This overnight egg casserole is loaded with breakfast sausage, topped with tons of cheddar cheese, and couldn’t be simpler to make. Prep it ahead, chill overnight, then bake in the morning for a delicious, hearty breakfast!
I cannot believe that after 2 years, 7 months, and 14 days of writing this blog, this is the first time I’m sharing my famous breakfast casserole with you. How have I not spilled the beans on this amazing recipe before?? If I’m being totally honest, I think I was waiting for the holidays to roll around because this happens to be the same breakfast we’ve eaten every Christmas morning for as long as I can remember. It’s sort of a sentimental meal for me, ya know? I couldn’t just slap it up on the blog on some random Tuesday in the middle of summer… it needed to have a special introduction just in time for the holidays.
When I was a little girl, my mom would whip this casserole together before tucking my sister and I into bed on Christmas Eve. Then on Christmas morning, we would wake up WELL before sunrise, and mom would pop the casserole in the oven and grab a cup of coffee while we patiently waited to tear into our presents wrapped in special cartoon wrapping paper. By the time we turned our living room into a giant mess of wrapping paper and toys, the whole family was starving and the breakfast casserole was hot and ready to be eaten. I can remember doing this Christmas morning routine every year with mom, and now that I have my own family, I’ve continued doing the same for them.
There are all kinds of different egg casserole recipes out there, but I have a few reasons why this one is my favorite.
#1 It’s a make-ahead meal. No one wants to spend Christmas morning slaving in the kitchen, so get the messy part out of the way the night before, and enjoy a hearty, satisfying meal the next day with very little effort.
#2 Croutons. With this recipe, there’s no need to buy a fancy loaf of bread and cut it into cubes… just grab a package of croutons from the store and let the egg/milk mixture soak in overnight to create the perfect fluffy egg casserole. I like to use the seasoned croutons to give the casserole a little kick of extra flavor.
#3 It’s super versatile. You can please just about anyone in your family with the classic sausage and cheese combo, but if you want to jazz it up with some different meats, cheeses, or even vegetables… go for it! The boys are pretty set on this sausage version, but I always thought that adding some green pepper, mushrooms, and ham would be delicious too.
In the spirit of Christmas, I wanted to share with you a special message that is close to my heart and goes along with today’s recipe. It’s called Cooking Together to Give Gallons. The American Dairy Association Mideast has partnered with 12 food bloggers throughout the country for a holiday recipe exchange to encourage giving the gift of milk through the Great American Milk Drive.
Did you know that milk is the #1 nutritious product requested by food bank clients, but it is rarely donated? The Great American Milk Drive is delivering thousands of gallons of milk to families who would otherwise go without. Nutritionists recommend 3 servings of milk a day, which is about a gallon each week, but 46 million Americans served by Feeding America only get on average 1 gallon of milk ALL year.
Back in October, I had traveled to Ohio with ADA Mideast and learned all about the journey milk takes from the farm to our table. I had a chance to milk a cow, feed a baby calf, learn how milk is made into cheese, and even see how milk is being served to our kids in school. It was eye-opening for sure, and I learned just how important milk is in my own diet, as well as my kids. (you can read the whole story here)
So how can YOU help? ADA Mideast will donate $1 to the Great American Milk Drive for every “like”, comment, or share each of the bloggers’ 12 recipes receive on its Facebook page between Giving Tuesday on Dec. 2 and Dec. 12, which will be used to give gallons of milk to those in-need. The country’s dairy farmers and milk companies will match the total donation, doubling the gallons of gifts!
You can also make a donation in your own communities! See how many gallons of milk have been donated to food banks in your state and make donations directly at www.MilkLife.com/give.
Do you tweet? On Dec. 3 from 9 to 10 p.m. EST, I’ll be hosting a #GiveGallons Twitter Party along with ADA Mideast and my food blogger friends! For everyone who attends and uses #GiveGallons, $1 will be donated to the Great American Milk Drive. Come share your favorite holiday recipes and traditions, and enter to win all kinds of awesome prizes like a Keurig, Crock Pot, or fondue set! Follow @ADAMideast and @OHDairyFarmers on Twitter to join in the fun!
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- 1 pound pork breakfast sausage
- 2 cups croutons
- 10 large eggs
- 1½ cups 2% milk
- 1 teaspoon ground dry mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
- nonstick cooking spray
- Cook the sausage in a large skillet until no longer pink, then drain any fat. Transfer sausage to a plate to cool. Spray a 13" x 9" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and spread the croutons in the bottom of the dish in an even layer. Cover the croutons with a layer of the cooled sausage. In a large bowl, add the eggs, milk, dry mustard, salt, and pepper and whisk until well combined. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the sausage and sprinkle the cheddar cheese over top. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator at least 8 hours or overnight.
