Low-Carb Breakfast Casserole (Master Recipe)
This post shares my master recipe that can help you make a Low-Carb Breakfast Casserole out of what’s in the fridge! Or if you prefer having an exact recipe, there are links here to 25 of my favorite breakfast casserole recipes!
PIN the master recipe for making a Low-Carb Breakfast Casserole to try it later!
For years now I’ve had a habit of making a low-carb breakfast casserole on the weekend and keeping it in the fridge to reheat for a quick breakfast during the week! And this post has the master recipe that helps me make a Low-Carb Breakfast Casserole from whatever ingredients I have in my fridge!
Here you’ll find basic low-carb breakfast casserole tips, recommendations for various-sized baking dishes, and some suggestions for my must-have breakfast casserole ingredients. Once you read those, you can follow my recipe template and make a tasty breakfast casserole out of the ingredients you have on hand.
And if your fridge isn’t that well stocked, this post can also give you ideas for things to keep on hand to make a low-carb breakfast casserole every week!
Do you prefer following a more exact recipe to make a low-carb breakfast casserole?
Of course my blog has recipes for specific breakfast casseroles, so after the master recipe information I’m also sharing links to 25 favorite breakfast casserole recipes. You can also use the category for Breakfast Recipes to find even more ideas for make-ahead breakfasts.
Why I love low-carb breakfast casseroles for Weekend Food Prep:
Breakfast Casserole recipes are so perfect to make on the weekend and eat all during the week and I love the way this type of dish pretty much guarantees leftovers (unless you have a family of teenage boys), so of course this post has been added to my category for Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find all the recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Low-Carb Southwest Egg Casserole
Low-Carb Breakfast Casserole Basic Tips:
- The only “must have” in this type of breakfast casserole is eggs; everything else can be varied to taste or depending on what you have on hand.
- I used to add milk or half and half to the eggs; now I rarely bother with it.
- I like to use cottage cheese stirred into the eggs for creaminess and more protein, but it’s optional.
- I think most any combination of breakfast casserole ingredients is improved with green onions but they’re always optional if you’re not a fan.
- When I use veggie ingredients like mushrooms, peppers, broccoli, asparagus, or zucchini, I always pan-fry or blanch them for a few minutes before putting them in the casserole dish.
- I put the meat and/or veggie ingredients into the casserole dish first, pour the eggs over, then gently stir with a fork to get the ingredients well distributed.
- Even though I like scrambled eggs on the runny side, I cook the breakfast casseroles until the eggs are slightly browned on top.
- I’ve never made a breakfast casserole without Spike Seasoning (affiliate link), but any combination of spices that you like in eggs will be good.
- Using non-stick spray or olive oil on your pan before adding the ingredients is important or the pan will be hard to get clean.
- Breakfast casseroles of all types keep at least a week in the fridge. Some of my earliest recipes may have said breakfast casseroles can be frozen, but now I never freeze them. I find freezing changes the texture and the egg mixture releases a lot of water when they’re thawed.
- To reheat breakfast casserole, microwave 1 minutes or slightly longer. Be careful not to cook too long.
Broccoli and Three Cheese Keto Breakfast Casserole
Low-Carb Breakfast Casserole Master Recipe for 10X14 Casserole Dish:
(This size dish will make 8-10 servings, depending on appetites)
- 14-18 eggs
- 2-3 tsp. Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) or any spice mix you like on eggs
- salt and pepper to taste (I rarely use salt)
- 1/4 c sliced green onion (optional, but good)
- 1 1/2 cups diced ham, Canadian bacon, turkey sausage, or other meat of your choice (precooked)
- 1 1/2 cups grated low fat cheese
- 8 oz. cottage cheese, rinsed so whole curds remain (completely optional)
- 12 oz. sauteed mushrooms, red pepper, broccoli, zucchini, or other veggies
Broccoli, Ham, and Mozzarella Baked with Eggs
Low-Carb Breakfast Casserole Master Recipe for 9X13 Casserole Dish:
(This size dish will make 6-8 servings, depending on appetites.)
- 10-14 eggs
- 1-2 tsp. Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) or any spice mix you like on eggs
- salt and pepper to taste (I rarely use salt)
- 2-3 T sliced green onion (optional, but good)
- 1 1/4 cups diced ham, Canadian bacon, turkey sausage, or other meat of your choice (precooked)
- 1 1/4 cups grated low fat cheese
- 6 oz. cottage cheese, rinsed so whole curds remain (completely optional)
- 10 oz. sauteed mushrooms, red pepper, broccoli, zucchini, or other veggies
Spinach and Mozzarella Egg Bake
Low-Carb Breakfast Casserole Master Recipe for 7X11 or 8X8 Casserole Dish:
(This size dish will make 4-6 servings, depending on appetites.)
