The only thing I hate more than a sink full of dirty dishes is WASHING a sink full of dirty dishes. So this “No Washing Up Ham, Egg & Cheese Bread Bowl” post is dedicated to everyone who hates doing the dishes as much as I do!
No Washing Up Ham, Egg & Cheese Bread Bowls
“Perfect for feeding an army. You can make ahead, eat it with your hands and I swear, there is not a single dish or pan or utensil to be washed!”
In my next life, I hope to be reborn with slim hands and long, elegant fingers instead of pudgy, midget hands. My friends call me “Baby Hands”. Truly! I do everything I can to avoid “hand shots”, but sometimes it just has to be done.
Enough about my Baby Hands, let’s put the focus back on the food. If I wrote this post like my other posts, it would go on for pages as I ranted on and on about why I think these No Washing Up Ham, Egg & Cheese Bread Bowls are so nifty. So I’m going to do both of us a favour and simply list out the pros and cons!
PROS
1. NO WASHING UP – no pots, no pans, no baking tray, no cutting board, no bowls. These are baked wrapped in foil which you need to do otherwise the bread roll burns before the egg cooks. The only kitchen equipment you’ll use is a knife to cut the top off the rolls. If you’re as lazy as me, you’ll just run a dishcloth along the blade and put it right back in the knife rack!
2. FAST TO MAKE – it will take you all of 4 minutes to assemble 4 to pop into the oven. Possibly 3 minutes. And if you like your yolks really runny like I do, these will be out of the oven in 10 minutes.
3. EAT WITH YOUR HANDS – just like a burger!
4. FEED A CROWD – FAST. You can make loads of No Washing Up Ham, Egg & Cheese Bread Bowls in one go – as many as you can fit in your oven!
5. MAKE AHEAD. Yes, you really can! The only thing is to make sure the bread bowls are properly lined with ham to stop the egg from seeping through to the bread. Just assemble completely and wrap with foil, then leave them in the fridge until you need them. Then pop them in the oven!
6. VERSATILE. Get creative! These are pretty boring – just ham, eggs and cheese. Fill it with whatever you want! The only thing to ensure is that you line the bread with ham so the egg doesn’t soak straight into the bread. I tried making these with bacon once but because it is thicker and not as pliable (especially after you fry it), you can’t mould it into the bowl as well so I struggled to make enough space for even an egg, let alone anything else.7. BUDGET. Ham is cheaper than bacon. And you don’t need to use any fancy bread for this. Just ordinary bread rolls. Even stale is fine. Once stuffed and baked, you won’t be able to tell if they are fresh or stale bread.
8. FOOD ON THE GO. Because you can eat this with your hands, it’s great for on the go! I was munching on this while wandering around packing up the props after taking the photo!
9. GREAT FOR A CAMP OUT. Can you imagine how great this would be cooked over a campfire?? Just place it on the edge of the fire near (not on) hot coals. The foil traps the heat well and it will cook in no time!
10. ONLY 339 CALORIES PER SERVING. Believe it. It’s only 1 bread roll, 1 egg, 1 small slice of ham and 2 tbsp of cheese. Actually, I just realised it’s less than 339 calories because I didn’t factor in that the centre of the bread roll is removed.
11. SO, SO TASTY. Why I haven’t put this as #1 is beyond me!
“This is a great way to use up bread rolls that are slightly stale. Once stuffed and baked, no one would ever be able to tell whether the rolls are fresh or not!”
CONS
1. Eerm….no greens? Though I DID add a sprinkle of parsley on the No Washing Up Ham, Egg & Cheese Bread Bowls. Isn’t that enough?
OK, so perhaps I’m being completely pig-headed by not coming up with more cons. I am the excitable type and can get blindsided. So if you’re the sensible type and can think of more “cons”, leave a comment below and I’ll update the list!
Aren’t my wrapping skills shocking? You should see the presents I wrap! Well, you won’t, because I won’t ever be showing you!
Don’t toss the bread you scoop out! Save it to make croutons or breadcrumbs. Or how about this Chicken and Spinach Bread Bake or this Creamy Bacon, Chicken and Broccoli Bread Bake?
Love to hear what you think, or any other suggestions you might have for other fillings! Just leave a comment below and I’ll be sure to respond :). – Nagi x
MORE BREAKFAST EGG RECIPES
- Omelette
- Frittata – the classic done right!
