INDIVIDUAL HAM AND CHEESE BREAKFAST BAKES

Individual Ham and Cheese Breakfast Bakes image

These mini breakfast casseroles are the perfect holiday brunch. Chock-full of ham, mushrooms and caramelized onions, and finished with grape tomatoes and plenty of grated cheese, they're colorful, hearty and utterly irresistible. The best part? Individual skillets mean no one needs to share!

Provided by Food Network Kitchen

Time 1h

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 13

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Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the mini skillets
1 large onion, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups 1/2-inch bread cubes (about 8 ounces, crusts removed)
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 1/4 cups half-and-half
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Pinch cayenne pepper
8 large eggs
8 ounces ham, diced
2 cups shredded Gruyere (about 6 ounces)
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 4 mini 6 1/2-inch cast-iron skillets and put on a baking sheet.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring and lowering the heat further if starting to burn, until the onions are softened and caramelized, about 20 minutes more. Remove from the heat and season with salt and black pepper.
Meanwhile, heat another large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter and the bread and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bread is light golden brown all over, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Transfer to a plate to cool.
Increase the heat under the skillet used for the bread to medium high, add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the mushrooms and cook, undisturbed, for 1 minute. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are softened, about 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat and season with salt and black pepper.
Whisk the half-and-half, mustard, cayenne, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper in a large bowl. Stir in the onions, bread, mushrooms, ham and 1 cup of the Gruyere.
Divide the mixture evenly among the prepared mini skillets. Top with the grape tomatoes and sprinkle with the Parmesan and remaining Gruyere. Bake until the tops are golden brown and the casseroles are just set (they shouldn't jiggle when shaken), 25 to 30 minutes. Top each with a grind of black pepper.