- 8-10 eggs
- 1 tsp. Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) or any spice mix you like on eggs
- salt and pepper to taste (I rarely use salt)
- 1-2 T sliced green onion (optional, but good)
- 1 cup diced ham, Canadian bacon, turkey sausage, or other meat of your choice (precooked)
- 1 cup grated low fat cheese
- 4 oz. cottage cheese, rinsed so whole curds remain (completely optional)
- 8 oz. sauteed mushrooms, red pepper, broccoli, zucchini, or other veggies
Pork Lover’s Keto Breakfast Casserole
Low-Carb Breakfast Casserole Basic Instructions and Cooking Times:
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Spray glass or non-stick metal casserole dish with nonstick spray or olive oil.
- Dice meat and grate cheese.
- Saute any veggies you’re using in a small amount of olive oil for 3-5 minutes (depending on what type of vegetable.) Harder vegetables like broccoli should be briefly boiled and drained well.
- In bottom of casserole dish layer meat, veggies, green onions (if using) and cheese.
- Mix eggs with Spike Seasoning, salt, and pepper until whites and yolks are well combined. (Add cottage cheese to egg mixture if using.)
- Pour eggs over meat/cheese mixture, then stir gently with a fork so that all the ingredients are evenly distributed in the eggs.
- Bake until eggs are firmly set and top is lightly browned, about 35-45 minutes for 10X14 size pan, about 30-35 minutes for 9X13 size pan, or 20-25 minutes for 7X11 or 8X8 size pan.
- Serve hot and enjoy!
25 Low-Carb Breakfast Casserole Recipes:
- Mushroom and Feta Breakfast Casserole
- Breakfast Casserole with Cottage Cheese, Bacon, and Feta
- Breakfast Casserole with Spinach and Goat Cheese
- Pork Lover’s Keto Breakfast Casserole
- Sausage, Mushrooms, and Feta Baked with Eggs
- Kale, Bacon, and Cheese Breakfast Casserole
- Breakfast Casserole with Asparagus and Artichoke Hearts
- Broccoli, Ham, and Mozzarella Baked with Eggs
- Kale and Feta Breakfast Casserole
- Bobbi’s Egg Casserole with Cheese and Green Chiles
- Southwest Egg Casserole
- Breakfast Casserole with Italian Sausage
- Kale, Mozzarella, and Egg Bake
- Asparagus, Mushrooms, and Goat Cheese Breakfast Casserole
- Broccoli and Three Cheese Keto Breakfast Casserole
- Spinach and Mozzarella Egg Bake
- Power Greens Breakfast Casserole
- Sausage, Kale, and Mozzarella Egg Bake
- Zucchini and Green Chile Breakfast Casserole
- Kale, Mushroom, and Cheese Breakfast Casserole
- Green Chile and Cheese Keto Breakfast Casserole
- Broccoli, Mushrooms, Ham, and Cheddar Baked with Eggs
- Broccoli Cheese Breakfast Casserole
- Vegetable Egg Bake with Peppers, Tomatoes, and Feta
- Karyn’s Breakfast Casserole with Artichokes, Goat Cheese, and Canadian Bacon
57 Comments on “Low-Carb Breakfast Casserole (Master Recipe)”
I love cottage cheese and never thought to put it in a breakfast casserole! But i was wondering what the reason is for rinsing the cottage cheese? Thanks!
I rinse the cottage cheese because I worry it will make the egg mixture too “wet” if it’s not rinsed, but I am not 100% sure if it’s necessary. If you try it without rinsing I’d love to hear how that works.
Wondering if you have directions to make as muffins?
Yes I do. I can’t leave links here but if you search KETO EGG MUFFINS (MASTER RECIPE) you will find it. OR search simply EGG MUFFINS to see a few variations. Hope you enjoy!
My favorite tip is this one:
“In my mind, most any combination of breakfast casserole ingredients is improved with green onions.”
In our house, the same comment is made about green chiles 🙂
Thanks for the inspiration, I plan on a couple of these for this weekend’s graduation brunch!
I’m a pretty big Green Chile fan too! Hope you enjoy them.
I’ve been making breakfast casseroles every week for years — a great way to combine bits and pieces of leftovers from the fridge!
Lydia, definitely! The possibilities are endless.
Jennifer, thanks so much for coming back to share; love the sound of more creaminess in this.
Hi Kalyn,
I made the casserole with part skim ricotta this morning. Very yummy! It added creaminess to the eggs and didn't affect the moisture content. I made an 8×8 size and put about 1/4 cup in the bowl with my eggs, then whisked it all together. I squeezed it with paper towels to remove some of the moisture. I will definitely add that to your recipe from now on. Thanks for all of the awesome ideas!
Jennifer, I've used all types of creamy cheese but never ricotta, and I'm not sure how it would work. I wonder if it will melt, or just get runny when it's cooked into the eggs. If you try it, would love to know how it works.
