The Best Breakfast Casserole
Do you know what I love? Waking up on Christmas morning and not worrying about what to make for breakfast. Hosting a brunch and casually enjoying my coffee before my guests arrive. If you’re not a morning person, like me, you’ll love this effortless but impressive make-ahead breakfast casserole. If you ARE a morning person (*bowing in admiration*), well… you’ll love this effortless but impressive make-ahead breakfast casserole.
I’ve made quite a few breakfast casseroles and this one comes out on top. It’s quick, easy, and the maple sausage….OH MY…! I used a package of Trader Joe’s Maple Bourbon Pork Sausage and it MADE the dish. Any maple flavored sausage will work great; the maple sweetness and touch of saltiness are a perfect complement.
Christmas morning is coming. Are you ready? (You don’t have to answer!) Trust me, put this breakfast casserole together the night before so you can focus on other, more important, things on Christmas morning…
This is literally the BEST breakfast casserole ever! Toasty sourdough, maple sausage, eggs, and gooey cheese! Assemble the night before, pop in the oven, YUM!
Ingredients
- 1 pound maple pork sausage
- 10 eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 cups 1-inch cubed bread (sourdough is fantastic, but you can use any type of bread)
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
- 2 tablespoons softened butter (to grease casserole dish)
Instructions
PREPARE:
Generously butter a 9 x 13 x 2 inch casserole dish.
Optional-- you can toast the bread cubes at 350 degrees until lightly toasted (about 20 minutes). Toast the bread while you're cooking the sausage. This will shrink the bread, so if you do toast the bread I recommend adding an additional cup of non-toasted bread to the dish when you assemble it. Toasting the bread adds great texture to the casserole!
If you use sausage links, ensure you remove the sausage casings. In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat, stirring and breaking up the sausage until it is cooked and not pink.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and salt until thoroughly combined.
ASSEMBLE:
Evenly distribute half the bread into the buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle with half the shredded cheese, half the black pepper, half the red bell pepper, and half the cooked sausage. Repeat the layers.
Pour the egg mixture evenly over the casserole. Cover the casserole dish tightly with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.
When you’re ready to bake the casserole, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Uncover the casserole. I typically press the casserole with my hands to push the egg mixture back to the top and "re-hydrate" the top layer a bit.
Bake the casserole uncovered for 60 minutes until the eggs have set. If the top starts to brown quickly, you can loosely cover with foil.
Let the casserole cool just a few minutes and then serve...because you won't want to wait any longer after smelling this wonderful casserole cooking in your home!
https://www.travelynneats.com/2018/12/23/breakfast-casserole/Easy Vegan Overnight Oats with Nutty Granola Clusters
Every time I find myself in Dupont Circle, I wonder why I’m not wandering around Dupont Circle more often. It’s a charming and lively spot in the city: embassies, restaurants, shops, bookstores, eclectic everything. On each visit, I seem to end up at Kramerbooks & Afterwards Cafe. There are many things I love there: books and food and cashiers with nose piercings and tucked in the corner by the cafe… cookbooks… a.k.a. foodie romance novels.
And just like that, another one for the collection: The Oh She Glows Cookbook, Over 100 Vegan Recipes to Glow from the Inside Out by Angela Liddon. Not because I’m vegan, but just because I want to be more mindful of what I’m eating. In the interest of more mindful eating, I thought I’d start with breakfast… Because, in my world, coffee is a food group… It’s what’s for breakfast… I’m not a morning person… so, I knew this new mindful eating thing would have to be easy if involving breakfast. And, with that, I present to you: Angela’s Vegan Overnight Oats with Nutty Granola Clusters. They are simply delicious. If you’re skeptical of cold oats… don’t be. Vegan oats… It’s what’s for breakfast.
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 1/2 cups almond milk
- 1/4 cup chia seeds (white chia seeds if you can find them)
- 1 large banana, mashed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Blueberries or fresh berries of your choice
- Nutty Granola Clusters
- Maple Syrup
- 1 cup whole raw almonds
- 1/2 cup raw pecans
- 1 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 2/3 cup mixed dried fruit (cranberries, cherries and/or blueberries)
- 1/2 cup raw pepita seeds
- 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- In a small bowl, thoroughly mix the oats, almond milk, chia seeds, mashed banana and cinnamon. Cover and refrigerate overnight to thicken. In the morning, if too thick--add a little almond milk.
- Pre-heat the oven to 275 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place 1/2 cup almonds into a food processor and process for 10-15 seconds, until a fine meal forms. Transfer the ground almonds to a large bowl.
- In the food processor, combine the remaining 1/2 cup almonds and 1/2 cup pecans and process 5-10 seconds, until finely chopped (there will be some fine meal and some larger pieces). Add to the bowl with the almond meal.
- Add the oats, dried fruit, pepita seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, cinnamon and salt to the large mixing bowl and stir.
- In a small bowl, combine the maple syrup, melted oil and vanilla and then mix into the large bowl with the oats.
- With a spatula, spread the granola into a 1/2 inch layer on the baking sheet and gently press to lightly compact it. Bake for 20 min, then rotate the pan and bake for 18-20 minutes more--until the granola is lightly golden.
- Cool the granola in the pan for at least 1 hour and then break apart and store in a glass jar. The granola stores for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator or freezer for 4-5 weeks.
- In a jar or parfait dish, layer the oats, fresh berries and granola and drizzle with a little maple syrup, if desired.
