Christmas morning is such a special time for children and for parents and grandparents too! But for the parents and grandparents, there can also be an added layer of stress to make sure the morning goes smoothly and everyone feels cozy in their happy and magical little bubbles. So while we can’t make sure Santa remembers to eat his cookies, drink his milk, or buy batteries, we can help to make sure your loved ones don’t go hungry and you don’t have to stress over making breakfast at the crack of dawn! And while we wish we could make something for you, we can at least provide you with a prep-ahead Christmas breakfast casserole recipe that we know your whole family will love!
This recipe is perfect to prep on Christmas Eve and bake off in the morning! To get started, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- 8 thick slices of country white bread, buttered and cubed
- 1 pound of loose pork breakfast sausage
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
- 1 cup yellow shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 7 eggs
- 3 cups milk
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- Paula Deen’s Hot Sauce or a hot sauce of your choice
Once you have your ingredients gathered, use a non-stick cooking spray to grease an 8×8 glass baking dish.
Then, cook the sausage over medium-high heat until browned, about 5 or 10 minutes. We like to use a wooden spoon to break the sausage up into medium-sized crumbles, but Paula always prefers larger chunks of meat in her soups and casseroles. Once it’s cooked, fold in the chopped sage.
While the sage is cooking, add the buttered and cubed bread to the baking dish, and then sprinkle the sage and sausage mixture over the bread, ensuring it is evenly distributed.
In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, milk, cayenne, dry mustard, and salt and pepper, whisking together to ensure it’s mixed well; then, pour this mixture over the bread and sausage. Now, just cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until morning.
On Christmas morning, simply preheat the oven to 350˚F, remove the plastic wrap from the casserole dish, sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake it for about an hour, or until it’s hot and bubbly. We like to do this right as the kids are waking up to open presents so that it’s ready to go when the gift-opening festivities are done.
Now, serve it hot, and watch those eyes light up with delight all over again.
Merry Christmas, happy eating, and happy holidays from the whole Deen Team!
