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Stepping up our holiday breakfasts with this Ham and Cheese Croissant Bake. Buttery croissants, Brie cheese, prosciutto, and mushrooms, all tossed together in a mustard “cream” sauce, then baked to golden, cheesy perfection. This a cross between your favorite ham and cheese croissant sandwich and your mom’s old school Christmas morning strata. It feels extra fancy but is actually SO EASY, and of course, SO DELICIOUS. Bonus, it’s just as good for breakfast as it is dinner. And the best part? You can prep this croissant bake in advance, then bake it off just before you’re ready to serve. Perfect for holiday entertaining!
Ingredients
- Roughly torn, day-old croissants
- Salted butter
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Mixed mushrooms
- Kosher salt and pepper
- Garlic
- Fresh chopped thyme
- Heavy cream
- Whole milk
- Eggs
- Dijon mustard
- Cayenne pepper
- Prosciutto
- Brie cheese
- Swiss or fontina cheese
- Everything bagel spice
There are only two days left until Thanksgiving and oddly I am more prepared than ever. Why? Because I’m not cooking! Well, I mean, I will be cooking, but this year I won’t have our usual huge crowd. My family will be a bit split up (which is the weirdest thing). This is the first year in…ever…that I won’t be with them. It’s also the first time in many years that I will not be roasting a turkey on Thanksgiving Day. It’s OK though, I’ve already roasted two whole turkeys this month alone. Plus, there’s a very good chance I will do so again on Christmas. So, don’t you guys worry, I am not bummed.
All that said, while my family will be in Tahoe over Thanksgiving, almost everyone is currently here in Colorado now. My brothers have taken over my parent’s house. They’ve been making their way over to the HBH studio barn…just down the hill a little way…and requesting food and drink at least once a day. It’s the busiest time of year for us right now, but I just can’t say no to them.
Since everyone is here, I’ve been looking to make more casseroles and bakes that feed our large crew and are easy to throw together. I’ve already made this one pot spicy pesto bake rigatoni twice in the last week. To switch things up a bit, I wanted to give the classic ham and cheese sandwich a fresh new update.
Which brings me to this cheesy bake that’s great for everything from breakfast to dinner. It’s rich, indulgent, and perfect for feeding friends and family.
With nine plus people in my family, I rely heavily on my Pyrex Deep baking dishes throughout the holidays. I love the added depth these dishes provide. I can conveniently layer food in them and easily feed the family…and friends. The new Pyrex Deep are the deepest glass baking dishes out there. They hold up to 50% more than any current glass bakeware. Obviously, they’re perfect for things like pasta bakes and lasagna. But I also love using them for pretty layered dips and desserts.
You can find Pyrex Deep baking dishes at Walmart and Pyrexhome.com.
Here is how to make this ham and cheese croissant bake.
The process is pretty simple. Toast some store-bought croissants in the oven to add a little crispness to them.
While that’s happening, make the mustard cream sauce, which is a simple mix of mustard, cream, eggs, and herbs. When the croissants are toasted, toss them in the sauce along with caramelized mushrooms, prosciutto (or deli ham), and cheese. Layer the croissant and cream in the Pyrex Deep, then bake.
Simple right? Yes, and SO GOOD.
But hold on, there’s more…
The two ingredients you need most…
Creamy Brie cheese and just a touch of everything bagel spice.
First, the brie. It’s not traditional in a ham and cheese sandwich, but I also have Brie in my fridge this time of year and love using it in my recipes to make them feel just a bit more special. Of course, you can really use any cheese you love. But we’ve found the Brie to really take this simple bake from good to incredibly delicious.
Second, everything bagel spice. No, you don’t NEED this, BUT it adds so much. You can mix up your spice blend or pick up some from Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, or order via Amazon.
This is a great dish to prepare ahead of time for holiday guests. We love enjoying this for breakfast, but it’s also great as a dinner too. Either way, it will be loved by everyone.
I mean, it’s pretty hard not to enjoy buttery croissants, cheese, and ham all baked together. It has the perfect marriage of French flavors. If you don’t already have your Black Friday brunch recipe lined up, add this to the menu. Chances are you’ll have all the ingredients in the kitchen anyway. This dish is also a great way to use up anything leftover from Thanksgiving Day…just throw it in!
If you make this ham and cheese croissant bake, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Ham and Cheese Croissant Bake
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 1189 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 12 cups (about 12-16 croissants) roughly torn, day-old croissants
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups mixed mushrooms, roughly chopped
- kosher salt and pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme (or 2 teaspoons dried thyme)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 2 rounded tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, using more or less to our taste
- 3 ounces deli ham or prosciutto, torn
- 4 ounces creamy Brie cheese, cubed
- 1/2 cup shredded Swiss or fontina cheese
- 2 tablespoons everything bagel spice (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch Pyrex Deep baking dish.2. Arrange the torn croissants in the baking dish and lay 2 tablespoons of thinly sliced butter over the croissants. Transfer to the oven and bake 5-8 minutes, until the croissants are lightly toasted.3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil In a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes or until golden, stir and continue cooking until the mushrooms have caramelized, 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme, cook an additional minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.4. In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, milk, eggs, mustard, cayenne, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Add the toasted croissants, mushrooms, ham, and Brie cheese, gently toss to combine. Pour the mixture back into the casserole dish. Top evenly with Swiss cheese and sprinkle with everything spice.5. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, then continue baking for another 10-15 minutes or until the croissants are golden on top. Serve warm.
