On vacation, having too much fun to realize that nothing has been planned for meals, fridge mostly empty, remembering that uh-oh, I'm the one in charge of feeding my friend's children that day.
Oops!
Open the refrigerator door, see half a dozen eggs, half a carton of milk, some cheddar cheese, leftover sausage from biscuits and gravy the day before, a little broccoli, a leftover ear of corn (cooked).
Open the freezer and see half a loaf of sliced bread. Saved!
Whew. I won't have to reach for the boxed mac and cheese.
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What's the Base of This Breakfast Casserole?
Have you ever made a breakfast casserole?
The basic ingredients are eggs, cheese, milk, and bread. It's the easiest thing in the world to put together. We have a sausage breakfast casserole on the site that is one of my favorites.
"Open Fridge Breakfast Bake"
The great thing about a breakfast casserole is that you can add almost anything you want to the base. Italian sausage is my all-time favorite, but bacon or ham will do, too. Or make it veggie with zucchini, broccoli, basil, and onions.
The first time I served this to the kids they insisted that it had to go on the website. The name they picked was "Open Fridge Breakfast Bake" because basically that's what I did—opened the fridge, put everything I could find into a casserole dish, and baked it.
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How to Make a Breakfast Casserole
To make a breakfast casserole you beat some eggs, add milk and cheese, add cubed bread, add "mix-ins" like mushrooms, veggies, sausage, and herbs, put it in a casserole dish, and bake.
Easy, right? The ingredients basically all come together in one big casserole pan, but there are a few steps I would recommend first:
- If you are using a lot of mushrooms, sauté them a bit beforehand to release some of their moisture.
- You can add cooked, sturdy veggies such as broccoli into the casserole, or put them in raw. If using raw veggies, cut them into smaller pieces and know that they'll be crunchier if you put them in raw instead of cooked.
- If you are adding sausage or bacon, cook it first before adding it to the casserole.
The proportions of ingredients are adjustable. If you add more eggs, it will result in a casserole that is more firm and less likely to deflate.
Day-old or stale bread works best for a breakfast casserole, but if you don't have any, just leave slices of fresh bread out on the counter to dry for a few hours, or put the slices in a low oven (200°F, 10 min) or toaster for a minute (just enough to dry them a little).
What to Serve With a Breakfast Casserole
Breakfast casserole is truly a meal in itself! It has starch (bread), milk, cheese, meat, and vegetables. It can be made for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Serve it with some sliced fresh fruit on the side for breakfast, or if making for dinner, a green salad. If you omit the veggies in the casserole, consider serving some sautéed vegetables on the side. Or if leaving out the meat, some crispy bacon or cooked sausages.
Make Ahead Instructions
Breakfast casseroles are almost designed to be made ahead. You can assemble the whole thing the night before, put it in the fridge (covered), and bake it the next morning. It's minimal work when you wake up and a low stress breakfast if you have a group of people to feed.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__simply_recipes__uploads__2008__08__as-you-like-it-breakfast-casserole-vertical-b-1600-687ba5fea2e447789a01f86011a5dcf6.jpg "Make This Easy Breakfast Casserole the Night Before for a No-Stress Brunch (3)")
How to Store and Reheat a Breakfast Casserole
This breakfast casserole will keep for a few days in the fridge, covered. You can microwave it until it's hot, one serving at a time, or you can reheat the whole casserole in a 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes until it's heated through.
Do you have a favorite breakfast casserole combo? If so, please let us know about it in the comments.
More Easy, Lazy Breakfast Casseroles
- Tater Tot Casserole
- Biscuits and Gravy Casserole
- Baked Blueberry French Toast Casserole
- Zucchini Breakfast Casserole
- Bagel Breakfast Casserole
Readers Share Their Variations
Elise Bauer first published this in 2008, and it's been a favorite recipe on the site since then.
- Lana: "Used leftover ham, a few shriveled mushrooms, added an onion, and sauteed these. After sauteing, I tossed in a head of broccoli with a touch of water and steamed for a few min while I prepared the other stuff. I used leftover pumpernickel bread, about 1/3 a container of 3% sour cream, and pepperjack cheese. It is amazing!!! The pumpernickel and broccoli play nicely together."
- Sam: "Made this today with spinach, sautéed onion, leftover roasted potatoes, and fresh rosemary. Delish!!"
- Becky: I’ve been making this casserole for 2+ years and after it cools down, I cut into squares and put in freezer safe tupperware containers with those snapping lids that clasp on the side. It keeps great in our deep freezer and is easy to reheat in the microwave!"
- NB: "Great way to repurpose leftover Thanksgiving stuffing! Especially when your guests are done with "leftovers" and you still need to feed them Saturday or Sunday morning :-)"
- MrsIndyKansas: "Most every meat and vegetable taste good in it! I’ve even used half and half, yogurt and sour cream mixed with my milk. I’ve used whatever cheese I had on hand. I love to use my cast iron to cook bacon. Then use the grease to cook up an onion, bell, jalapeño and garlic. You can use most breads also. It’s just an amazing recipe."
From the Editors Of Simply Recipes
Easy Breakfast Casserole
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time50 mins
Total Time65 mins
Servings8 servings
The ingredient proportions are estimates. The more eggs, the firmer and less likely to deflate the casserole will be.
Mushrooms tend to hold a lot of moisture, so if you use a lot of them, you may want to sauté them first to release some of their water.
Don't have day-old bread? Put slices of fresh bread into a 200°F oven for 10 minutes.
Ingredients
For the breakfast casserole base
6 to 10 large eggs
2 to 3 cups grated cheddar cheese
6 slices day-old bread, cut into 3/4-inch to 1-inch-wide cubes
2 cups milk
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
For the possible additions
1 cup corn kernels, cooked or frozen
1/2 cup chopped broccoli, cooked or raw (raw will turn out crunchier)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 cup cubed ham and/or cooked Italian sausage
3 slices cooked bacon, chopped
1 teaspoon Herbesde Provence or other dried herbs, (or 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped herbs such as basil, rosemary, or thyme)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cumin or curry powder
Method
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Make the casserole base:
Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Mix in the milk and cheese.
Add the bread and carefully stir until all pieces of bread are moistened (don't over mix or the bread may disintegrate).
Add the additions:
Add salt and pepper to taste (if using Italian sausage, you won't need either). If you have a lot of additions, you might need a couple more eggs to make sure that everything is at least touching some egg mixture. Just whisk in 2 tablespoons of milk for every beaten egg you add.
Bake the casserole:
Butter a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Pour the mixture into the casserole dish. (At this point, you can bake right away or transfer the casserole to the fridge and bake it the next day.)
Bake in a 350°F oven for 50 minutes to an hour, until the top is browned and the center springs back when touched.
Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
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| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 375 | Calories |
| 24g | Fat |
| 17g | Carbs |
| 23g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
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| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 8 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 375 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 24g | 30% |
| Saturated Fat 11g | 57% |
| Cholesterol 284mg | 95% |
| Sodium 650mg | 28% |
| Total Carbohydrate 17g | 6% |
| Dietary Fiber 1g | 3% |
| Total Sugars 5g | |
| Protein 23g | |
| Vitamin C 1mg | 6% |
| Calcium 446mg | 34% |
| Iron 2mg | 13% |
| Potassium 299mg | 6% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.