I love the variety of veggies and meats I can use to keep me from getting bored with it. I use old bay for seasoning. Do you think ricotta would be good in this? I'm looking for another way to add creaminess without adding liquid.
This sounds and looks wonderful! I want to thank you for including instructions/measurements for smaller versions! My daughter and I are vacationing at a mountain condo next week and I want to make several make-ahead dishes just for the two of us. This is perfect and fits right in with my clean eating lifestyle!
Kalyn,
Made the caserole today, mushrooms, spinach and ham, just waiting for it to cool. It is going to be delicious as all your recipes are! I have referred co-workers to your blog, my absolute favorite site!
I'm fairly newish to South Beach and I don't know how anyone does this without your marvelous blog. Everything I've tried is so amazingly complex (flavours, not work!) and wonderful.
I particularly like the breakfast casseroles and appreciate the basic version with all the variations. I tend to use broccoli, kale, yellow pepper, ham, feta and cheddar (all low fat of course). And thank you for introducing me to Spike. I'd never heard of it and it is now my favourite spice.
Thank you so very much!
Amy, glad to hear you are enjoying the breakfast casseroles. Have fun when you get your new spices!
Thank you for these! I have made many and really enjoyed them. I use egg beaters or our store brand almost entirely with great success and Lawry's Garlic Salt instead of the Spike Seasoning.
I have added alot of your recommended spices to my Amazon Wishlist and plan to pick them up soon!
Carmela, I've never done that. I think it would work, but the cooking time would be longer with all the ingredients being cold. You could also bake it the night before, refrigerate, and reheat in the oven the next day.
Can the casserole be made the night before-stored in the refrigerator-and baked before serving in the morning?
Mary, that does sound like a good combination. Glad to hear it was a hit.
Just a note to let you know I made the breakfast casserole with ground turkey seasoned like I would taco meat and added mild green chilies. Added frozen vegetables that had an assortment of beans took it to work and it was a success. The men in the office (usually pretty picky about diet food) loved it. I was requested to make it again. Thanks
I just made a version with tomato, asparagus, havarti, and dill that I'll be posting soon. The cottage cheese is a way to add more creaminess with less fat than using more cheese, but it's purely optional, sometimes I add it and sometimes I don't.
Hi Kalyn, I just made this using light havarti, pencil asparagus, red bell pepper, and crimini mushrooms. It was great! However, I was wondering what the purpose of the cottage cheese is? I added it but I'm not really sure what it brings…it's just flecked with some melted white spots.
Oh, and here's a tip: if you spray the baking dish with Baker's Joy, it ends up being totally nonstick!
Swimchick, I've had lots of people tell me they have used part or all Eggbeaters in the breakfast casseroles and they worked great. Good luck to your husband. There is an index of only phase one recipes on the top left that might help you.
Hi, I just put my husband on the South Beach and he is not loosing much, but he is loosing weight and it's a good start. My kids and me try to eat around his foods, so after phase one it is easier now.
I found your blog and love it for the new ideas.
one question: can I sub eggbeaters for some of the eggs? because of the high cholesterol concern, some might have.
Thanks Claudia
Thank you so much Kalyn for your blog! I just made a breakfast casserole with leftover veggies from my farm share and now have a healthy breakfast for the whole week (and an extra 20min to sleep in each morning 🙂
Anonymous, you're so welcome. I just made one yesterday myself with leeks, spinach, and goat cheese. The combinations are endless!
This recipe is a winner!
I made it TWICE this week for Christmas get togethers, and it was devoured each time. I made it with low fat cheddar, red peppers, mushrooms and Canadian bacon. Thank you for developing this recipe!
Tina, so glad you liked it. I’m writing a new breakfast casserole recipe right now! Almost ready to post it.
I made this last night with no meat but with zucchini, red pepper and spinach and included the cottage cheese, even though it seemed odd. I took some to work this morning. It was fabulous. Thank you!
Nicole, my guess would be overbeating the eggs when you stir together the white and the yolks, especially if they puffed up a lot. It’s making me wonder if I should edit my instructions and not use the word “beat” because I don’t beat the eggs in the way you would for eggwhites, just mix them together with a fork. More vegetables added in might also be helpful. Thanks for the comment. I’m always working to make sure recipes will turn out for people the way I want them to, and I do think I will edit the instructions a little.
I’m going to try posting my question here even though it is an older post.
Has anyone ever had an issue with baked eggs becoming “spongy”? I baked some eggs with a bit of cooked spinach and mushrooms in a muffin tin for 25 mins and they puffed way up but the texture wasn’t the most appetizing. Maybe I overcooked them? Or didn’t add enough “mix-ins”? Any ideas for avoiding this in the future?
That casserole looks like it would be a treat even for non-South Beachers. Mushrooms and feta are a winning combo.