Notes
To Make a Few Hours Ahead: This can be made assembled a few hours ahead of time and kept in the fridge. Allow the stuffing to come to room temperature before baking.
To Make a Few Days Ahead: complete the recipe through step 3. Toss the mushrooms and croissants together. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. When ready to assemble, remove from the fridge. Continue on with step 4, tossing the croissants + mushrooms with the egg mix, then assemble in baking dish. This can be done up to 4 hours ahead of time. Bake as directed.
This post was originally published on November 27, 2019
Made this ahead of time for Christmas morning….was amazing! I used prosciutto instead of ham.
So glad these turned out so well for you Paula! Thank you! xTieghan
Made this for Xmas morning breakfast and it was a huge hit. So delicious.
I am so glad these turned out so well for you Jennifer! Thank you and Merry Christmas! xTieghan
Hi, do you have any experience with freezing this? Wondering if I should bake first then freeze for later or just assemble then freeze. Please let me know if you have any suggestions. Thanks!
HI! I would bake, then freeze! I think that should be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and I hope you had Merry Christmas! Sorry my response is a bit late! xTieghan
This was excellent – made this Christmas morning. Perfect flavor. The cayenne was the perfect amount of underlying heat to balance the food. Really excellent – was a huge hit and super easy to make! Will definitely be making again! Thanks Tieghan for a great recipe, as always!
That is so great to hear! Thank you for trying this recipe, Brittany! Merry Christmas! xTieghan
Making it now! So far so good! Well see when it comes out of the oven and gets the taste test!!??
I hope you loved this! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Hi! How would you suggest halving the recipe? 1 egg or two? Any other suggestions for reducing the amount? Thanks!
HI! I would use 2 eggs, then halve all the remaining ingredients. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and I hope you had Merry Christmas! Sorry my response is a bit late! xTieghan
Hi. Has anyone made this with all cream instead of both milk and cream? (Too rich? Or is that possible?!)
HI! I would think that cream should work just fine and be really rich and creamy too! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and I hope you had Merry Christmas! Sorry my response is a bit late! xTieghan
I have this in the oven cooking now and it will be served at brunch tomorrow… Can’t wait to taste it! I believe there’s an error in the recipe, as it calls for garlic and thyme twice, both in the mushroom cooking portion and again in the egg mixture portion without specifying how much at each juncture.
Hi! The recipe is fixed! Thank you for letting me know! xTieghan
Hi there! Can’t wait to make this for breakfast on Christmas day. Your recipes are AMAZING!! I was hoping to have the entire dish prepped one day ahead (just ready for the oven). Would you recommend this, or no? Thank you!!
HI! Yes! I do recommend this. It works very well to prep ahead of time, then bake later. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan,
I finally found time to make this moth watering recipe but, like another poster said, it turned out a bit soggy. Did you use the large croissants or regular sized ones? Any chance you can make a video? I want to make this for Christmas morning and need to figure out what I’ve done wrong! Thanks so much!
PS The recipe has the thyme and garlic added when cooking the mushrooms as well as adding it to the bowl of milk, cream, etc.; did we need to 1/2 or double those ingredients to incorporate them twice? Thank you!
HI! I use larger croissants, but I tested out the recipe once more after some readers had trouble. I ended up reducing the milk a bit and I think the recipe should work much better for you now! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
This looks delicious! I’d like to make this for Christmas morning but we’re having honey baked ham for dinner Christmas evening… is there another meat you would recommend?
HI! You can use cooked bacon or ground Italian sausage or you can omit the meat all together. Either will be great! I would just omit the meat personally. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! I want to make this for a work breakfast later this week. In the recipes notes for making it a few hours ahead– how many hours would be too many hours? Would refrigerating overnight work?
HI! Yes, you can refrigerate overnight, then bake in the morning. That works great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
This looks amazing! Trying to come up with a Gluten Free version and am wondering if you have any suggestions? Would a GF french baguette be too thick of a bread for this recipe?
HI! I would recommend using your favorite softer GF bread. I worry a baguette is a little too crusty, but it could work. Is it large or long and skinny? You just need a bread you love, so anything you enjoy should be great. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
This was fabulous. I made it for my tennis brunch! They all wanted the recipe a sure sign they loved it and would make again!! They went back for second!!
That is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much for trying this Pamela! xTieghan
YUM!!
This recipe baked up beautifully! I made a half recipe and used what I had on hand so that was shredded guyere instead of brie, cubed ham, and torn, fresh spinach instead of mushrooms.
It was easy to assemble and bake and very yummy! Thank you for a great recipe! I’ve sent it out to a few friends already. And I just bought your latest cookbook for my daughter for Christmas!
Thank you so much! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! Also, I hope your daughter loves the book!! xTieghan