Take it easy on yourself by making this breakfast casserole the night before, then bake it in the morning while you get ready! A true crowd pleaser, this breakfast bake is perfect for holiday breakfasts or when you have guests!
This Easy Breakfast Casserole is such a great holiday breakfast idea, and SO delicious! We love make-ahead breakfasts that the whole family will enjoy, like my Maple Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns, and Overnight French Toast Bake. This is one of my Breakfast recipes you’ll definitely want in your collection!
For some people, Christmas dinner is the main event on Christmas, but in our family, it’s breakfast Christmas morning! Since we’ve had kids, my parents and brother make the trek over to our house early in the morning.
We all sit down around our table (as many as can fit anyway), mugs of steaming coffee in our hands, and eat a hearty, stick to your ribs, breakfast that will last us through the many hours of gift opening to come.
We have a tradition in our family that on Christmas, everyone gets a gift, but we only open them one at a time, which is nice, because then you’re guaranteed to be able to watch your loved one open that gift you’re so excited to give them!
It also means that it takes us a lot longer to get through all the presents lol. So we definitely need that hearty breakfast to fuel us up!
Several years ago, on the first Christmas morning at our house, I served this overnight breakfast casserole… it was a TOTAL hit! There are rarely any leftovers, and usually we’re all scrambling to grab the last piece.
We usually just call it “the breakfast casserole”, but technically, it’s a strata since the base of the dish is cubed pieces of bread and they soak overnight in a spiced up egg custard.
CAN BREAKFAST CASSEROLE BE MADE AHEAD?
Yes, in fact, it’s best when it IS made ahead of time! You can make this breakfast casserole up to 8-12 hours ahead of time. My favorite way is to make it on Christmas Eve after dinner, then let it chill overnight and bake it Christmas morning! You want it to sit in the refrigerator so the custard really soaks up into the bread and all the flavors come together.
WHAT CAN YOU PUT IN A BREAKFAST CASSEROLE?
Just about anything! I’ve seen breakfast casseroles made with tater tots, hashbrowns, croissants, etc. I love my breakfast casserole loaded with sausage, bacon, and plenty of cheese!
I consider this recipe to be more of a method, and not necessarily a hard fast recipe. Meaning, you can add (or subtract) ingredients to customize it to your tastes! Here’s a few options…
Customization options for this casserole:
- Add sautéed onions (since our little ones have an onion aversion, I leave them out, but they’re delicious!)
- Play with the herbs and add your favorites
- Use chorizo instead of sausage and sprinkle with cilantro to add some Mexican flair
- Switch up the cheeses, or use all cheddar
- Use some torn croissants or cubed up bagels instead of Italian or French bread
I love using both the sausage and the bacon here, as we’re huge breakfast meats fans around here, but feel free to use one or the other if you’d rather not use both.
CAN YOU FREEZE BREAKFAST CASSEROLE?
Yep! After you assemble the casserole, instead of covering it and refrigerating, place it in the freezer instead. Breakfast casseroles can be frozen for up to 2 months, then just thaw overnight and bake as directed.
I hope you guys give this overnight breakfast casserole a try… it’s perfect for not only holiday breakfasts, but for weekend breakfasts as well!
We like to serve ours with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkling of fresh parsley and chives!
SHOP THE RECIPE:
- Enameled Cast Iron Casserole Dish – I love the even baking in this dish, plus the easy cleanup!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 1 lb sage or breakfast sausage
- 8-10 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 8 large eggs
- 2 2/3 cups whole milk
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tsp ground dry mustard
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 12 oz Italian bread, cubed into 1/2" pieces
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
- minced fresh parsley, for garnish
- chopped fresh chives, for garnish
- dollop sour cream, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown and crumble sausage until cooked. Drain and set aside.
- Use a bread knife to cube Italian bread into 1/2" pieces, then set aside. Combine shredded cheddar and Gruyere cheeses, then set aside.
- To a large mixing bowl, add eggs, milk, salt, dry mustard, dried parsley, black pepper and paprika. Whisk until combined.
- Add cubed bread pieces to bottom of 3 quart oven safe pot, or 9x13" baking pan. Top with crumbled sausage, bacon, and 3/4 of the cheeses. Pour egg custard over the top, using a wooden spoon to gently push any un-soaked bread down into the custard. Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheeses.
- Cover pan with foil and refrigerate overnight.
