Green Chili Egg Casserole is an easy overnight breakfast casserole that is perfect for Christmas morning or any brunch occasion all year long!

If you’re looking for the Christmas egg casserole recipe, THIS IS IT.  It’s so easy that you can throw it together in just minutes or even make it the night before and leave it in the fridge so all you have to do is pop it in the oven on Christmas morning. 

Not that a fantastic overnight breakfast casserole needs to be reserved for Christmas morning though.

A few years ago I went to a Back-to-School Brunch, which is where all the mom’s get together on the first day of school after drop-off to celebrate and/or cry.  Even though I love my kids and we have amazing vacations together, I’m solidly in the celebrate category.  My girls are too and I’m glad for it because I never understood kids who didn’t look forward to the start of a new school year and learning!  Because yes, I was (and still proudly am) a huge nerd with a strong bent toward being a workaholic.

I don’t know about you, but at brunches I gravitate towards the savory breakfast dishes.  I just love to sample all the delicious breakfast casserole recipes that people bring!  You know, the kind that are loaded with ham, sausage, or bacon, and often have hash browns or bread as a base.

I love them all, but when I tried this green chili breakfast casserole that my friend Cheryl had brought, it was my immediate favorite.  Afterwards I asked Cheryl to send me the recipe, which comes from a Taste of Home recipe for green chili egg puff.  I’ve since modified it a bit (decreasing the butter and cheese a bit, adding some eggs, doubling the green chilies, etc.).

One reason I love this easy breakfast casserole is that it doesn’t have bread or potatoes in it.

Not that I have anything against that, but since this is really just a baked eggs recipe that is packed with extra protein (thanks cottage cheese!) and not bulked up with bread or potatoes, it means I can also enjoy my sister-in-law Deborah’s knotted orange sweet rolls or a cinnamon roll or monkey bread with it without feeling like I’m eating carbs on carbs.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.

This recipe is incredibly easy, which means more time relaxing with family and less time in the kitchen missing out on the fun!

Occasions to Make Overnight Breakfast Casseroles

Make ahead breakfast casseroles are a staple for any holiday or special occasion for lots of reasons:

1. Breakfast casseroles are quick to throw together, can be made in advance, and easily feed a crowd.
2. They are savory and delicious, which is a nice change of pace from all the sweets.
3. Overnight egg casseroles are packed with protein so they are filling.

I think this green chili egg casserole is perfect for Christmas and Easter, as well as Mother’s Day (seriously dads, you got this one – it’s crazy easy), brunches, or even on nights when you don’t know what to make and want to do breakfast for dinner (who’s with me loving breakfast for dinner?!).

Is this an overnight breakfast casserole?

Yes!  You can take one of two approaches if you want to make this green chili egg casserole in advance.  You can mix up the ingredients and pour them into the pan the night before, then cover it and leave it in the fridge to pop in the oven in the morning.

Or you could actually go ahead and bake this make ahead breakfast casserole and then just reheat until warm.  It actually heats up great!

How to Make Green Chili Egg Casserole

1. Beat the eggs.  I find it easiest to just do this in my stand mixer, but you could really do this whole thing by hand using a whisk.
2. Mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add in the cottage cheese, shredded cheese, and diced green chilies, stirring just until combined.
4. Pour into a buttered 9×13-inch baking dish, then bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes until browned around the edges and set in the center.
5. Wait just a few minutes for it to cool and set up a bit, then slice and serve warm!

Tips for this Easy Breakfast Casserole

• If you are hung up on the addition of cottage cheese in this green chili egg casserole, it really bakes into the casserole and the texture (which seems to be the issue for some people) is hardly noticeable (and a non-issue if you already like cottage cheese).
• The eggs get a little rise and structure from a combination of just 1/2 cup of flour and a little baking powder.  The flour to egg ratio is really small and doesn’t even come close to making this more like a German pancake.
• I love Tillamook’s shredded farmstyle cut cheese.  It is so good and melted better than any other pre-grated cheese that I have tried.
• You can totally change things up to make any flavor combo you feel like or use whatever cheese or other mix-ins you have on hand.  Sub in mozzarella cheese, add some bacon or cooked and crumbled sausage or veggies.
• I set aside a little of the cheese and green onions to sprinkle over the top of my casserole, just to make it look a little bit nicer for these photos, but honestly, usually I just mix it all in.
• You can slice the cooked green chili egg casserole and freeze it individually for quick morning breakfasts.  It’s not as great as when it is freshly made, but it’s still pretty good.
• This is really like a crustless quiche and the diced green chilies are really mild, so there is no need to worry about your family thinking this is too spicy.  Unless you get the hot diced green chilies on accident!

More Egg Recipes for Breakfast

• Peppery Scrambled Macaroni & Eggs (sounds weird, tastes amazing, trust me – it’s legitimately our favorite breakfast)
• Cheesy Overnight Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole from the Food Charlatan
• Easy, Ultimate Breakfast Frittata
• Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole from Simply Whisked
• Caprese Quiche from The Life Jolie

Green Chili Egg Cassserole

Yield: 12 people

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Green Chili Egg Casserole is an easy overnight breakfast casserole that is perfect for Christmas morning or any brunch occasion all year long!

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Ingredients

• 12 eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pint cottage cheese, small curd (about 2 cups)
• 3 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (or any combination of cheddar, monterey jack, and pepper jack)
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 (4 ounce) cans mild diced green chilies

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish.
2. In a large bowl using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, beat eggs until light. 
3. Add flour, baking powder, and salt.  Mix well. 
4. Add cottage cheese, Mexican cheese blend, butter, and green chilies.  Mix until combined.  Pour into prepared baking dish.  Cover and refrigerate overnight or bake right away.  
5. Bake, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes or until edges on top are browned and center is set and appears firm.  Cool 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Notes

The recipe can easily be halved and baked in a square baking dish or round pie plate for 25-30 minutes if you aren't serving a crowd. 

Recipe from my friend Cheryl.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 382 Saturated Fat: 15g Cholesterol: 241mg Sodium: 765mg Carbohydrates: 6g Sugar: 1g Protein: 24g

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