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!
“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
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Frittata – the classic done right!
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Shakshouka – baked eggs made exotic
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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!
Hi, American here, what’s the size difference between lunch rolls and dinner rolls? I don’t think lunch rolls are a thing here, but dinner rolls come in different sizes.
Like hamburger bun size!
I totally love this recipe. I am a retired baker and love creating new recipes. I have followed your website for a few years, and love your recipes. Keep up the good work! Love Dozer to.
I would like to know what other ingredients could be used as it is too high in salt content for me. Thank you
We have week long Church camp & this is great! I suggest adding minced sweet peppers, spinach,asparagus,carrot shreds, etc, perfect!
This is a great recipe for a crowd Angel!! N x
I mostly prefer egg omelet but would definitely try this too.
Can you do this in an Air Fryer
Hi Nagi! I tried this recipe and I really enjoyed this breakfast!I had on hand just small buns and use slices cheese under the egg plus choped bacon. I prepared them with the night before .
Thank you for recipe!
So confused by this recipe. I’ve made quite a few on this site but after 20 mins in the oven the egg is still COMPLETELY raw, like not even remotely close. Recipe was followed to a T and the oven is at the right temp (and it’s a good oven), but now I have hard as a rock buns and a totally uncooked egg on the inside. Severely disappointed.
Hi Nagi, any thoughts re freezing these? I’d like to make a batch and freeze them so they can be individually either baked or reheated. Thanks!
Hi Felicia, unfortunately egg whites don’t freeze well (they become rubbery). However you could assemble them with a scrambled egg and that should freeze ok! N x
Thanks Nagi, much appreciated! These will be great for the kid’s school lunches.
Or give these a go with the egg scrambled – perfect for lunches! https://www.recipetineats.com/no-washing-up-ham-egg-cheese-pockets/
Oh, those look great! Thanks again!
My kids loved this! Thank you for helping make them happy =)
Wahoo!!! That’s the best Becca!
Instead of individually wrapping in foil, I made a doz. On a cookie sheer & wrapped the cookie sheet, tightly wrapping to edge. They came out deliciously & saved time & foil!
Great idea!
I look forward to your mails. Those “midget” hands (as you call them) create mega food treasures!. I put a lot of trust in those hands. I am 70+ and learn something new from each of your mails. You are an awesome blogger. Thanks for great recipes, food history, fun facts, AND Dozer pics. Barb
The “No Washing Up” caught my eye. 🙂 This is the second of your recipes that I tried a couple of evenings ago when I was hit by a savoury craving watching TV with my husband. So instead of opening a bag of chips, we got our leftovers together and did this in no time. Our rolls have been a little bit too flat though, and I used cold cuts/meat which was also fine. Tasted really well! Thank you!
That’s so great to hear Inga!!
Nagi, you’ve done it again! It was yum, oh so easy and quick ! No false advertising hehe
Next time I’ll put a bit of Morney sauce down the bottom just for the sake of greediness.
I’m so pleased you enjoyed this Johanna! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback! N x ❤️
OMGosh! That looks delish! I’m going to have to try that. I love eggs. I could eat them every meal (probably). Just discovered your website. Excited to sift through it. Thanks for taking the time to make homemade things AND post about it! Happy cooking – Colleen M. Woodridge, IL.
Hey everyone i have just tried this recipe using sourdough rolls in a Philips airfyer instead of conventional oven and it worked PERFECTLY! I am so pleased with the result that I wish I can post photos of them! So soft and moist! One thing to note though, you may wish to put a little bit of oil/butter on the bottom of roll so the aluminium foil does not stick to it – maybe ok for just normal soft rolls though. Cheers x
Love hearing that Kiki! So pleased you enjoyed this 🙂 N x
Would it be possible to premake these and freeze them (without adding the egg??
Then just defrost over night in the fridge, add an egg and cook?
These look amazing but it would only be me eating them so would rather premake a few instead of making them every morning
Absolutely! What a clever way to get around the problem of being unable to freeze whole eggs 🙂 N xx
I would like to know how long you cooked the egg for in the video if they is possible.
Thank you.
Just made this for breakfast. WOW, WOW, WOW. Easy and yummy.
I’m so pleased to hear that Jodi! Thanks for letting me know! N xx ❤️
Do you think a gluten-free hamburger bun could work? I need a gluten free option.
Gosh I don’t see why not! 🙂 N xx