- Remove from refrigerator, uncover, and let sit at room temperature while oven preheats to 350 degrees F. Bake, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Serve hot, topped with garnishes if desired.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Kim says
I made this on Christmas Eve for Christmas morning and the whole family loved it. Everyone had seconds and we still had enough leftover the day after. I made it exactly as is but, next time I’m going to try adding red bell helpers and mushrooms. So glad I found this recipe.
Alison says
Hello! Would this be able to be cooked in a crock pot? Any suggestions on time?
The Chunky Chef says
I have only tested this recipe as written, but I think it would be able to. I’ve only seen crockpot breakfast casseroles made with hashbrowns, but I think this version would work. I would try LOW for 7-8 hours.
Sherri Toney says
Can you add O’brien potatoes to this casserole?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested this recipe other than as written, but I think that would work well.
Julie Andersson says
Hi, is it ok to use very stale French bread? I have a leftover nice baguette that will be hard, about 5 days old, when I plan to prep and refrigerate to be eaten the next morning. Thank you!
Julie
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Julie, I’ve never made this recipe with bread that old before, so I can’t say for certain, but I *think* it would be okay.
Claire says
Hello!
If subbing croissants instead, so I bake them first and then tear them up or tear up the dough strips?
Thanks!!
The Chunky Chef says
Bake them first 🙂
Christina says
Mom to a toddler here. Any suggestions for sneaking veggies into this recipe? Thanks!
The Chunky Chef says
Oh how I remember those days! Are there any veggies he or she will eat? Or is it an aversion to anything green? Dishes like this can be tough to “sneak” veggies into, as there’s not really a sauce. But I would try pureeing the veggies and adding them to the egg mixture. I’d say any specks of veggies or coloring in the casserole is the “seasoning that makes it taste good” 🙂
Linda Quinn says
Could you please tell me if this reheats
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, it reheats well.
bonnie greenblat says
I made this casserole and 3 other kinds, for a church breakfast.
This Casserole was the “Hand down” favorite !!!
DJ says
I need to prepare this ahead of time for fellowship, but then I need it to stay warm until it can be served after service. Can this be baked at home and then kept warm in a low oven (170 degrees) for 2-3 hours?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested that, so I can’t say for certain, but it should be okay.
SC says
Are you supposed to use “stale” bread for this?
The Chunky Chef says
I usually use day-old bread, but you can use fresh if that’s what you have.
Amanda says
Has anyone tried this in a crockpot? Thinking of doing this for a family camping trip, but using a crockpot to “bake” it. Just wondering if it would work that way. 🤔
Emily says
Hello, can’t wait to make this tomorrow! Was wondering about subbing waffles in for the bread. Do you think it’s better to stick with tried and true bread or do you think waffles would work well? Would love your input 🙂
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested it, but I think waffles would work well.
Nat says
Hello. I will be baking two 9×13 tin pans at the same time. How much longer do you think I should cook it for?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve only tested this as written, so I would start by adding an additional 10 minutes, and keep checking to see if they’re done.
Sue says
Do you need to grease the pan? Doesn’t say & don’t want it to stick
The Chunky Chef says
You can absolutely grease the pan if you’re worried about sticking 🙂
Linda says
Can I put spinach in it.
The Chunky Chef says
You sure can 🙂
Kristin says
This recipe is spectacular! I subbed brioche bread and Gilbert’s Early Bird chicken breakfast sausage. It came out amazing!
Joan says
I have a large, round 4 quart enamel pan, similar to the blue one in your pictures. I’d like to make 1.5 times the recipe, for about 15 people. Will this recipe cook evenly in a large round 4-quart pan? I want to make sure the strata at the center of the pan cooks at the same pace as the rest of the dish.
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested the recipe other than as written, but I think that should work just fine 🙂
Therese says
I was planning on making 1 1/2 also. Did your dish turn out good? Any suggestions?
Alysha says
Would you be able to replace the bread with potatoes? Or would that change the consistency?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested the recipe using potatoes, so I can’t say for certain that it would work, and/or wouldn’t change the taste/consistency.
Kathleen says
How much in oz or how many cips of bread would this be?
The Chunky Chef says
Approximately 12 oz 🙂
Kathleen says
Thank you
Mary says
Isn’t the bread soggy?
The Chunky Chef says
It isn’t after you bake it… sort of the consistency of non-wet bread pudding 🙂