Go Back
Baked sausage, egg and cheddar breakfast casserole with a square cut out in a white baking dish

Christmas Breakfast Casserole

Overnight sausage, egg and cheddar bread casserole with halal turkey or chicken sausage, assembled the night before and baked in the morning.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Chill and Rest 6 hours 10 minutes
Total Time 7 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 270
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 lb halal turkey or chicken breakfast sausage casings removed
  • 12 oz day-old crusty bread cut into 1-inch cubes (8 to 10 cups)
  • 2 cups sharp cheddar shredded, divided
  • 8 large eggs
  • 2 1/2 cups milk whole for richest custard
  • 1 tsp yellow mustard
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • chopped chives or green onions to serve

Method
 

  1. Brown the sausage in a skillet over medium heat, breaking it into crumbles, until no pink remains. Drain.
  2. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Layer half the bread, half the sausage and half the cheese, then the rest of the bread and sausage. Keep the remaining cheese for the top.
  3. Whisk the eggs, milk, mustard, paprika, salt and pepper. Pour evenly over the bread and press it down gently.
  4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
  5. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Top with the remaining cheese and bake about 45 minutes, until puffed, golden and set, and the center reads 160°F (71°C). Cover loosely with foil if browning too fast.
  6. Rest 10 minutes, cut into squares and top with chives.

Notes

Storage: refrigerate leftovers and reheat until hot in the center (165°F).
Freezing: freeze baked, cooled squares wrapped; thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Substitutions: half Swiss or pepper jack for the cheddar; sautéed mushrooms, peppers or spinach instead of the sausage.
Smaller batch: halve the recipe and bake in an 8x8-inch dish, checking earlier.
Nutrition: calories are an estimate calculated from standard ingredient values, not a laboratory analysis.