The cottage cheese is the secret to this incredibly fluffy, tender egg bake! It gives the eggs a creamy, almost custardy texture, while salty bacon, colorful vegetables, and two more kinds of cheese bring plenty of savory flavor to every bite. It’s a breakfast casserole our family comes back to again and again, whether we’re hosting brunch or making something to enjoy throughout the week.
This Cottage Cheese Egg Bake Is My Dreamy, Creamy Brunch Companion.
Friends and family are the sources of so many of my kitchen inspirations, and I give inspo credit to friends Jennifer and Meghan for this recipe. Jennifer served a cottage cheese egg bake with frozen spinach when hosting at their family’s home on the Minnesota North Shore. And Meghan hosted a baby shower, where she served a filling, flavor-packed overnight egg bake, with layers of English muffin bread, prosciutto, goat cheese, and fresh green onion and basil that I swooned over.
So I took inspiration from both of them to create this version!
I looooove how the cottage cheese kind of melts into the whisked eggs as the dish bakes, offering a soft, fluffy-creamy texture and rich taste. Bites of bacon add delicious salty flavor and chewy texture. And I like to stuff in lots of veggies whenever I can. Jennifer’s original recipe already had spinach, so I added fresh onion and red bell pepper for flavor depth and a pretty speckling of vibrant red color. Then colby jack cheese adds beautiful meltability and Parmesan offers a rich, salty bite.
And the secret ingredient for easy seasoning? Lawry’s Seasoning Salt! Also in Jennifer’s original recipe, it gives the egg bake well-rounded flavor without having to add a bunch of individual spices.
I like to serve this casserole for casual weekend brunches with family and friends, oftentimes with something fruity and sweet, like banana blueberry muffins. It’s also special enough for a holiday brunch — think Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and Mother’s Day. And my husband gets super excited when I serve this as a comforting breakfast-for-dinner dish!
“I have made this SEVERAL times and it is so easy and always a hit. Many people have asked for the recipe. My family often requests it.”
Jan
How I MAKE IT
Here’s What I Recommend If You Want To MakE This In Advance.
The most common question I get with this recipe is whether or not it can be made ahead of time. And the short answer is Yes. After testing a variety of different methods here’s what I can confidently recommend.
Prep it in advance. Up to two days prior to baking the egg bake, cook and chop the bacon, chop the veggies, and store these in airtight containers in the fridge. When you’re ready to turn on the oven, just assemble the dish and bake.
Or bake it in advance. You can bake the dish up to 24 hours beforehand, let it cool, then store it in the fridge, tightly covered, then reheat the next morning.
Note: I personally do not like to assemble this dish and refrigerate it prior to baking it. When it gets chilled overnight it takes considerably longer to bake in the morning and it’s just not worth it or reliable.
Bacon and Veggie Cottage Cheese Egg Bake
Ingredients
- 1 pound bacon, divided
- 12 large eggs
- 16 ounces shredded colby jack cheese, divided
- 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained very well (squeeze with paper towels to remove excess moisture)
- 32 ounces small curd cottage cheese (I use 4% milkfat for extra richness)
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup small-diced red bell pepper, divided
- ½ cup minced yellow onion
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour (you can substitute Bob's Red Mill 1 To 1 Gluten Free Baking Flour)
- 1 teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more for sprinkling over the top
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- chopped green onion, optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly spray a 9" x 13" baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Cook bacon using your preferred method, in the oven or on the stovetop, until chewy-crisp. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Then chop bacon into bite-sized pieces, discarding any large pieces of fat.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs until well combined. Set aside ¼ cup of the chopped bacon, then add the rest to the whisked eggs. Set aside ½ cup of the colby jack, then add the rest to the whisked eggs. Add the spinach, cottage cheese, melted butter, half of the red pepper, and all of the yellow onion. Stir to combine.
- Sprinkle the flour, Lawry's, black pepper, and half of the Parmesan over the egg mixture. Stir to combine.
- Add the egg mixture to prepared 9" x 13" pan. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan over the top, followed by the remaining bacon and red pepper. Finish by sprinkling the remaining colby jack over the top, plus a generous sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper.
