Ok, I guess technically this recipe would qualify as a casserole. Egg Casserole. I’ve just never been a big fan of the word. It always makes me think of Tuna Surprise. I don’t especially like being surprised, least of all by tuna fish. So I go with the ever-descriptive title: Egg Bake!
But if you enjoy surprises, think of this as a casserole. Okay, glad we got that settled.
My husband and I love lazy weekend mornings. Everyone stays in their pajamas. We read the newspaper or watch the kids’ gymnastic routines while enjoying a laid back breakfast. This is my idea of the perfect Saturday morning.
I realized early on, though, that lazy mornings aren’t lazy for me when I’m busy feeding everyone. That’s why I love make-ahead breakfast dishes that can be prepped the night before and baked in the morning. This savory egg dish fits the bill and is perfect paired with your favorite sweet breakfast treat like muffins or scones.
Having friends or family over for breakfast is also my favorite time to entertain. It’s casual and relaxed, and when everyone heads their separate ways, you still have the whole day ahead of you. It’s a great way to kick off the weekend. Whether we’re enjoying a quiet breakfast or have a big group gathered around the table, this is one of my favorite egg dishes to serve.
This recipe feeds a crowd, but can be easily cut in half for a smaller group. Leftovers are great, too. My husband loves reheating them for quick weekday breakfasts.
Make-Ahead Sausage Egg Bake
Ingredients
1-2 lb. Italian sausage
12 eggs
4 c. milk
1 t. salt
3 t. dry mustard
12 slices of bread (Any bread should work! A reader mentioned using broken-up croissant pieces. YUM.)
2 c. cheese, grated
Instructions
- Cook, crumble, and drain the sausage; set aside to cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Add the milk, salt, and dry mustard.
- Remove the crusts from the bread and tear it into rough pieces. Add it to the egg mixture, along with the grated cheese and sausage.
- Pour into a greased 9×13″ dish (use an 8×8″ pan for a half recipe). Refrigerate overnight, if desired. This could also be baked immediately, if needed.
- Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. You want the eggs to be set; a knife inserted into the middle should come out mostly clean. Don’t worry if it still jiggles a bit. The bread & milk give it a creamier texture that won’t set completely.
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If you don’t have a good 9″x 13″ pan (or need an extra because EVERYONE DOES), having a quality pan with a lid is so worth it. Especially when making an overnight casserole, it is so easy to pop the lid on to throw in the fridge and then you can stack stuff on top of it. Extra space for the win! Also awesome if you are traveling with the casserole to make on vacation. This Pyrex Basics Oblong Baking Dish is a great option!
Looking for more make-ahead breakfast options?
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Can hash browns be added to this recipe
You bet! I think I would replace the bread with the hashbrowns so as not to overwhelm the dish, but I think it would be just fine.
I was looking for a recipe like this!! Pinning to use over the weekend!
I forgot to brwon sausage when I made te casserole. How much longer should I cook the casserole?
Waaayyy better with cream of mushroom soup gravy! Add a little into the mix as well before baking!!
do you thing that at some point either before or after baking you could freeze this dish?
Good question. All of these ingredients are freezer friendly on their own, but I’m not sure how it would reheat. Anyone else know?
This is one of my favorite breakfast things when we have guests. I make it pretty much the same way only I add in O’brian frozen potatoes and it adds a nice flavor to it.
So funny, I have this exact same recipe and we love it! I use it everytime we have overnight guests. I recently made a gluten-free version using potatoes instead of bread. Just peel and boil potatoes, smash into a casserole dish, then do the rest of the recipe the same. It was SO delicious. Thanks, Emily!
This sounds so yummy..i have a question though. im not that big of a fan of mustard. can you taste it alot in the recipe?
My husband hates yellow mustard but loves this. It definitely adds flavor, but I wouldn’t say a strong, obvious mustard one. You could play around with the amount or omit it entirely.
My husband John makes this every year for us and he is quite the cook! So our first gift from him is a beautiful breakfast (and who would want to return that??)… By the way, I love your photos. Happy New Year and thanks for all you do. We really appreciate it on this end…keep up the good work!
Do you think this would work using shredded sweet potatoes as a substitute for the bread? We’re going Paleo and would love make-ahead breakfasts like this!
I eat Paleo most of the time. Why don’t you try making frittatas? They are great make ahead egg dishes and don’t require any grains, or even milk or cheese if you eating limited dairy.
My mom is gluten free and she has a recipe where she uses hashbrowns, and it is great. I am not sure about the sweet potato variety, but if you like them- it would be worth a try.
I make this recipe with Broken up croissant pieces. To die for!
This is our standard Christmas morning meal and has been for the last 10 years or more. I make it with ham instead of sausage, personal preference. Still is very good!
Yes, there are tons of different ways to switch it up! Mushrooms, peppers, onions, green chiles, spinach, different meat, or meatless are all great options.
I use crutons! 1 or 2 boxes depending on how much bread you like. I like 1.
We call it sausage strata–so there is a fancy-schmancy name for your (whisper) casserole. 🙂 Your version looks great, and I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing!
How could I forget about strata?! That’s an even better name.
We made something similar for Christmas morning. I realized that the year before, I spent the entire day baking, cooking or cleaning up as we do a big Christmas Eve dinner at our house as well. This year, I was prepared. We did a casserole made the day before, with minimal clean-up. Dinner was done mostly in the crock pot with a few last minute preparations. Much more relaxed day and I didn’t feel like I was tackling the Mt. Vesuvius of dishes all day.