Italian Eggs Casserole with Fontina

In this Italian Eggs Casserole with Fontina eggs are cracked over a simple San Marzano tomato sauce and topped with fontina cheese and crispy breadcrumbs. It is savory, cheesy, melty, and crispy, and can be served with crusty bread to sop up any extra sauce.

We have two go-to meals when we want to make dinner for just the two of us after the kids go to bed. The first is Gnocchi and Baby Broccoli in a Brown Butter Sage Sauce, and the second is this one: Italian Eggs Casserole. Both are really easy to make, super savory, a bit indulgent, and neither take too long or too much effort. We’re usually pretty wiped at this point in the night after the kids are in bed, and while sometimes we want a great meal to enjoy just the two of us, we usually don’t have it in us to put in a ton of effort to make it.

For this dish we typically have the sauce on hand already since we make this sauce for Grandma Pie and freeze extra, which we probably have a couple times a month. But putting the sauce together takes very little time, just a few easy ingredients in a blender. The eggs make this dish filling, and combining the cheese and the eggs in the tomato sauce gives you that decadent savory bite that makes you slow down to enjoy it. Make sure to eat it while it's hot.

You certainly don’t need to have crusty bread on hand to serve with this (it’s definitely not a light dish), but it’s really nice to sop up the extra sauce. We usually eat this on the couch and throw on some TV.

Italian Eggs Casserole with Fontina Recipe Inspiration:

My husband made this Italian Eggs Casserole the first time one night after the kids were in bed. It was such a success, that we now regularly make it when planning an at home date night. It’s not too dissimilar from our Spinach and Egg Breakfasts cups, but with an Italian spin and made in an 8x8 square baking dish rather than ramekins. We always have this for dinner, but it could easily be made for breakfast too.

Great for Date Night at Home

• Its quick and easy.
• It can be made later at night when the kids are in bed for an at home date night.
• The eggs are cooked in a tomato sauce that is so simple and so good and made with San Marzano tomatoes.
• The fat from the eggs and the cheese combines with the sauce to make it extra savory.
• The panko breadcrumbs on top add a crispy crunchy top.

Tomato Sauce

We use a can of San Marzano tomatoes to make the sauce. Its important to use a can of San Marzano tomatoes imported from Italy. These canned tomatoes have a very unique taste as they are grown in the fertile land around Mt. Vesuvius. They can usually be found at a regular grocery store, Trader Joes, Target, or Whole Foods.

Using 1 ½ cups sauce is just the right amount. If you use 1 cup, there will not be enough sauce. Use 2 cups and there will be too much sauce. 1 ½ cups = perfect in an 8x8 ceramic baking dish.

Fontina Cheese

Fontina cheese works best in this dish, with just the right amount of flavor and intensity to taste great but not overtake the tomato sauce and eggs. We've also made this with Monterrey Jack cheese which is a good substitute if you can't find Fontina.

Italian Eggs Casserole with Fontina Adjustments

• You can make this for dinner or breakfast.
• It’s great for date night after the kids are in bed, but if your kids are little and you want to serve this for a family dinner, its usually enough for 2 adults and 2 young kids.
• You can also put in fewer eggs if you don’t think you’ll eat all 8 eggs.
• The amounts and timing are based on using an 8x8 square ceramic baking dish. If you’re using a different sized dish or a metal or glass baking dish you may need to adjust the timing and the amount of sauce and cheese.
• This dish can easily be scaled up. You could use a larger dish with more of all the ingredients to serve a larger group.

If you’re looking for other ideas, here are 3 dishes that I love:

Gnocchi and Baby Broccoli in a Brown Butter Sauce: Great for an easy date night at home.

Grandma Pie - Quarantine Pizza: For any leftover sauce, use this recipe for a great easy pizza to serve a crowd.

Spinach and Egg Breakfast Cups: Small portions for a weekday or weekend breakfast

If you make this casserole, I'd love to hear from you and learn how it went. Leave a comment down below and let me know how it turns out! Your feedback means a lot!