Disclosure: I was compensated by Jones Dairy Farm for developing this recipe and writing this post. As always, all opinions remain my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Poet in the Pantry!
Open the fridge door and what greets you? A hunk of ham, leftover from the festivities of the day prior. Now what? You could just slice it up and reheat it. That’s what you’d normally do. But that’s so…yesterday. And now? It’s today. And you really need something else to do with all that ham. You need a new idea. You need…Breakfast Lasagna.
Breakfast Lasagna breaks from tradition by replacing pasta noodles with cinnamon raisin French toast. You read that right: there’s no pasta in this dish. Instead, it’s an inventive assembly of breakfast delights that allows you to have it all…in one serving! The whole family loved it–and yours will, too!
This is also a fabulous make-ahead meal. My husband’s family gets together for brunch on New Year’s Day, and Breakfast Lasagna is a perfect potluck dish to bring to such a gathering. Just heat and eat–don’t forget the syrup!
Breakfast Lasagna
Ingredients
French Toast
- 6 large eggs
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons whole milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 18 slices cinnamon raisin bread
Scrambled Eggs
- 12 large eggs
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Lasagna
- 1/4 cup pancake syrup divided
- 4 cups chopped leftover Jones Dairy Farm ham divided
- 3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese blend divided
- 3 cups shredded hash brown
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/8-1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
French Toast
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon until well blended.
- Heat 2 teaspoons butter in a skillet over medium heat.
- Dip a slice of cinnamon raisin bread in the egg mixture, flip over, then place in the skillet. Repeat.
- Cook until lightly browned, then flip over and cook until slightly puffed up and the other side is lightly browned. Remove to a plate.
- Repeat until you have 18 slices of French toast.
Scrambled Eggs
- While you’re preparing the French toast, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl (4 quarts or larger) until well blended.
- Cook the eggs in 2 batches: melt 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter in a skillet over medium heat, then add half the eggs to the pan. Agitate with a silicone spatula, cooking until you have curds that are set and only a little wet. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate, then repeat with the remaining eggs.
Lasagna
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9x13 baking dish and lay out a layer of French toast in the bottom; you will probably have to cut some pieces in half to cover the entire surface without overlapping (8-9 slices).
- Drizzle half the pancake syrup over the French toast.
- Spread half the eggs and ham over the French toast, then sprinkle half the cheese over that.
- Repeat with the remaining French toast, pancake syrup, eggs, and ham.
- Press the hash browns evenly over the ham and eggs, then drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over that.
- Bake for 30 minutes uncovered.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and return to the oven for 10 minutes.
- Turn the broiler on high and bake for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese is caramelized.
- Let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Drizzle with additional pancake syrup, if desired.
Wonderful idea, this will also be good for serving a lot of people at the same time.
That’s my favorite part about it! We have a family brunch every year on New Year’s Day and this is IDEAL for situations like that!
Breakfast Lasagna needs to happen like all of the time. Great way to use up ham that’s left over! Love Jones Dairy Farm ham!
Absolutely!! It takes a little time to put together, but it’s worth it!
In the oven as we speak. Opted for bacon versus ham. I just hope the hashbrowns cook all the way through since it is basically the only thing that was raw in the meal…… (I tried to rate this 5 stars but it would only let me rate it 3. No idea why.)
Weird on the ratings. What did you think of it when it was done? I was skeptical about the hashbrowns originally, too, but it spends enough time in the oven that they got crispy enough for me. Hope you enjoyed it!!