Brunch Enchiladas with Ham

Why wait until dinner for enchiladas when you can start your morning with this scrumptious Brunch Enchiladas recipe? Diced ham, green onion, and cheese all wrapped in a soft flour tortilla with bechamel sauce. Top them with your favorite Mexican toppings and dig in. Breakfast never tasted so delicious!

It’s funny how many brunch recipes I have when I have never really been a “breakfast person.” I do however love to host brunches because your options for breakfast food are just endless. And, well, there are usually Mimosas involved too. 

Mimosas, aside, however,  one of my favorite breakfast foods is this recipe that I keep coming back to, this breakfast enchiladas recipe. These overnight breakfast enchiladas are just pure cheesy goodness, loaded with fresh ham, green onions, and a rich bechamel sauce, they are always a huge hit.  We like them with some salsa, sour cream, and guacamole on the side. The perfect Mexican breakfast feast.

If you are looking for more breakfast inspiration try these Breakfast Sliders made with pork sausage,  this Sausage and Crescent Bake, or this Breakfast Hashbrown Pizza that is topped with both ham and bacon!

This post is sponsored by Iowa Pork but my opinions and my lifelong love of pork recipes and Iowa Pork is all my own.

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DID YOU KNOW THAT ONE-THIRD OF THE PORK RAISED IN THE UNITED STATES COMES FROM IOWA?

I bet many of you don’t know this, but my husband grew up on a farm in rural Iowa.  His dad grew corn and soybeans and raised hogs, and he owned the local fertilizer and anhydrous business. 

When I took my first trip to the farm to meet his parents, they couldn’t get over what a “city girl” he had brought home.  I know, if you are reading this from NYC or LA, you probably think, “Omaha?? Big City??” But compared to his town of 300, it’s a big city. 

I had never seen a hog up close or even knew what a combine was.  We spent many many weekends there in the early days of our marriage and family.  Our kids grew up riding in tractors, feeding the farm cats, and knew what it meant when he said “That’s the smell of money.”

You see, those crops and those hogs were their livelihoods.  When you purchase pork in your grocery store anywhere across the United States, you are supporting local family farms in Iowa and other parts of the U.S. No matter how big or small the farm is, know that there is always a family behind it doing the work.   

Breakfast Enchiladas with Ham

If you’ve never had enchiladas for breakfast, you don’t know what you are missing. This breakfast enchilada recipe is the perfect make-ahead breakfast, great for feeding a crowd on a weekend morning. With a little bit of prep the night before you can use the next day to get all the other brunch dishes organized while the enchiladas cook in the oven. This recipe couldn’t be any more perfect for the Cinco de Mayo weekend coming up!

Ingredients Needed To Make Brunch Enchiladas With Ham

You will find the complete ingredients and instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Fully cooked ham – I cubed the cooked ham. This is a great recipe to use for leftover ham!
• Green onions – I chopped up green onions but shallots will also work. We prefer green onions, but red, yellow or white onions would also work. 
• Flour tortillas –  I used flour tortillas but corn would also work. 
• Mexican blend cheese – I used a pre-shredded Mexican blend but cheddar cheese or pepper jack, or a combination of both would be nice and you could shred your own cheese.
• All-purpose flour – A little bit of flour makes the bechamel sauce.
• Half-and-half cream – You can substitute heavy cream or milk if you like.
• Eggs – Beaten
• Salt and Pepper
• Optional Toppings – Salsa, Pico de Gallo, sour cream guacamole or avocado, green onions, or cilantro. 

How to cook breakfast enchiladas

First: Spray the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch glass pan with non-stick cooking spray. 

Second: Combine your onions with your ham in a small bowl.

Put approximately 1/3 of a cup of the ham and onion mixture down the center of your tortilla and top with 2-3 tablespoons of cheese. 

Third: Roll “enchilada style” and place seam side down in the pan. Do this for all 8 tortillas.

Fourth: In a large bowl combine the beaten eggs with the flour, half and half, salt, and pepper. Beat until mixed thoroughly.

Fifth: Pour the rich egg custard over the tortillas. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. 

Sixth: Remove the enchiladas 30 minutes before you are ready to bake them. Top with remaining shredded cheese. 

Seventh: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Eight: Bake covered for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more. The cheese will be melted and bubbly.

Ninth: Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with salsa, a dollop of sour cream, guacamole, or whatever your heart desires!

Love it? Pin it!

