Recipe Of The Day: Breakfast Casserole With Sausage

Christmas looks different for many people this year, but the best way to make things feel a little less daunting is to stick with some of your most beloved traditions. And truly, nothing will remind you of home more than a classic breakfast casserole.

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You know the one, with torn pieces of bread, tons of cheese and savory sage-flavored breakfast sausage. Bring the comforts of childhood to your home this holiday. And the best part? You don't even have to wake up early to make it — prep the dish the night before and pop it into the oven Christmas morning.  

Not only do breakfast casseroles have a level of nostalgia, they're also a great way to use up any ingredients in the fridge you need to get rid of. Have eggs that are about to expire? Great, you'll need five of them for this recipe. Have frozen bread you forgot about? Line the bottom of the casserole dish with it. 

Breakfast casseroles have a few different iterations. For this recipe, start by cooking and draining the fat from the sausage and then prepare your egg mixture. Once that's done you can assemble the casserole. Line the bottom  of the dish with the bread pieces then top it with the cooked sausage, cheeese and egg mixture (in that order). 

Store the casserole in the refrigerator overnight and pop it into the oven on Christmas morning and let it bake for about 45 minutes. If you're like most people, casseroles aren't just relegated to Christmas morning, they're a day long affair. From green bean to sweet potato, these are our best casserole recipes for the holiday season

Breakfast Casserole with Sausage 

Ingredients 

1 tablespoon butter
1 pound ground breakfast sausage
1 teaspoon ground sage
2 cups half and half
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper, to taste
4-6 Martin's Famous Potato Rolls, or enough bread to line the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (1 bag)

Directions

In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground sausage with 1 teaspoon of ground sage, salt and pepper. Continue cooking until sausage is fully cooked, crumbly and no longer pink, about 8 minutes.

Drain the fat from the sausage. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together half and half, eggs, paprika, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Grease a 9x13 glass casserole dish using 1 tablespoon of butter.

Cut rolls or bread into 1-inch pieces.

Assemble the casserole: Line the bottom of the casserole dish with the bread pieces, covering the bottom completely. Spread cooked sausage on top of the bread. Add cheese on top of the sausage. Give the egg mixture one quick final whisk and then pour that over the cheese. 

Cover the casserole with aluminum foil. Refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours.

After refrigerating, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake the covered casserole until golden, about 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven, remove foil and allow the casserole to rest for 15 minutes before serving.