Egg, Ham and Asparagus Breakfast Bake

Note: This recipe requires 4 aluminum rings to mold eggs during baking. If you don’t have these already, you can make them. Directions given below.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Wash and dry asparagus and tomatoes. Cut and discard the bottom (flat end) 2 inches of the asparagus. Cut the remaining spears into 1-inch pieces. Slash each tomato lengthwise, but don’t cut all the way through (keep it intact). Working in a large bowl or the kitchen sink, squeeze the tomato juice out of the pulp. This can get messy. Set tomato pulp aside.

In a medium bowl, add milk, egg substitute, table salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Whisk until frothy. Add potato flakes, onion, and garlic. Whisk to blend. Set aside.

Spray a 9” x 9” inch baking dish with cooking spray. Add potatoes across the bottom and slightly up the sides of the dish. Add half of the cheese. Quickly whisk the milk mixture and pour half of it (make sure to scoop up some the solids that settled to the bottom of the bowl) over the cheese. Add ham, asparagus, tomatoes, and the remaining cheese. Top with the remaining milk mixture. Bake for 35 minutes.

While the casserole bakes, make the aluminum rings: Tear 4 strips of 12” x 5” inch wide aluminum foil. Fold each one in half, lengthwise. Then fold it in half lengthwise again. Bring the two ends together and make a 1-inch fold onto itself to close the ends. Holding the fold together, make another 1/2 inch fold so that it stays clasped. Open up the ring. It should be approximately 2 3/4-inch in diameter. (See my page link for pictures.) Generously grease both sides of the ring with oil.

Remove casserole from the oven. Place an aluminum ring in each quadrant of the pan, pressing down slightly into surface. Break and egg into each one. Sprinkle with kosher salt and coarse black pepper. Bake for about 25 minutes or until egg is set, but yolks are still runny. The custard layer should also be firm in the middle. Remove rings immediately using a butter knife to separate the rings from casserole if they stick. Allow to set about 15 minutes before serving.