Don’t forget where you found this simple recipe for making brunch enchiladas! Pin it to your favorite Pinterest recipe board before you go!

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SMOKED AND CURED HAMS

I know some people that confuse smoked hams with cured hams. Just to make matters more confusing, there are also “fresh” as well as “smoked and cured” hams. A cured ham means the ham has been soaked in a brine solution but may come either cooked or uncooked. Fresh ham refers to the type of cut which is the back top thigh of the leg.

Fresh ham is neither cured nor cooked so it must be cured and cooked first! You will be able to see on the label clearly if the ham is “ready to eat” or must be cooked first. Usually, you only get fresh ham if you ask the butcher for it. The hams you see in the meat department of your grocery store are typically cooked, cured, and possibly smoked and cured.

INTERNAL COOKING TEMPERATURE OF HAM

You may wonder if the internal cooking temperature of smoked or precooked ham really matters, and the answer is yes. Even if a ham is previously cooked or smoked, when cooking it at home, you will want the internal temperature of the ham to reach 140 degrees Fahrenheit with a meat thermometer. 

Iowa Pork’s Website contains precise cooking times and temperatures for all cuts of pork. They even have this handy guide. Bookmark it to easily refer to it.

HOW TO TELL IF HAM ENCHILADAS ARE DONE?

For this enchiladas recipe, there is no guessing on whether or not the ham is done. It’s cooked prior to adding the ham to the enchiladas. They are done when the cheese is melty, hot, and bubbly. 

FAQs

• Can you make enchiladas ahead of time without getting soggy? The best way to prevent enchiladas from getting soggy is to pour the sauce over them just before cooking. 
• How do you make enchiladas not soggy on the bottom? One way to try to prevent the enchiladas from getting soggy is to fry them slightly before filling them.  
• What can I put in my enchiladas? Anything goes with enchiladas. Leave them simple with beans and cheese, or load them up with meat and veggies. 
• Why are my enchiladas soggy on the bottom? If your enchiladas are soggy it could be because you poured too much sauce over them. 

Substitutions and Variations

There are so many ways to change up these brunch enchiladas with ham but here are a few:

• Serve with salsa verde and black beans or breakfast sausage and hash browns. 
• Use white corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas.
• Add red bell peppers, green peppers, mushrooms, or any of your favorite veggies to the ham and onion mixture. 
• Make my Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce and bake it over the top for a more traditional enchilada flavor. 
• Add a drizzle of hot sauce to the egg mixture for some spice. 
• Spice up the egg mixture by adding some chili powder, taco seasoning, or a diced green chili. 
• Garnish with some freshly chopped cilantro or parsley. 
• Sprinkle bacon bits on top of the enchiladas.

Tips & Tricks

If you don’t have any green onions, you can use white or shallots. 

Instead of heavy cream, you can use a combination of milk and cream or all milk though your custard will not be as rich. 

Use leftover ham, sausage, or bacon. These make-ahead breakfast enchiladas would be perfect to use leftover ham from your Easter or Christmas celebration. 

Brunch Recipes with Pork

What’s breakfast without ham, sausage, or bacon? In my world, the answer to that question is “incomplete.” Breakfast isn’t breakfast if one or more of those things aren’t present. 

If you are looking for some other Mexican, or Southwestern-style breakfast items, try my Green Chile Quiche with Sausage, Breakfast Burritos made with Sausage, or my Southwestern Sausage Brunch Roll-Ups. 

More Pork Recipes for Brunch:

• Bacon Swiss Quiche (pictured above)
• Ham & Smoked Gouda Quiche
• Resort Omelets
• Homemade Sausage, Egg and Cheese Croissan’wichs
• Apple Glazed Double Smoked Ham

Cinco de Mayo / Mexican Recipes

It’s no secret to anyone that knows me that Mexican food is hands down my favorite. If you are looking for a wide array of Mexican recipes to choose from, I have you covered. My Slow Cooker Carnitas recipe or this recipe for Cilantro Lime Pork can be used in all sorts of delicious ways. In tacos, burritos, or added to cheese and onion or white enchiladas. Either is incredible in baked taquitos or tacos salads, too!

Serve everything up with a side of Restaurant Style Refried Beans and Cilantro Lime Rice for the perfect meal!

Be sure to follow along with Iowa Pork on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter for delicious pork recipes year-round!

The next time you’ve got the gang coming over on Sunday morning these easy breakfast enchiladas would make the perfect addition to your brunch menu. They are hearty, filling, and a great alternative to basic breakfast food.