Christmas Breakfast Casserole (with Vegetarian option)
Christmas Breakfast Casserole is the perfect savory breakfast to serve a crowd. This colorful make ahead breakfast casserole features eggs, breakfast sausage, peppers, onions, cheese and bread. This Christmas Casserole makes a delicious savory recipe to serve on a holiday morning. Makes 10 servings.
Love make-ahead dishes for holiday breakfast? Check out Cranberry Overnight French Toast and Walnut Sticky Buns with Cream Cheese Icing.
Christmas Breakfast Casserole has been a tradition in my family ever since I can remember. It’s total comfort food.
My family always hosted friends and family on Christmas Eve. We always spent Christmas Day with friends and family once the festivities were over at our house.
On Christmas Eve, once dishes are clean and our guests have gone home, my mom pulls together our Christmas Breakfast Casserole for the next morning. Some years, it features bacon; others, leftover ham.
Whatever ingredients she throws into the baking dish, it turns out beautifully. More than anything, her Christmas casserole recipes taste like home.
Why I love this recipe:
When I plotted out this week’s recipes, I wanted to include a savory dish, as well as something that reminded me of home since we aren’t traveling for Christmas this year.
My Christmas Breakfast Casserole recipe is a bit different than my mom’s.
Let’s be honest: Trying to recreate your mom’s traditional Christmas morning recipe is basically impossible. For whatever reason, it will always taste better when she makes it because it reminds you of your childhood and Christmas past.
That said, this casserole is super tasty, and it adds some festive colors to your Christmas breakfast table.
And the best part? You can make it the night before, let it hang out in the fridge overnight, then pop it in the oven 45 minutes before you’ll be ready to eat on Christmas Day.
More breakfast recipes to serve on a holiday morning: Baked Maple Bacon Donuts | How to Bake Bacon | Eggnog Pancakes with Cinnamon Syrup | Blended Mimosas (or Strawberry Champagne Cocktail) | Egg Casserole with Green Chiles
What do I need to make this recipe?
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Let’s talk ingredients!
In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.
Here’s what you’ll need to grab from the grocery store:
- Baguette — it needs to be stale (or close to it), and cut or torn into bite-sized pieces.
- Breakfast sausage — you can use your favorite brand OR favorite protein (if it’s not sausage) in this recipe! Just make sure the sausage is fresh so you can easily take it out of the casing.
- Bell peppers — we need a red and green bell pepper to make this a true Christmas casserole.
- Onion — use a yellow or white onion here
- Garlic cloves — you’re going to need a lot of these. Go ahead and get a whole head of garlic and mince them all because they’ll add such glorious flavor.
- Eggs — you need a lot, so don’t skimp on these or try to find a substitute. There isn’t one.
- Milk — we whole milk in our house, so that’s what we used here. I know for a fact, though, that my mother only keeps skim or 2% milk and uses that to make this recipe, and it works just fine for her.
- Salt-Free Creole Seasoning — or your favorite Cajun or Creole seasoning that has salt. Just omit the additional salt if you’re using a variety that does have salt because these seasoning blends can get quite salty.
- Kosher salt — I use a medium-grain kosher salt, but you could use the same amount of a similarly sized sea sat, too.
- Colby Jack cheese — or another favorite cheese! Sharp cheddar cheese or pepperjack would be excellent in this recipe, too.
A note on variations and substitutions:
Add some heat to it. If you and your people like some spice, feel free to add some shakes of hot sauce to the mix to liven it up.
Throw in bonus veggies. While my casserole is pretty simple, vegetable-wise, the world is your oyster here. If you like mushrooms, throw in some. You could even add broccoli or another veg you have on hand, like zucchini.
How to make Christmas Breakfast Casserole
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Place the cubed bread on a baking sheet, and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until toasted.
Remove from the oven and set aside.
We do this so that the bread can really soak up the egg mixture without losing its texture.
As the bread toasts, brown the breakfast sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Break it up using a fork or a wooden spoon.
When the sausage is very brown, add the bell peppers, onion and garlic. Cook the vegetables until soft.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Season with the Creole seasoning and salt. Set aside.
Arrange the casserole in a large casserole dish.
- Sprinkle in some of the cooked sausage mixture.
- Top with half of the bread.
- Add more of the sausage mixture on top of it.
- Top that with cheese.
- Pour half of the egg mixture on top of these ingredients.
- Add the rest of the bread, sausage mixture and cheese, then top with the last half of the eggs.
Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and refrigerate overnight.
Bake the Casserole the Day Of
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Place the baking dish in the preheated oven straight from the refrigerator.
Bake uncovered for 45-60 minutes, or until the top of the casserole has puffed up and browned.
Serve warm, and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course, you can still make it. The casserole won’t be as custard-y, but you can still whip this up for your family. There have been a few years where we’ve done that, and while the bread doesn’t soak up nearly as much of the egg mixture, it’s still tasty in the end.
Just give yourself a bit more time since you’ll be doing it ALL the day of.
If you’ve got vegetarians eating breakfast or brunch with you, simply leave out the sausage and use olive oil or butter in place of the sausage fat for cooking down the veggies. Serve the sausage on the side for meat eaters (or skip it altogether), and you’re golden.
Other holiday breakfast ideas:
If you love breakfast casseroles, I recommend trying this sweet (and simple) Cranberry Overnight French Toast Casserole. Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole brings in more savory flavors.
Want something sweet and unique? Homemade Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls are a make-ahead breakfast that are a total treat.
Just interested in this colorful Christmas (or any-other-time-of-year) brunch fare?
Here’s how I did it…
Christmas Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- ½ baguette stale, cut into 1″ cubes (about 4 cups)
- 6 oz. breakfast sausage NOT in casings!
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 large onion diced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 10 eggs
- ½ cup milk
- ¾ teaspoon Tony Chachere’s Salt-Free Creole Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup Colby Jack cheese or another favorite cheese!
Equipment
- Square casserole dish (2.2 qt. / 9.5")
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Instructions
Prepare the Casserole the Night Before
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place the cubed bread on a baking sheet, and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until toasted.
- Remove from the oven and set aside.
- As the bread toasts, brown the breakfast sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Break the sausage up using a fork or a wooden spoon.
- When the sausage is very brown, add the bell peppers, onion and garlic, cooking the vegetables until softened.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Season with the Tony's and salt. Set aside.
- In a large baking dish, sprinkle in some of the sausage mixture, then top with half of the bread. Add more of the sausage mixture on top of it, then top that with cheese. Pour half of the egg mixture on top of these ingredients. Add the rest of the bread, sausage mixture and cheese, then top with the last half of the eggs.
- Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
Bake the Casserole the Day Of
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place the baking dish in the preheated oven, and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until the top of the casserole has puffed up and browned.
- Serve warm!
Notes
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
I made this dish for Christmas morning, and it was delicious. What a hit!!! Thanks, Erin!
So happy that y’all enjoyed this casserole on Christmas morning, Christie! I hope it was a WONDERFUL start to a lovely day!