ball
If you cook the frozen broccoli the night before, can it be combined with everything else and sit over night in the refrigerator? It doesn’t get mushy?
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Constance, that should work OK if you cook it the night before and combine it with everything else. I have never personally tried it, but I think it would work without getting too mushy. Another option, if you have the time, is to combine everything but the broccoli to sit in the fridge overnight. In the morning, you can quickly cook the frozen broccoli and add it to the dish. That way, you avoid the possibility of it getting mushy. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Meredith
Is it two heaping cups of chopped broccoli? Or two heaping cups of whole broccoli that you then chop up?
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Meredith, I usually use two heaping cups of chopped broccoli.
Dami
Can this be made without cheese? I’m dairy intolerant. Also, can I use Oat milk instead of Almond?
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Dami, yes you can omit the cheese if desired. You can also use oat milk instead of almond milk.
Donna Sullivan
If I want to double the recipe will a 12×8 pan work?
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Donna, the recipe uses a 13×9 pan for a single batch so a 12×8 pan would only work for a single batch too. I’d recommend using 2 pans that are 12×8 or 13×9 each.
BroccoliBakeFanatic
Very cool! I made it and it tasted YUMMY!
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂
Diane
Easy to prepare, taste’s delicious with choice of variable ingredients that can be added.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Thanks for rating the recipe! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it.
Rachel
In my world, this is called a kugel. 🙂
Shaley
I totally used vanilla almond milk🤦🏼♀️ Hope it turns out good
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Oh whoops!! I’ve done something similar before with other recipes. Hope it turned out OK for you!
joanne
how did it turn out with the vanilla milk?
Ally
I made this for dinner with garlic roasted potatoes. I added mushrooms and used slices of swiss cheese because I didn’t have any shredded cheese on hand. I also used almond milk because I can’t tolerate regular milk. YUM! Shared on Facebook. Thanks.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Sounds delicious! I bet the mushrooms were great in there. Thanks for letting me know!
Leah
Omg, this dish was amazing! Super easy too! I halved the recipe, used frozen broccoli that I roasted first. Will definitely be making again!
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Awesome! I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed it!! Thanks for letting me know, and great that the roasted frozen broccoli worked for you.
Debbie
I really like this recipe. Your photo shows fresh broccoli. Do you cook it at before adding it to the egg mixture?
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Debbie, I’m glad that you like it! I do not cook the broccoli before…I add it to the egg mixture raw.
Sue Vanhoek
SO easy and SO good. Have made it 3 times for different gatherings in the last few weeks. Easy to change up by adding your heart’s delight on that day. Adds veggies and protein while being quite tasty! Thank you for this one!
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Sue, that’s great to hear! I’m so glad that you made the recipe multiple times and customized it, too! Thanks for leaving a review.
Leslie
Looks awesome, can it be frozen?
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
I have never personally tried to freeze it, but I believe it would freeze well. I’d recommend cooking it completely, letting it cool, then transferring sliced pieces to freezer bags. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating. Hope that helps!
Jason
I’ve made a very similar recipe to this and freezing it worked fine. When ready to use, it’s best to let the pieces thaw in the refrigerator overnight, and then microwave accordingly.
Becky
Made this for Christmas Morning- it turned out amazing and everyone including the little one, loved it! I did alter it a tiny bit (added another ‘half’ recipe to one whole and omitted the onion. I’ve already copied the recipe twice for family, thanks Lizzie!
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
I’m so glad that you enjoyed the recipe!! Thank you for letting me know! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year :-).
Tabetha
Thank you for that because I was coming here to see if anybody had made it without onions as my onion seems to have expired! I made it for the first time for Mother’s Day brunch and my family loved it!
Sharon Bochkay
Every year I have a Grandma’s tea before Christmas. This year our theme was a Christmas Breakfast supper. I made the broccoli.,cheese and egg casserole. I halved it and omitted the salt( low salt diet) and used reduced sodium cheddar cheese. It was the best thing. We all loved it and had it for breakfast the next morning as well. I will use this a lot using different veggies. So easy to put together. Next asparagus.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
I’m so glad that this recipe was a hit at Grandma’s tea! Thank you so much for letting me know :-)! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Jan Johnson
Easy to customize and low carb.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for rating the recipe! 🙂
Barb
How long do I need to bake it if I’m just using half the recipe – 6 eggs, etc? Thanks!