- Shakshouka – baked eggs made exotic
- Healthy Egg Muffins
- No Washing Up Ham Egg Cheese Pockets
- Bacon and Egg Muffins
- Copycat MACCERS Sausage and Egg McMuffin
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
No Washing Up Ham, Egg & Cheese Bread Bowls
Ingredients
- 4 bread rolls (soft or crusty)
- 4 small slices of ham , or 2 big ones cut in half
- 4 eggs , at room temperature
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley , finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- Cut the tops off the bread rolls.
- Scoop out the centre and reserve (see notes for ideas to use). To be neat, use a small knife to cut a round outline before scooping out the centre.
- Line the bread bowl with a layer of ham. Try to use one whole piece if you can because then there is less chance of egg seeping through and being soaked up by the bread.
- Crack in an egg.
- Top each with 2 tbsp of mozzarella cheese and a sprinkle of parsley (optional).
- Put the top back on each roll. Wrap with foil and place in oven to bake for ~15 to 25 minutes. Take a peek at 20 minutes to check them. 20 minutes = runny yolks. 25 minutes + = just cooked yolks. (See notes for more information)
- Remove from oven, unwrap and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes:
a) Your oven. Mine is a fan forced oven which cooks food faster than normal ovens.
b) How many you are making – the more you are making, the longer it will take.
c) How thick the bread bowl walls are. The thicker the wall, the longer it will take for the heat to get to the centre of the bread to cook the egg. I made mine quite thin – about 1cm/1/3″.
d) The type of bread you are using. A dense bread like a sourdough will take longer. I used soft standard bread rolls.
e) Whether the eggs are at room temperature or are cold, straight out of the fridge.
Nutrition Information:
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
No Washing Up Ham, Egg and Cheese Bowls recipe video!
Thank you very mach for the books, i will be cook =)
Hope you enjoy them!!
Hello Nagi!
Big fan of any recipe that involves no washing up 🙂
Can I reheat this in a microwave? Looks like i have to make this at home then take to work and I’d love to heat it up a bit when I’m ready to eat it. Or… could i make this in a microwave?
Fingers crossed!
Hi Chinny! I’ve never made this in a microwave – not sure it would work because the bread might go soggy. But reheating in a microwave will be fine!
Hi again!
I popped it in the oven just as i got ready to leave the house so it went from the oven to the car. It was still nice and hot when i ate it. No need to microwave.
Perfect!!! 🙂
You’re funny!
Thank You for this post. My husband and I are joining our Church youth class this weekend for the annual Lake Trip and I wanted a simple make ahead breakfast for the kids that wasn’t donuts. This will be perfect as we can “bake” them in the foil over the coals of the night before camp fire.
Oooh! I haven’t tried this over coals, I would love to know what you think!!! Enjoy your trip! N x
I’m currently in the middle of cooking this and so far my bread bowls have been in the oven for half an hour longer than the recipe states. Did you simply serve yours raw, or did you severely mess up when writing how long these take?
@Elizabeth You messed up terribly making this recipe. This blogger has probably tested this recipe several times and her pictures are perfect and beautiful. It doesn’t take 30 minutes to cook eggs. How could you possibly mess this up?
Hi Elizabeth! I’m sorry to hear yours is taking so much longer. I have some notes in the recipe regarding bake time re: oven strength, convection/fan forced v normal and how thick the walls of the bread rolls are. 🙂
Can’t wait to give this recipe a try! You have a beautiful website with so many great recipes, I just had to sign up for your email list. Thanks for the free cook books 🙂 So glad I stumbled upon this site
Thank you Lauren! I’m so glad you found me! <3 N x
Thanks for your terrific recipes and your friendly site Nagi, I’ll be making Charlie, cheesy bread and no-washing-up bread bowls very soon, although might need to get creative about some of the ingredients trickier to find in France!
