Baked Western Omelet

This Baked Western Omelet (or "Denver omelette") is a simple twist on a breakfast classic. Packed with a healthy dose of veggies and protein, this egg casserole takes only 30 minutes and has only 212 calories per serving! Plus, it can be made in advance and frozen for an easy weekday meal prep!

Why Make This Recipe?

• This baked Western omelet (also known as a "baked egg casserole" "Western omelette" "Denver omelet" or "southwestern omelet") offers a healthy dose of veggies and protein with only 212 calories per serving.
• If you love omelets but hate making them, this recipe is perfect for you! It's quick and delicious and you can enjoy all the flavors of an omelet without any of the work!
• You can totally customize this recipe by swapping in any of your favorite omelet toppings such as zucchini, mushrooms, chorizo, spinach, bacon, or goat cheese!
• My favorite part is that you can make these in advance and even freeze them for an easy breakfast meal prep! (I do this for our daughter and don't have to plan breakfast for her for weeks!)
• We like to make a full meal out of this by serving with tropical fruit salad in kiwi cups or these skinny blueberry banana muffins!

Ingredient Notes

• Obviously you're going to need eggs for this baked omelet! I used 8 medium-sized eggs.
• A classic Western omelet includes ham, green pepper and onion. For this recipe, I used 8 oz of cooked, chopped ham. I prefer using pre-packaged diced ham from Sugardale because it's easy, but you can use any type, even leftover ham! I also diced up about ¼th of a white onion and ½ of a green pepper. You can use an entire green pepper, but I chose to add in another ½ of a red pepper just for some extra color!
• Adding milk to omelets (or omelettes if you prefer the British version) is a little controversial. Some people believe it makes their eggs fluffier while other people argue adding nothing or a little water is better. For a baked egg casserole, however, milk helps to retain moisture and prevent the eggs from becoming tough and dry. I used ⅓ C of skim milk in this recipe but you can also use whole milk or heavy cream if you'd like. (Note: this will increase the calories and fat!)
• Cheese is also optional for a Western omelet but cheese is never optional for me so I used ½ C shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
• I also like to add a little seasoning to my eggs so I used 1 teaspoon of seasoned salt. I prefer the depth of the flavor of seasoned salt over regular S+P but feel free to taste to your preference!
• You'll also need 2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil if you're going to sauté the vegetables before baking. (See notes in instructions below)
• You may also want some extra toppings such as sour cream, avocado slices, hot sauce, chives or salsa! (Try out this smoked salsa for an extra kick of flavor!)

For tips on choosing and storing bell peppers and onions, check out my Monthly Seasonal Produce Guides! (These also include multiple recipe ideas from fellow bloggers if you need some ideas for any leftover ingredients! 🙂 )

Step by Step Photos

To begin this recipe, add 8 eggs to a large bowl with ⅓ C of milk and 1 teaspoon of seasoned salt. Whisk aggressively and set aside. (The more you whisk, the fluffier the eggs!)

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and prepare an 8x8 baking dish by spraying with cooking spray. Add in 8 oz of cooked, chopped ham.
2. Next, top with ½ red bell pepper, ½ green red bell pepper and ¼ of a white onion, all diced. *Optional: I prefer to sauté the vegetables before putting them into the omelet. To do this, simply preheat a skillet over medium-high heat then add in 2 teaspoon of olive oil and the diced peppers and onion. Cook for about 4 minutes, or until softened. If you choose not to sauté the vegetables, just make sure they are diced very small so they cook through in the oven.
3. Sprinkle on ½ C of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
4. Finally, pour your egg mixture on top. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Top with a little extra cheese, chives, sour cream, avocado slices or salsa. Enjoy! 🙂

FAQs and Expert Tips

• Shopping:  I'm lazy so I prefer to buy pre-packaged diced ham from Sugardale but any type of ham will do! All the other ingredients are pretty self-explanatory and many substitutions are possible!
• Substitutions: You can go crazy with substitutions here! If you're not a fan of Western/Denver omelets, you can swap out the ingredients in this recipe for any of your favorite omelet toppings such as zucchini, mushrooms, chorizo, bacon, spinach, or different cheeses. Be sure to cook the meat properly before adding it. Veggies can be added raw or sautéed. (Dice small if adding in raw so they cook through!) If you don't mind the extra fat and calories, you can also substitute the skim milk for whole milk or heavy cream if you'd like.
• Prep: Prep work is fairly easy as all you have to do is dice up the ham, bell peppers and onion. I also recommend whisking the eggs aggressively because the better you whisk eggs the fluffier they will be!
• Baking: Make sure you spray your pan with cooking spray so the eggs don't stick! You'll be baking at 400 degrees for about 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
• Freezing: To freeze leftovers, allow the baked omelet to cool to room temperature then slice into desired serving sizes. Wrap in 3 layers of plastic wrap followed by a layer of foil and put them into a freezer bag or container. Frozen omelet pieces will be good in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Reheating:
  • If fresh: Leftovers can be placed on a plate and covered with a damp paper towel then reheated in the microwave for about 45 seconds-1 minute. Alternatively, you can also reheat this baked omelet in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. If reheating the entire casserole, it's best to let it reach room temperature for about 30-45 minutes before baking.
  • If frozen: Allow frozen omelet leftovers to thaw at room temperature or in refrigerator then reheat as fresh.