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Barb, if you are just using 6 eggs/half of the recipe, I’d recommend cooking it in an 8×8″ or 9×9″ pan for the same amount of time as the full recipe (25-30 minutes). If you only have a 9×13″ dish, you could still use that size but decrease the cooking time to 15-20 minutes. Would love to know how it turns out for you after you make it! Enjoy 🙂
Sammie
Hi, I made this using only 6 eggs and it was fabulous! Thank you so much.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
So glad that you enjoyed it, Sammie! Thanks for rating the recipe.
Arthi
We loved it. I used skim milk. Added extra broccoli, replaced half of the eggs with equivalent whites, and added 2-3 pinches of red pepper flakes. Kids loved it and was gone within the hour! This will be one of my go-to recopies! yumm!
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Arthi, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for rating the recipe, and the additions you made sound fantastic :-).
Meg
Hi,
I love this recipe. I make it on Sunday and have breakfast for the week. I pop a square in fry pan then head into the shower. It’s great. I also change it up a bit. Just did with mushrooms and canned artichoke hearts. Yum.
Thanks Lizzie
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Meg, I’m so glad you like this breakfast! Thanks so much for letting me know. Sounds delicious with the mushrooms and artichokes! 🙂
Renee Dawalga
Hello. Is the broccoli suppose to be raw before you pop it into the oven?
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Renee, yep it goes in raw. Hope you enjoy it!
Leeann
Can you make this using frozen broccoli?
Lizzie
Yes you can. I’d recommend cooking the frozen broccoli according to package instructions then draining it before adding to the egg mixture.
Jason
I’ve done this with frozen broccoli. I cooked the broccoli in a steamer first. It worked wonderfully.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Glad to hear it! Thanks for your tips, Jason!
Margaret
Hi, can I make this the night before and put it in the fridge for 10 hours? Thank you! It sounds easy and delicious.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Margaret, I think that will work just fine. I’ve never made this egg bake in particular in advance but have prepped and refrigerated other very similar ones that turned out great that way! I’d recommend just covering it tightly with foil. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Marj
I wanted a quick vegetable breakfast bake and found this. It was great and very well liked by my family (except for my 16 year old son). I will share with my daughters and sisters. So many ways to modify as well!
Lizzie
That’s great to hear! So glad you enjoyed the flavors and found it easy to make. Thanks for sharing with your family and rating the recipe!
Lucy
I love the recipe, had it at a Christmas gathering and had to try and recreate myself. However, it’s a bit runny in the middle when it comes out after 25 min at 400. Is that normal? Do I just let it set? I’m afraid to under or over-cook the eggs :/
Lizzie
Hi Lucy! I’m so glad you love this recipe! It’s one of my favs. I would say to bake it for 3-5 more minutes, and then insert a toothpick in the middle to see if it comes out clean. If not, you could probably cook it for a few more minutes after that until the eggs are set and not runny. Checking it at 3 minutes, and then again at 5 minutes and so on and so forth, will help you make sure you don’t overcook it. Hope that helps!!
Lisa
If runny, you may want to pre cook the raw broccoli first as it will release excess water so the egg bake is not runny
Kay
Great recipe! I halved it, used my springboard pan that’s usually for my instant pot… and cooked it in my air fryer. 325 for 30 minutes. I temp checked at 25 and it was still under temp and could tell it was runny (wanted to get it to 160 in the center) The top was a little too crusty and brown, but not the recipe designers fault! It drives me nuts when people make substitutions and then give a recipe lowers stars for their own decisions. The inside was still fluffy. My 7 & 4 year old ate it, despite their reservations of thinking it would be “gross”. We don’t play that game at my house.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Thanks for sharing your experience, Kay! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Will
Great, simple breakfast recipe!
Lizzie
Isn’t it so easy?! Thanks for stopping by!