I’m a notorious breakfast skipper as I’m not really hungry until 10AM and by that time I’m fully engaged at work. So I’m thinking I’ll make this, cut it into breakfast-sized squares and take them to work to heat up mid-morning. Then I won’t be tempted to pop into the school kitchen to see what local, organic, delicious but carb-laden item is on the menu. 🙂 Thanks for the update Kalyn.
Simple and super tasty sounding! And you can add whatever you want. I really like the cottage cheese in it.
I like that you can make this ahead or freeze it! A great breakfast option for sure!
Hi, Kalyn. Found you through a blogher link that appeared in my stats. You have a GREAT healthy blog here, and I’m adding you to my blogroll. Then I’ll be back to explore all your recipes. 🙂
I definitely agree about cooking all the components first. I think I posted something like this a few years ago, but in Yiddish–I will have to look for it.
Erin-Joi, I have recipe archives sections for Vegetarian Dishes, Vegetables, Salads, and Rice-Grains-Beans-Legumes. I’m guessing you could find dishes that you might like in any of those sections. I hesitate to make specific recommendations because there’s no way for me to know what flavors would appeal to you.
I have seen where the South Beach founder recommends that people just start on phase two if they don’t like egg dishes. That might work for you too.
One of the things that keeps me from completely doing the South Beach diet is that I cannot eat eggs that are cooked as eggs. I can eat eggs in bread or such, but not quiche, casseroles, or egg custard. There is a chemical change that must occur for me to be able to eat eggs. Additionally, I do not eat much meat. I have not found a lot of balanced meal options for South Beach that can accomodate these restrictions. As an experience South Beach Eater, can you make any suggetions?
I’ve been making a similar but lighter version of this once or twice a week for several months now. I take a quiche/tart dish and fill it nearly to the top with chopped tomatoes, onions, broccoli, and spinach. Sometimes I saute the veggies first but usually I leave them as is.
Then I fill in the remaining space with about 18 egg whites mixed with 2 whole eggs and a little salt and pepper. I bake it at 350 for about 45 minutes and it comes out beautifully! Since it is nearly all egg whites and veggies, it is very light but quite filling! We like to bring slices to work and eat it with hot sauce.
An added bonus that applies to your wonderful breakfast casserole is that it’s gluten free. YUM! Oh, and I totally agree about green onions! 🙂
This is a great resource – I always stress over breakfast menus for a crowd, but I always come back to breakfast casseroles like these which make things much more easy. Thanks for some new options!
Anonymous, thanks and congrats on the 33 pounds. Hope you will enjoy this.
What a great post! Really liked the fact that you reworked the recipe for different pan sizes. I have been doing SB for over a year now and lost 33pounds. I have enjoyed your blog and lots of your recipes. I cook only for myself and look for recipes that will freeze well and still taste good when reheated. Will have to give the breakfast casserole a try soon.
LOVE the breakfast casserole idea. Just made on with peppers, onions, frozen spinach and low fat mozzarella cheese.
Thanks so much for the cooking instructions and recipes!
yum yum yum! Can’t wait to try this! Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day! 🙂
Hi Kalyn–Just wanted to thank you for this idea. I need more protein in the morning. I didn’t follow your recipe exactly since I didn’t have everything on hand, but the idea of baking up an egg and cheese dish, well that came from you! And it was easy and tasty. So thanks!
Lisa: Yes, I think 8 X 8 would be fine for 9 eggs. You can put more or less of the veggies and cheese, depending on the size of your pan too.
What if I halved it and used 9 eggs…do you think an 8×8 dish would be about right?
Lisa, the breakfast casserole will easily keep for a week in the refrigerator. In the freezer it will keep for several months.
This is a good idea, Kalyn. Often, I’d like eggs in the morning, but I don’t have the time or energy to make them. How many days would this keep if refrigerated?
Kimbie, I will get working on it.
Mona and MM, thanks for the comments. It really is delicious.
Rene, so happy to hear that the SB diet is working for you. It is really quite amazing how fast it works AND how easy it is to find delicious food that can fit into the diet.
On my second week of Phase 1, mainly because I started reading this “food” blog a while ago 🙂 and figured what the heck, maybe this South Beach thing will work. I’ve lost about 8 pounds, my boyfriend has lost around 10. I can’t tell you how much your blog has helped, with yummy recipes, fun reading and cool products (I started using Dreamfields pasta last year even before the diet because of reading your blog). We’ve been eating your version of the breakfast muffins (thanks for the two wrapper suggestion) from day one.
THANK YOU THANK YOU!
I love the breakfast casserole and can see myself having that for lunch. Or dinner. Or supper.
Wow, your breakfast casserole is welcome in my household anytime!! Looks excellent : ) And so much more exciting than the usual scrambled I find lying around here !
That looks yummy! I should wake up earlier so that I can fit breakfast into my day : )
I’ve tagged you!