- Cover pan (with pan cover or foil) and bake for 40 minutes. Remove cover and bake 20-30 minutes more, or until center is firm. If the top starts to brown more than you like, place the lid back on the pan.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let sit for 15-20 minutes before cutting and serving. The egg bake will have a soft texture, due to the cottage cheese. It will continue to firm up the longer it sits. If desired, sprinkle with chopped green onion before serving.
Notes
- Prep in advance: Up to two days prior to baking the egg bake, cook and chop the bacon, chop the veggies, and store these in airtight containers in the fridge. When you’re ready to turn on the oven, just assemble the dish and bake.
- Bake in advance: Up to one day prior, assemble and bake the dish, let it cool, then store it in the fridge, tightly covered. The next morning, let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes before reheating it in the oven at 350° F, covered, until hot all the way through.
It looks delicious and there are great comments. My only problem is that it is just my husband and myself. We would never get thru a serving for 16. I’m not good at using freezer leftovers and I hate to waste food.
Hi Debra – I know I’m very late to reply to your message, but I hope you get my reply. You could cut the ingredients in half and bake in an 8″ x 8″ pan.
I’ve made this 4 times now. It is so good. We love it for weekday lunches. We have tried it with bacon once, but we prefer it with sausage. Give it a drizzle of sriracha and voila!
FABULOUS!!! Rhiannon – thank you so much for coming back here to let me know + rate the recipe – I really appreciate that!
Made this once before and it was a hit! Wondering if I can make it with fresh spinach and if any changes should be considered?
I’m so glad you like this recipe, Heather – thanks for rating and leaving a comment! I haven’t tried this with fresh spinach, but I would try chopping it fine, maybe fold in 2 cups of finely chopped? If you give it a try, please come back and let me know how it went. Thank you!
This is becoming one of my go-to egg bakes. So good and loaded with protein and veggies. Wes will take the leftovers back to school for quick breakfasts. Say Hi to Jennifer. Haven’t seen her in years.
I’m SO HAPPY to hear this, Danae! Thank you for coming back to let me know + rate the recipe. Hope you’re having a fantastic summer! :)
Hi! I’ve made this several times and it’s a favourite! Wondering if you have a tip to keep it from ‘deflating’ after it comes out of the oven? Sometimes I blend the cottage cheese with an immersion blender to hide it from my kids, wondering if that’s could be the reason or if there’s another way to keep it puffed
This was so good!!! Definitely a recipe to save. Makes a LOT so prepare to freeze some!
If I wanted to make half the amount, how long should I bake it for and what size pan do you recommend I use?
I have made this SEVERAL times and it is so easy and always a hit. Many people have asked for the recipe. My family often requests it. That being said I prefer sausage to bacon because it has more flavor. If you want to kick it up a notch add a small can of jalapeño. DELICIOUS.
So glad you liked this recipe, Jan – thanks for coming back here to let me know and to rate the recipe! :)
I made this with Canadian bacon it was fantastic, we entertained our 18 yr old grandson who devoured it.
Great recipe, I,m sharing it and plan on making it several more timex.
Thank you
SO HAPPY you liked this recipe, Patti! Thanks a bunch for coming back to leave a comment and rating!
This was amazing!! Followed the recipe as is. This will definitely be put into the normal rotation at my house.
So happy to hear this, Katie! Thank you for coming back to let me know! :)
I am making this tonight! I will let you know how it turns out. I too was in BSF for many years and served on the leadership team for the day women’s class in Arnold Missouri. I am serving it tonight at my home for a small group Bible study dinner.
Does this freeze well? Looks amazing but too much for one week for us :)
Hi Ann – it does freeze well!
I made this for the local community Pastora Breakfast and it was a big hit! Next time I think I’ll add some sausage.
SO GLAD this was a hit! Thank you for coming back to let me know!
This is the best egg bake I have ever eaten. I served it to some lady friends and several asked for the recipe.
Brenda, I had breakfast with your mom awhile back and she made this. I loved it so I made it today and I love it again. :) I did make it with sausage with some bacon on the top. I will be making this again. Thanks for sharing. I enjoy your recipes. Jean
Hi Jean! Mom said she gave you a sneak-peek copy of the recipe, I love that! Sausage AND bacon, now you’re talkin’ – I’m going to try that next, all of us really like sausage. So lovely to hear from you. I hope you’re doing well. Please say hi to Derwin!