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.
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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.
Lisa says
Can you use hash browns instead of the bread or a combination or hashbrowns and bread?
The Chunky Chef says
I’m sure you could, but I haven’t tested it to say for certain if any other changes would need to be made.
Bethany Spell says
I made this ahead last night for Christmas Eve this morning and it did not disappoint. It’s delicious! We’ll be making this one again.
Michelle says
Hi. Can you make with gluten free bread?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested it, but that should work just fine 🙂
Kelly says
Fan favorite with this one!!!
Loretta says
Liquid didn’t cover the dry ingredients. I will add one more egg and more milk next time.
Sheri Risseeuw says
Can I make this and freeze it uncooked, then thaw later prior to cooking?
Thanks…
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, please see the section of the post titled “can you freeze breakfast casserole?” for all the details.
Sandy says
I made this, as per the recipe, for friends that had houseguest. They raved about it. I made it the night before and brought to them with cooking instructions. Very easy and was so appreciated.
Alison says
My go to breakfast strata – this is such an easy and delicious crowd pleaser, though lets be honest – I make this for just two of us more often than not.
bob says
yes yes it is
Margo says
Off the chart delicious! I added spinach and had some diced ham sprinkled in. Made sure I used a great gruyere and sharp cheddar. This is now my go-to breakfast casserole recipe! Thank you for posting!
Krystal Jensen says
The whole family loved this Christmas breakfast bake! Thank you!
Claire says
I’ve made this for Christmas morning for the last 4 years and made it again tonight (Christmas Eve) for a fifth. Some years I don’t have bacon, most years I just use a mix of cheddar, some year I’ll get adventurous and add veggies or other add ins. It freezes incredibly well so I cut it into serving size portions, keep a slice or two to eat in the following day or so, then heat up the frozen portions in my air fryer. It’s delicious and officially part of our family recipe book.
C says
Same! Has become a family tradition – thanks so much for sharing!
Joy says
Can I make this casserole more than 12 hours ahead? Like 16-17?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes that should be okay 🙂
Janice says
Can I make this 2 days before?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes that should be okay 🙂
Thersa says
Had fun finally using up stale bagels that I already had cut up. I sort of followed recipe, turkey sausage and bacon.Another recipe that used dry mustard,dried parsley. Only 1 cup of sharp cheddar and rest with gueyre,(topped also)
Not the strata I am used to ,could b used as a stuffing w turkey or pork chops.
Dottie says
I’ve made this many, many times for large gatherings and it’s a hit every time. I loosely cover the bottom of the 9×13 pan with the french bread, more than called for, I sub swiss instead of Gruyere, skip the parsley. I use Costco’s precooked bacon to save time. Ceramic dishes definitely need more cook time but glass 9×13 is good at 45 min and some settling time. Thanks for this gem of a recipe!
Mim L. says
I successfully substituted frozen tater tots for the Italian bread. I used about 2/3 of a bag of frozen tater tots and cooked them as directed for half the time to remove excess moisture. I lined the bottom of a 10”x14” cast iron casserole dish after the pre-bake, then followed the rest of the recipe as written. I baked it for an hour and it was absolutely perfect. Everyone loved it!!
Molly Cour says
Delicious! I used all bacon because I didn’t have sausage on hand. I also used half milk and half heavy cream. I’ll be making again!
TG says
This is the second time I’ve made it and the family absolutely loved it both times! First time I followed the recipe exactly (with breakfast sausage) and it was great. Second time, I used sage sausage and onion bagels in place of the Italian bread (as she had listed under customized options). It was also great. The only thing I noticed for both of them is that I had to cook it about an extra 10 minutes than recommended to get the middle to set/cook. It might be because I use a ceramic baking dish, as opposed to the enameled cast iron (I did verify my 350 oven temp with a thermometer). Highly recommend this recipe, easy to make and so delicious! Thank you for providing!
A says
This was tasty but very wet. Baked it for almost 90 minutes.