Breakfast Casserole

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Nothing says Christmas to me like Breakfast Casserole.  My mom made it every Christmas morning.  A few years ago I learned you can actually make it on days other then Christmas morning (that was a revelation to me).

You do need to have a plan in place to enjoy this treat for breakfast.  You make it the night before and allow it to rest in fridge overnight.  Then in the morning you pop it in the oven and let it cook while you frantically tear open presents! On days that are not Christmas morning there is something quite relaxing about having it bake in the oven while actually relaxing in the morning instead of pouring cereal or standing over a pan of eggs cooking.

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To start off this holiday masterpiece you fill an 8×8 pan with torn bread pieces.  I usually freeze the end pieces of my Homemade Bread and cut that up.  Today I used some broken up sandwich bread that was getting old.  You need about 1/2 pound of bread pieces.  My recipe is just fill the pan with bread but I measured it by weight to write this recipe.breakfast casserole-2

Next up is cooking and crumbling breakfast sausage.  For an 8×8 pan I use a 1/2 pound of sausage.  I buy mine from the farmers market so it comes without casings and I just break it up in pan with spatula.  Growing up my mom made this with “Mailhots” Downeast Sausage and I still crave that from time to time but I think that might just be a New England brand.

Once the sausage is cooked I scrap it onto the top of bread and spread it out around pan.

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Then comes the eggs.  You need to whisk 12 eggs for this casserole.  I crack a dozen eggs into large bowl, pour in 1 cup milk and 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper then whisk until well combined.  Once that is done I pour it into pan with bread and sausage.  It should come right up to the top layer.  If it doesn’t rise to the top you need more eggs, if it goes over the top layer you have to add more bread.

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The last layer is the cheese layer.  I shred 5 oz sharp cheddar cheese which is about a packed cup and put that layer on top of casserole.  Then I sprinkle a little more salt and pepper over top.

This bad boy is ready for the fridge now.  I put tin foil over it and it rests all night in there.

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When I get up in the morning I preheat oven to 375 degrees and toss it in with the tin foil still on top.  It gets 30 minutes, then the tin foil comes off and it gets another 30-35 minutes until completely set and top is browned and delicious.

I realize you could add onions, green peppers and all kinds of healthy stuff to this casserole but I never want to change it.  It brings back wonderful memories to me as it is!

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Breakfast Casserole
Recipe Type: Breakfast
Author: Blogging with Apples
Prep time: 8 hours 30 mins
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 9 hours 30 mins
Serves: 8
A make ahead breakfast treat for holiday mornings!
Ingredients
  • 8 oz bread torn into pieces
  • 8 oz breakfast sausage cooked and crumbled
  • 12 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
  1. Into a greased 8×8 baking pan place torn bread pieces.
  2. Spread cooked sausage over bread pieces distributing evenly.
  3. In a large bowl whish eggs with milk, salt and pepper until well combined.
  4. Pour egg mixture over sausage and bread.
  5. The egg mixture should rise to the top level of bread and sausage.
  6. Spread cheese over casserole and sprinkle again with salt and pepper.
  7. Cover with tin foil and place in fridge to rest overnight or at least 8 hours.
  8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  9. Place casserole still covered with tin foil into oven and bake 30 minutes.
  10. Remove tin foil from casserole and continue baking another 30-40 minutes until set and browned on top.
  11. Allow to cool 5-10 minutes and then cut and enjoy!
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Jeff McIntosh

About Jeff McIntosh

Jeff's family lives in his childhood home on a 1/4 acre in town lot. Despite the small space to work with, they have challenged ourselves to produce as much of our own food as possible — and cook it! They document their journey at Blogging with Apples.