- When ready to bake, take the casserole out of the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Bake uncovered for 50-60 minutes until the cheese is melted and the top is starting to turn golden brown. Cool about 5 minutes before cutting into pieces and serving.
- Any type of croutons will work, but I usually go for the seasoned croutons for an extra kick of flavor.
Are you making this recipe? I’d LOVE to see it! Post a photo of your creation on Instagram and use the hashtag #MyLGWRecipe. It may just get featured!
Be sure to check out the rest of the holiday recipe exchange! Stop my my friends’ blogs to get these amazing recipes:
Monte Cristo Lasagna from Climbing Grier Mountain
Eggnog Latte from Shugary Sweets
Gingerbread Steamer from In Katrina’s Kitchen
Cheesy Mushroom Puff Pastry Bites from The Law Student’s Wife
Hot Bruschetta Dip from Lemons for Lulu
Slow Cooker Reuben Dip from Garnish with Lemon
Chicken and Mushroom Casserole from The Lemon Bowl
Cheese Platter 101 from Eat2Gather
Skinny Chocolate Peppermint Mousse from Dessert for Two
Hot Chocolate Cheesecake Dip from Inside BruCrew Life
Coconut Pistachio Crepe Cake from Food, Faith, Fitness
Still hungry? Try these tasty recipes:
Thank you to ADA Mideast for sponsoring this post! I was compensated for my time, but all opinions are 100% my own. I appreciate all of you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible!
LET’S KEEP IN TOUCH!
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This looks amazing-I love the layers of cheese and sausage! Breakfast perfection!
I just might have to agree, Lisa! Breakfast perfection, indeed! Thanks for stopping by for breakfast, my friend. 🙂
We had a family tradition of my dad making bacon, over easy eggs, toast and lots of juice every Christmas morning but I wish we would have made this casserole! With croutons?! Genius!
Wow, that sounds like quite a Christmas spread! Can I come over for breakfast too? I’ll bring a casserole! 🙂
Even though it took awhile, I am SO happy that you shared this recipe with us! You can never go wrong with ANYTHING sausage and cheese, and this is perfect for Christmas morning! Pinned!
Thanks so much for the pin, Taylor! I agree, sausage and cheese ANYTHING sounds good to me!
I love breakfast casseroles. Especially when they are assembled the night before! So perfect for holidays and lazy mornings 🙂
Lazy mornings are the BEST! Thanks for stopping by for breakfast! 🙂
This is my idea of the perfect breakfast, looks so good!
Thank you, Matt! This along with one of your awesome-sauce waffle creations sounds like the perfect breakfast to me! 😉
This looks scrumptious! I know my kiddos would love this for breakfast or dinner!
I agree, Sheila! Breakfast, lunch, dinner… this is perfect for any meal!
This sounds so wonderful!! My boys would love this any day of the week.
Thank you so much, Liz!! I know my boys love it, so I have a feeling yours will too! Glad you stopped by for breakfast! 🙂
I love recipes like this one that bring back childhood memories!! And such a great cause to talk about as well!
Me too, Deborah! The holidays are a perfect time for recipes like this. Thanks for stopping by to visit! 🙂
My husband and son would LOVE this! Thanks for sharing it at Inspire Me Monday. I’ll be featuring your casserole in my Friday Features tomorrow.
Yay!! Thank you so much, Maryann! Hope you have a fantastic weekend. 🙂
I love that this recipe uses croutons not baking mix. It saves a ton a fat and additives that we don’t need while still giving an overnight dish that will be great to serve to a crowd.
Thank you so much, Susan! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
I’m going to make this for Christmas morning. Thank you!!, it looks amazing! When you say seasoned croutons which ones do you recommend?
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do, Dana! If you look in the grocery store aisle with all the croutons, they usually have a few different types like garlic and herb or Texas toast, but there’s also usually a “classic” crouton labeled seasoned. They should be pretty easy to find!
My mother in law handed down to me almost this exact recipe and we always make it the night before Christmas, then bake it in the morning. The ONLY difference is that her recipe added a can of cream of mushroom soup. This year I’m going to try it your way without the soup, since it will save some calories and sodium. Thanks for the new twist on our Christmas morning staple.
My casserole is in the fridge as I type this, waiting for the oven in a few short hours.
I made this last year and it was such a hit! This year I subbed the bacon for sausage and I add a bunch of veggies. I used to different cheese blends instead of cheddar.
I can’t wait to eat it!
Thanks for the new Christmas tradition!
I increased the milk to 2 1/2 cups, and would still add more the next time. Tasted great and really easy! Thanks for the recipe.
Could this be made in an 8X8′ dish? I’d assume half ingredients but not sure on cook time/temp. Has anyone tried this?
This looks so easy and delicious. Once a month I provide dinner for our local fire station and I am going to include this for them to bake the next morning for breakfast. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe.