I wasn’t sure whether to call this recipe a low carb quiche or a low carb breakfast casserole, because honestly it could go either way.
Since it has a delicious crust, it could be considered a quiche (A crustless quiche isn’t a quiche in my opinion – it’s a frittata so STOP CALLING IT QUICHE ALREADY.) But since I decided to make it in a casserole dish instead of a pie plate for easier serving, I went with casserole.
No matter what you want to call it, it tastes fantastic!
I opted not to go with a low carb pastry crust for this breakfast casserole, because I wanted something that didn’t require tedious rolling. Potato hash browns would taste amazing as a base, but the potatoes would definitely hike up the carbs in this dish. So I decided to experiment with shredded celery root, which I used with great success to make these low carb Rosti pancakes awhile back.
I wanted to be sure the celeriac crust held together, so I added some cheese, melted butter, and coconut flour to the shredded celery root. The end result was crispy on the top and delightfully chewy and pastry-like on the bottom – but without the work and frustration of a low carb pastry crust.
This is a two step baking process to get the celery root crust partially cooked before pouring in the egg filling – otherwise it would just dissolve into the egg mixture while baking.
I really think the delicious end result is worth the extra step of pre-baking the crust though!
This low carb breakfast casserole is great for just one person because you can portion it out to reheat all week – and it reheats great in the microwave btw. It also feeds a crowd and is hearty enough to be eaten on its own or you can cut it into smaller pieces for a brunch setup.
I would caution that if you are doubling this low carb breakfast casserole recipe not to just make it in one huge pan. The crust will burn before you get the middle set up all the way.
If you want to double or triple it for a large group, make it in several pans (I love disposable aluminum pans like these for large groups because then I just toss them and have less dishes) so that they cook all the way through before the crust burns!
If you don’t want the hassle of the crust, you can make this as a ham and cheese frittata in either one pan like mine or in muffin cups for easy portion control – just be sure to use something non-stick and grease it well before pouring in the egg so they come out easily!
Whether you call this a low carb breakfast casserole, quiche, or a frittata, it’s a fantastic way to use up any leftover ham, and it will be sure to impress your family and friends with it’s amazing flavor and texture!
Ham & Cheese Low Carb Breakfast Casserole – Gluten Free
- Yield: Nine 3 x 3 servings 1x
Description
This delicious low carb breakfast casserole (or quiche) is flavored with ham, cheese, and healthy spinach! It’s got a crunchy low carb celery root crust as a base and reheats easily for days!
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 4 cups celery root, peeled and shredded
- 4 Tbsp butter, melted
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp coconut flour (IBIH recommends)
- 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
For the filling:
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup light cream
- 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed of any liquid)
- 2 cups ham, chopped
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
For the crust:
- Combine the crust ingredients in a medium sized bowl and mix well. Press mixture firmly and evenly into a 9 x 9 or equivalent (I used 8 x 11) oven proof pan, going up the sides at least 2 inches.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
- Remove and reduce oven heat to 350 degrees.
For the filling:
- Beat the eggs in a large bowl and add the cream, almond milk, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
- Stir in the spinach.
- Spread the ham and cheese evenly over the par-baked crust in the bottom of the pan.
- Gently pour the egg mixture over the ham and cheese.
- Bake the casserole in the 350 degree (F) oven for 60 minutes or until the middle is set and doesn’t jiggle when shaken.
- Note: If your edges are getting too brown, cover the casserole lightly with foil in the last 15 minutes of baking.
- Cool for 10 minutes before cutting.
Notes
Approx nutrition info per 3×3 serving: 308 calories, 23g fat, 6g net carbs, 16g protein
- Category: Low Carb Breakfast Recipe
- Cuisine: American
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l p says
breakfast has always been a challenge but this dish has really made it easy. thanks
★★★★
DJ says
I live in rural WY. Consequently, celery root is not available. I substituted riced cauliflower & sqeezed dry, as I would for pizza crust etc.. Butter was sufficient to hold crust together, so I didn’t use the oil. I stay on keto primarily to avoid inflammation caused by wheat flour & sugar. My husband doesn’t have the same issues, but he will gladly serve as my keto taste tester. The result was delicious……we both loved this recipe!!
★★★★★
Sheryl says
Thanks for sharing. This looks great. Do you have the nutritional information without the crust? I would definitely make it crustless.