Bonjour Anne! Thanks for reading, I’m so glad you found me!! I do hope you manage to track down what you need. N x
Bonjour Nag, merci pour ta reponse, i and you are very welcome! So we tried the No Washing Up bread bowls for lunch today and they were a big hit! I couldn’t find big lunch rolls around my place so used a viennese baguette cut into fours and sliced, not quite as presentable as yours but still very tasty!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Anne, and thanks for coming back to let me know! N x
You got me at “no washing up”! Any cons will not change my mind haha
I know, right??? 😉 N x
hey, can you suggest me any alternative to the ham or bacon something veg ,my friend is vegetarian(though he eats eggs.)
thank you in advance
Hi Parin! Smoked salmon works well, otherwise spinach or other big leafy leaves soft enough to mould into the bread 🙂
I was just thinking smoked salmon would work great… spinach sounds good also…I’ll probably, knowing me, end up making it more complicated by adding more ingredients and perhaps experimenting with other cheeses… thank you for the cookbooks, recipes and your great blog, Naji! Rating this recipe 5 stars as I’ve tried this in other ways and works fantastic…a great one for brunch! <3 <3
I am in Texas and have no idea where to find big enough bread rolls! Any hints?
Ceira, Tom Thumb stores carry all kinds of rolls and breads. Try them.
Go to a Mexican bakery panaderia & ask for bolillos (bo-lee-ohs). Or maybe your regular grocery store carries them. If you live in an area of Texas where there are H-E-B grocery stores, I know they carry them. 🙂
Gosh! I’m in LA right now, I will keep an eye out at the supermarkets and let you know!
My kids & I like a runny yolk but are repulsed by runny whites- lol…How long would you cook this, do you think, to achieve that outcome?
Cheers
Hi Tracy! Mine is set whites, I don’t like runny whites either! Soft set whites 🙂 Around 20 minutes for me!
You could also add baby spinach leaves & hollandaise to create a “Benedict in a Bowl”?
I’m fasting at the moment (lemon detox, liquids only, day 7 out of 14!), but will try this the following week once I’m past the soup-stage-intro-back-to-solids- lol…
(And yes, I’m a total masochist who likes to peruse recipes when I fast).
😉
Oh gosh! I love that – eggs benedict in a bowl!!! And yes gosh, talk about cruel-and-unusual-self-torture!!!! 🙂
I love your Blog. I wish I found it sooner. Thanks for the lovely recipes 🙂
Thank you so much Simonette! I’m so glad you like the look of my recipes! 🙂
Any ideas/tips on making this vegetarian? I was thinking about lining it with spinach, but I’m not sure.
Hi Ari! Large softened kale leaves would work great! Or multiple layers of wilted spinach 🙂
I see only 2 problems with this recipe!
1. Where do I find bread rolls big enough to do an emu egg? -I am betting that would expand bake time by 30 minutes or more also.
2. My expanding waistband
Thank you for the great recipe
I was just thinking smoked salmon would work great… spinach sounds good also…I’ll probably, knowing me, end up making it more complicated by adding more ingredients and perhaps experimenting with other cheeses… thank you for the cookbooks, recipes and your great blog, Naji! Rating this recipe 5 stars as I’ve tried this in other ways and works fantastic…a great one for brunch! <3 <3
Emu egg???? How big are they???!!!! 🙂
emu & rhea egg = 10 or 14 chicken eggs.
thankfully we don’t raise ostrich, which would be 20 or more chick eggs!
HOLY MOLY!!!!! I actually didn’t even know emu egg was edible!!!
Just like a giant chicken egg.
I like them hard boiled, although it takes an hour and a half at a rolling boil.
Also, I use them for making egg bread.
Woah!!! I am half giggling, half in awe at the thought of an egg that takes 1 1/2 hours to boil!!! That would be a meal for 3 days!!!
looks fantastic can not wait till i try!
I hope you do Natalie!! 🙂
Can this be made as scrambles eggs?
You could whisk the eggs instead of putting them in whole – is that what you mean?
Whisked is what I meant, would the cooking time change? Just recently discovered your blog and loving all the recipes
Hi Ashmita! Yes I think you’ll need an extra 5 maybe even 10 minutes because if you use whisked instead of whole eggs, you will want to cook it all the way through (unlike whole eggs which I like to have runny yolks!)
Smashing recipes, very inventive and tasty. Although I signed up for the recipe books three weeks ago I haven’t seen them yet. Is this normal? I’ll try again below.
Regards
BCGS>
Hi Brian! Should have showed up the minute you hit confirm??? Let me know if you are still having troubles and I’ll get on it for you 🙂
looks so yummy thks
cant wait to try those
Hope you do Cathi!!! 🙂
Just made this for dinner! (had a long day) Kids loved it, just added a spoonful of spagetti sauce on top of the ham (pizzafying it 🙂 ) AMAZEBALLS as the kids would say!
WOO HOO! 🙂 Perfect for long-day dinners 🙂 Love the pizzafying! Nx