Easy breakfast or breakfast-for-dinner
Ham & Cheese Squares
A crispy potato base, fluffy eggs, ham, and plenty of cheese make these squares an easy option for busy mornings, breakfast-for-dinner, or feeding a crowd.
One of my favorite parts of this recipe is that the potato layer does not have to be complicated. Leave the hash brown patties whole, arrange them on the pan, and let the oven do the work. You can also swap in frozen potato rounds—the round, flat tater-tot style potatoes—if that is what you have.
Why This Recipe Works
- Frozen potatoes keep prep simple.
- The egg mixture can be blended instead of whisked by hand.
- It makes a full pan and cuts easily into individual squares.
- It works for breakfast, breakfast-for-dinner, or a make-ahead meal.
Ham & Cheese Squares
Yield: About 12 servings
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil, for lightly brushing the pan
- About 10 frozen toaster-style hash brown patties, thawed or enough frozen potato rounds to create an even potato layer
- 2 cups shredded Colby & Monterey Jack cheese blend, divided
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 12 eggs
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 8 oz thick-sliced deli ham, chopped
- 4–5 green onions, sliced, with some of the green tops reserved for garnish
- 3 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
- Additional black pepper, optional
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Lightly brush the Stone Bar Pan with oil.
- Arrange the thawed hash brown patties in a single layer on the pan, leaving the patties whole. If using potato rounds, arrange them in an even layer instead.
- Sprinkle about half of the shredded cheese over the potatoes. Bake for 13–15 minutes, or until the potatoes are beginning to brown and the cheese is melted.
- While the potato base bakes, add the softened cream cheese, eggs, and black pepper to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
- Chop the ham and slice the green onions. Reserve a little of the green onion tops for the finished squares.
- Optional: Warm the ham and most of the green onions in a skillet for 2–3 minutes. You can skip this step—the ham and onions will warm through in the oven.
- Stir the ham and green onions into the egg mixture.
- Remove the pan from the oven and carefully pour the egg mixture over the potato layer. Return the pan to the oven and bake for about 8–10 minutes, or until the eggs are set in the center.
- Top with the remaining cheese, diced tomatoes, and reserved green onion tops. Add a little extra black pepper if you like.
- Cut into squares and serve.
Potato-round packages use different names, so look for the round, flat tater-tot-style potatoes in the frozen potato section.
Melanie’s Mealtime Tip 💜
Make this the night before while you’re already in the kitchen making dinner. Once it’s baked and cooled, cover and refrigerate it so breakfast is ready to reheat in the morning.
Make It Work for Your Morning
These squares are easy to portion and reheat, so leftovers can become a quick grab-and-go breakfast. They also make a fun breakfast-for-dinner option when you want something easy that still feels like a full meal.
Tool Tip
Using the Stone Bar Pan helps the potatoes bake up extra crispy underneath while the raised edges keep the egg mixture contained.
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