The 3-Ingredient Egg Bake That Lets You Totally Customize Your Breakfast

Egg bakes and breakfast casseroles are dishes you can throw in the oven and forget about while you savor your morning coffee. However, even a simple breakfast bake requires multiple steps and a lengthy preparation process to incorporate numerous ingredients. Luckily, you can bypass all chopping, whisking, pouring, and even mixing by following the easiest three-ingredient egg bake recipe yet.

In a viral TikTok video, dietician and cookbook author Jenna Hunter demonstrates how an egg bake comes together with just three main ingredients: eggs, bacon bits, and cheese. Not only is the egg bake the very definition of a dump recipe, but you can customize it with your favorite ingredients, or repurposed leftovers. The recipe starts with a spoonful of olive oil to coat the baking dish, over which you crack a couple of eggs, add toppings and seasonings, then bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes until the eggs set. Olive oil supplies a rich earthy flavor to complement eggs' buttery richness and bolsters the textural contrast of runny yolks and firm whites. Plus, it's a dairy-free, heart-healthy fat that'll prevent the egg from sticking to the baking dish.

Instead of preparing each ingredient in separate bowls, whisking eggs with dairy, and then blending all the ingredients before baking them, save yourself the elbow grease, dirty dishes, and prep time with a simple, resourceful, and personalizable egg bake.

Hunter's video serves as a template that you can riff off with your own ingredient combinations. A hearty sprinkling of salt and pepper is a must for well-seasoned eggs, but you can also add a myriad of spices and herbs. For even easier application, you can use spice packets or store-bought spice mixtures like taco seasoning, Cajun seasoning, or even everything bagel seasoning.

You can draw inspiration from famous global egg dishes for your egg bake ingredients and accompaniments. For example, you could sprinkle diced tomatoes, cheddar, and pickled jalapeño over your eggs and season with chili, onion, and garlic powder for a twist on migas. You could even eat it with fresh corn or flour tortillas, or dole it out over a few tostadas with sliced avocado garnishes.

A seasoning mix of oregano, paprika, cinnamon, and chili powder with a few spoonfuls of canned crushed tomatoes, scallions, and feta cheese would make for an easy spin on Shakshuka. You could sop it up with fresh pita bread. Mix in a can of green chilies, diced red onion, and grated cheddar to your egg bake and serve it over mustard-slathered toast with a sprinkling of fresh cilantro for authentic Indian eggs Kejriwal. Or, for a tasty take on the Japanese kake gohan, season your egg bake with nori, wasabi sesame seeds, and a dash of soy sauce to serve over a steaming bowl of rice.