Easter Brunch Ideas You Can Make All Year Long
Easter signals the official start of spring. It’s symbolic of new life, pastel colors, and the celebration of all things growing and blooming! Easter is the first major holiday of the year where folks gather from far and wide to celebrate with family, friends, and most importantly…food. In this article, we will share some Easter brunch ideas to make the most out of the holiday.
Why You Might Consider Ham at Easter
Farmers usually harvested their hogs in the fall and hung and cured them throughout fall and winter. In the spring, they were ready to prepare and eat. Unlike spring lambs, which were hard to come by, hams were easier to get, easier to prepare, and more economical for feeding a crowd. Plus, hams can be found to easily fit your budget and cooking skill level. Best of all, most all hams come fully cooked or pre-cooked and all you have to do is season, glaze, reheat and eat. This makes them an excellent addition to an Easter brunch or dinner table. It’s the perfect main dish for Easter brunch or dinner and makes a striking centerpiece on any buffet table.
Types of Hams to Serve
City Hams
City hams are the most popular kind of ham. They are brined or injected with a saline solution and are fully cooked. All they need is a glaze and to be reheated to an internal temperature of 145F.
Often, City hams can be purchased pre-sliced, or “spiraled.” A spiral ham will be easier to cut but will need more glaze to ensure it stays moist.
Country Hams
Country hams come from the same portion of the pig, but instead of being cured in liquid, they are heavily salted or smoked. This allows the moisture to be sealed inside. Country hams still require heating, but because of the outside seasoning, they do not often have a glaze.
How to Make an Easy Ham Glaze
For a standard sized ham (about 8 to 10 pounds), this recipe is great for beginners to experienced home cooks to start with. You will need:
- 3/4 cups dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cups Dijon mustard, or more to taste
- 1/2 cups apple juice
To start, gently simmer the ingredients in a saucepan until the sugar is dissolved. Then, follow the instructions on the packaging for when and how to glaze.
Brunch or Dinner?
Easter brunch is quickly enjoying popularity, especially since it usually falls right after Easter egg hunts or religious services. Everyone is in their Sunday best and ready to gather around a table laden with homemade breads, fruits, egg dishes, casseroles, and pitchers of fresh juice. Don’t forget to decorate your Easter table with bright and beautiful linens, fresh flowers, baskets of colored eggs, bowls of chocolates, and candies! Ask the kids to offer their baskets as centerpieces. Here’s a list of some quick and easy Easter brunch menu ideas and a recipe for a casserole that you can assemble the night before and just pop in the oven.
Easter Brunch Menu Ideas
- Fresh fruit medley (garnish with chopped mint)
- Blueberry corn muffins (bake frozen blueberries in corn muffin mix)
- Honey butter (cream honey into real butter)
- Slices of ham
- Breakfast sausage
- Deviled eggs
- Country fried potatoes (frozen potatoes with added diced bell peppers)
- Fresh orange or grapefruit juice
Easy Easter Brunch Casserole
This dish will serve a total of 12 people. It’s great for Easter because the prep time only takes 10 minutes, which means you will be able to visit with loved ones. However, it does take one hour to bake.
Ingredients:
- 24 ounces of frozen hash browns
- 10 ounces of frozen spinach
- 16 ounces of cubed ham
- 12 ounces of sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
- 10 large eggs
- 1 and 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
- Pan release spray
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch casserole pan with pan release spray. Next, follow these steps:
- Mix frozen potatoes, spinach, ham, and 8 ounces of shredded cheese in a large bowl. Press the mixture into the prepared casserole dish.
- Whisk the eggs, heavy whipping cream, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
- Evenly cover the potato ham mixture with the egg mixture and pat it down with the bottom of a spatula. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese on top.
- Bake for one hour, uncovered. The center should be firm, and the cheese should be melted and bubbly. Garnish with sliced green onions or bacon bits. Let the casserole set for about five minutes before serving.
Nutrition Facts (% Daily Value*):
- Servings: 12
- Calories: 379 per serving
- Total fat: 25.9 grams (33%)
- Saturated fat: 12.4 grams (62%)
- Cholesterol: 227 milligrams(76%)
- Sodium: 1115 milligrams (48%)
- Total carbohydrate: 14.2 grams (5%)
- Dietary fiber: 1.4 grams (5%)
- Total sugars: 1.7 grams
- Protein: 21.4 grams
- Vitamin D: 26 micrograms (129%)
- Calcium: 300 milligrams (23%)
- Iron: 2 milligrams (10%)
- Potassium: 368 milligrams (8%)