Related Recipes

• Bacon Egg Cups
• Cheddar Bay Egg Fluffs
• Ham Egg and Cheese Roll-Ups
• Overnight Eggs Benedict Casserole
• Loaded Breakfast Bowls
• Bacon and Gruyére Breakfast Casserole

What do you think? Did this recipe make the cut for you or did it crumble? What would you do differently? Leave a comment below! 🙂

Recipe Card

Baked Western Omelet

• Author: Caitlin
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 35 mins
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Category: Breakfast
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Low Calorie

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Description

This Baked Western Omelet (or "Denver omelette") is a simple twist on a breakfast classic. Packed with a healthy dose of veggies and protein, this egg casserole takes only 30 minutes and has only 212 calories per serving! Plus, it can be made in advance and frozen for an easy weekday meal prep! 

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• ½ red pepper, diced
• ½ green pepper, diced
• ¼ of a white onion, diced
• 8 eggs (I used medium sized)
• ⅓ C milk (I used skim)
• 8 oz of cooked, chopped ham (I used a package of diced Sugardale ham)
• ½ C shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

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Instructions

1. To begin this recipe, add 8 eggs to a large bowl with ⅓ C of milk and 1 teaspoon of seasoned salt. Whisk aggressively and set aside. (The more you whisk, the fluffier the eggs!)
2. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and prepare an 8x8 baking dish by spraying with cooking spray. Add in 8 oz of cooked, chopped ham. 
3. Next, top with ½ red bell pepper, ½ green red bell pepper and ¼ of a white onion, all diced. *Optional: I prefer to sauté the vegetables before putting them into the omelet. To do this, simply preheat a skillet over medium-high heat then add in 2 teaspoon of olive oil and the diced peppers and onion. Cook for about 4 minutes, or until softened. If you choose not to sauté the vegetables, just make sure they are diced very small so they cook through in the oven.
4. Sprinkle on ½ C of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. 
5. Finally, pour your egg mixture on top. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Top with a little extra cheese, chives, sour cream, avocado slices or salsa. Enjoy! 🙂

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Notes

• Shopping:  I'm lazy so I prefer to buy pre-packaged diced ham from Sugardale but any type of ham will do! All the other ingredients are pretty self-explanatory and many substitutions are possible! 
• Substitutions: You can go crazy with substitutions here! If you're not a fan of Western/Denver omelets, you can swap out the ingredients in this recipe for any of your favorite omelet toppings such as zucchini, mushrooms, chorizo, bacon, spinach, or different cheeses. Be sure to cook the meat properly before adding it. Veggies can be added raw or sautéed. (Dice small if adding in raw so they cook through!) If you don't mind the extra fat and calories, you can also substitute the skim milk for whole milk or heavy cream if you'd like. 
• Prep: Prep work is fairly easy as all you have to do is dice up the ham, bell peppers and onion. I also recommend whisking the eggs aggressively because the better you whisk eggs the fluffier they will be! 
• Baking: Make sure you spray your pan with cooking spray so the eggs don't stick! You'll be baking at 400 degrees for about 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 
• Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. 
• Freezing: To freeze leftovers, allow the baked omelet to cool to room temperature then slice into desired serving sizes. Wrap in 3 layers of plastic wrap followed by a layer of foil and put them into a freezer bag or container. Frozen omelet pieces will be good in the freezer for up to 3 months. 
• Reheating: If fresh: Leftovers can be placed on a plate and covered with a damp paper towel then reheated in the microwave for about 45 seconds-1 minute. Alternatively, you can also reheat this baked omelet in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. If reheating the entire casserole, it's best to let it reach room temperature for about 30-45 minutes before baking. If frozen: Allow frozen omelet leftovers to thaw at room temperature or in refrigerator then reheat as fresh. 

Keywords: western omelet, Denver omelet, baked omelet, make-ahead breakfast, egg casserole

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