Thank you
John Beck says
We liked this article so much that we’ve featured your article on our website, The Manly Blog! Just thought you’d like to know! SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL BREAKFAST MONTH – 7 GREAT, HEALTHY, KETO BREAKFAST RECIPES!
Pam says
What do think about subbing riced cauliflower for the celery root?
karen says
Ok. Im dense. Is celery root the base of a stalk of celery after the stocks are moved? I haven’t seen one 5 inches across so Im confused.
Mellissa Sevigny says
It’s sold separately as a big round knobby looking tan ball – just ask in your produce department!
Pamela Akihiro says
I cannot find celery root where I live. What can I sub for it?
Cami Valenzuela says
Yumm this sounds amazing. Will have to make this for my husband this weekend. He will enjoy it.
adriana says
This recipe looks so delicious. i definitely need to make this asap.
★★★★★
Mary Beth Elderton says
Perfect brucnh recipe!
★★★★★
Anne C says
I can recreate this! Looks yummy too! Thanks for the recipe.
Kathleen Kelly says
Love this kind of breakfast! Thank you for sharing! Happy Holidays!
Tammy S says
Oh this looks so good! My husband would love this dish!! I do like the idea of trying it with a potato hash brown base. I’m sure it would be a great addition to my next brunch.
★★★★★
carol clark says
this would be great for christmas morning i love it seems like i want to make this and i think ill give it a try
ellen beck says
This looks delicious. I am not sure I have ever even seen a celery root before though. I think it sounds like a good idea, just have never seen it so cant use it. I do lovve ham and cheese though, it sounds great.
★★★★
Terri S says
Oh, this looks so good!! It would be perfect for a holiday breakfast. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Alison says
Hi Melissa, this looks awesome. I was wondering, if I do not have celery root available, what I can substitute with?
Can I use just plain celery?
Thank you for sharing this recipe
Alison
★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Definitely not celery Alison, totally different flavor and texture than the root! Possibly grated radishes would work, but not sure if they’d crisp up the same. This is one that I’d use the celery root for or just omit it, trying something untested for the crust might ruin the whole dish unfortunately!
Koshie says
I laughed aloud, “there’s somebody like me!” when I read your blog! “Bone broth” has been called STOCK for decades. A torte is NOT just a cake with more than 2 layers…. it is made with nut flours or crumbs. SWEET butter means it has no added salt — so sweet salted butter is an oxymoron! So I understand your aggravation with the confusion between frittatas and quiches. (BTW, I didn’t know. Now I do. Thank you!)
I love quiches. I love THIS quiche! A wonderful crust and I’m gonna try to use it in other things and see how it goes. I used a smoked ham…. and I am still shuddering with goosebumps of delight just thinking about how scrumptious this turned out!
★★★★★
Hawkce541 says
Where do you find celery root? No grocery store around here has it.
Brenda says
Recipe looks great and I will definitely give it a try. You have used all very healthy ingredients to make this dish except for the salt. Why woyld you not use Himilayan or sea salt? They are much better for us than Kosher or regular demineralized table salt.
Mellissa Sevigny says
You can use whatever salt you like Brenda.
Sufie says
I tried this recipe. It is incredible! The crust is so close to the real thing you won’t believe it! Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
emma says
I tried the celery crust and it was rather interesting… I used a food processor to grate the celery, however the fibres are so tough LOL! the cheese aroma gives a nice touch though!
★★★★★
Sharon says
Can this be frozen?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Not sure, haven’t tried it but I think it would affect the texture in an unpleasant way.
AnnS says
Hi! This recipe sounds great. Since I’ve never used celery root before, I was wondering about how much celery root did you buy to get enough for this recipe?
Mellissa Sevigny says
1 largish root will do it Ann! 5 inches in diameter or so. Enjoy!
AnnS says
Thank you!
Carrie says
I made this as described above except I added more black pepper. It was good next time I think I would add some sautéed mushrooms and onions. A little diced jalapeno would be nice also. I wold give it 4 out of 5 stars.
★★★★★
Anne O says
Looks great- you have ham and cheddar repeating at the end of the recipe- I assume you just need 2 cups ham 1 cup cheddar and not double that?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thank you for catching that Anne – fixed it! :)