Greek Ham and Cheese Pie (Zambonopita)

This Greek ham and Cheese pie comes out of the Oven golden and puffy, with a warm buttery-cheese smell that makes even a regular Tuesday feel a little less grim. It’s a one-bowl batter of eggs, milk, flour, cheese, and ham that bakes into something between a crustless quiche and a tender savory cake. You’re going to love how forgiving and unfussy it is.

Why You’ll Love It

• One-bowl batter — no chilled dough, blind baking, or fussy pastry steps.
• Everyday ingredients — eggs, milk, flour, cheese, and deli ham come together easily.
• Hearty and versatile — great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner with greens or sliced tomatoes.
• Easy to transport — the slices hold up well once cooled.
• Fewer dishes — one bowl and one baking dish keep cleanup simple.

Ingredient Notes

You can use plain Greek yogurt or cottage cheese here. Greek yogurt is more in keeping with the Greek-style flavor of the pie, but cottage cheese works well too, especially for a little extra protein without making a federal case out of it. Full-fat cottage cheese makes the filling especially tender. Low-fat will work, but it can be a little less lush. “Lush” is a ridiculous word for a ham pie, but there we are.

Use whole milk if you can. This isn’t the place for skim milk, in my opinion. Use what is on hand, but whole milk gives the batter a nicer texture.

For the feta, a block packed in brine that is crumbled by hand is ideal. The pre-crumbled kind is convenient, but sometimes it’s dry as dust. The mozzarella can be regular grated mozzarella from a bag. No need to get precious about it. This is a weeknight pie, not a Food Network audition.

As for ham, any sliced deli ham works. A simple smoked ham, chopped into little pieces, works especially well. Honey ham makes the pie slightly sweeter, which isn’t bad, just different. Avoid anything sliced paper-thin if you can—it tends to disappear into the batter. Not the end of the world, but then the ham seems to vanish.

The nutmeg may seem odd with ham and cheese, but don’t skip it. It’s only a little bit, and it gives that old-fashioned, almost cozy background flavor. Like something for a backyard brunch, before everything started being called “elevated.”

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted, divided
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup cottage cheese or plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 5 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
• 1 cup sliced deli ham, chopped into bite-size bits—not microscopic, just chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush an 8×11-inch baking pan with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Set it aside away from the mail.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese or Greek yogurt, and whole milk. Cottage cheese may leave things a little lumpy. That is normal. This is not a silky French custard, thank heavens. Just whisk until it looks generally combined.

Add the flour, baking powder, salt, black pepper, and nutmeg. Whisk until everything comes together into a thick-ish batter. Try not to beat it half to death. Overmixing can make the pie a little tougher around the edges. Still edible. This is not a laboratory.

Fold in the crumbled feta, grated mozzarella, and chopped ham. A rubber spatula is best for this. Make sure the cheese and ham are spread through the batter instead of sitting in one giant clump at the bottom.

Scrape the batter into your buttered baking dish and smooth the top with the spatula. It will not look elegant. It will look pale and bumpy and possibly a little suspicious. Ignore that. Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter over the top.

Bake for about 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the pie has puffed nicely. The edges usually brown first. If the center still looks wet or jiggly, give it a few more minutes—but don’t start opening the oven every four minutes when impatience sets in. It does not help. The oven is doing its best.

Let it cool for 10 minutes before slicing. It sets up better after that little rest. Cut into 9 portions and serve warm.

Variations

Greek yogurt and a handful of chopped spinach make a good variation. It is good with turkey instead of ham, too.

You could swap in another mild melting cheese for the mozzarella, but keep the feta because it’s really what makes this taste special. Cheddar makes it less Greek and more like a breakfast casserole, which isn’t necessarily a crime. Sharp cheddar and bacon make a different animal altogether.

What did not work: chopped tomatoes. They made the middle too wet, even after draining. Maybe roasted tomatoes would be fine, but plain juicy tomatoes? Nope. Avoid them to prevent soggy pie.

Storage & Reheating

If you aren’t serving the pie right away, move the slices onto a wire rack after cutting so they don’t sit in the pan and get soggy underneath. That little step matters more than you’d think. Leaving them right in the dish can make the bottoms go soft.

Once cooled, store leftovers in the refrigerator in a covered container for a few days. Separate layers with parchment or wax paper if stacking them. Reheat a slice in the microwave for a quick breakfast, or warm it in a low oven if you want the edges to crisp up again.

Cold is fine too.

Final Notes

There’s something comforting about a recipe that doesn’t demand a special occasion. No elaborate shopping list, no tiny garnish placed with tweezers, no photo-worthy disaster when the soufflé falls. Just ham, cheese, eggs, and a little butter doing what they have always done: filling the kitchen.

The house was messy. Of course it was. There were three coffee mugs in the den and a sock on the stairs, which remains one of life’s enduring mysteries. But dinner—or breakfast, or lunch, whatever you call it—was handled.

Sometimes that is plenty. Sometimes it’s more than plenty, honestly.

Greek Ham and Cheese Pie (Zambonopita)

Greek Ham and Cheese Pie (Zambonopita) bakes into a golden, puffy, savory pie with ham, feta, mozzarella, eggs, and a simple one-bowl batter. It is hearty enough for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and easy to slice once rested.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Main Course

Cuisine Greek

Servings 9 servings

Calories 215 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 tablespoons butter melted, divided
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup cottage cheese or plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 5 ounces feta cheese crumbled
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese grated
• 1 cup sliced deli ham chopped into bite-size bits

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and brush an 8x11-inch baking pan with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese or Greek yogurt, and whole milk until generally combined; cottage cheese may remain a little lumpy.
• Add the flour, baking powder, salt, black pepper, and nutmeg, then whisk just until the mixture forms a thick batter without overmixing.
• Fold in the crumbled feta, grated mozzarella, and chopped ham with a rubber spatula until the cheese and ham are evenly distributed.
• Scrape the batter into the buttered baking dish, smooth the top, and drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter over the top.
• Bake for about 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the pie has puffed nicely; if the center still looks wet or jiggly, bake for a few more minutes.
• Let the pie cool for 10 minutes before slicing, then cut into 9 portions and serve warm.

Notes

After cutting, move slices to a wire rack if not serving right away so the bottoms do not get soggy. Store cooled leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for a few days, separating stacked layers with parchment or wax paper; reheat in the microwave or in a low oven to crisp the edges, or enjoy cold.

Nutrition

Calories: 215kcal

Keyword feta cheese pie, Greek Ham and Cheese Pie (Zambonopita), Greek ham pie, ham and cheese pie, savory breakfast pie, zambonopita

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