It is officially ALMOST CHRISTMAS! Woohoo!
I made this easy make ahead breakfast casserole for our family at Thanksgiving and got so many questions about it, that I had to share it on here. It is THE easiest make ahead breakfast for a crowd. It takes 15 minutes to assemble and then and hour to bake. I love that it is hearty, delicious, and quick to throw together. I also love that it is completely customizable.
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If you’re gluten free – you can use gluten free bread for the base. If you’re vegetarian – but still eat eggs – you can load it up with ALL the veggies. If you are a meat lover, you can add in bacon and ham. It is totally up to you and what you want to do. My dad makes it with regular breakfast sausage and green chiles. I want to make it for New Years breakfast with bacon, spinach and swiss – Quiche Lorraine style. Really – you can do whatever you like with this casserole and that is the best part! The specific recipe I’m showing you here is courtesy of Joe’s mom. She made this for us when we were back in Nebraska for a family wedding and I LOVED IT!
Easy Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole
Serves 12-15
Ingredients:
- 18 eggs scrambled
- 1/2 loaf of bread – cubed – I used ciabatta
- 2 packages of Jimmy Dean pre-cooked turkey sausage – or you can just use 1.5 lbs of regular breakfast sausage
- 1 package of shredded cheese
- 1 can on regular Rotel
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
- Cube the bread, place on a baking sheet in an even layer, and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. <<< You can omit this step if you are in a rush, but to me it helps the bread hold up better.
- Take your baking pan – I used a 9×11 baking pan – and layer the baked bread cubes in the bottom
- Pour the cooked sausage over the bread
- Scramble your eggs
- Add the can of Rotel to the eggs
- Pour Egg/Rotel mixture over your bread and sausage.
- Add salt (I just sprinkle over the whole thing)
- Layer cheddar cheese over the top
- Cover with tinfoil – bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour
- Remove the tinfoil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes uncovered
- Add more cheese on top if you like
- We like to serve it with fresh avocado and the green Tobasco – but again, totally up to you!
I hope you love this easy make ahead breakfast casserole as much as we do! I usually prep it the night before and cook it in the morning. OR… you can make it a week ahead of time, cut into cubes, wrap with tinfoil and freeze. Then in the morning you can warm it back up in the oven. It is totally up to you! I also love this easy make ahead breakfast casserole for those weeks when I know it is going to be hard to eat a good breakfast. I make this ahead of time – pop it in the microwave – and bam – good to go!
