Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole

I have made a variety of egg casseroles. The one I made for my bible study group last week has to be my favorite so far, hands down. The ladies even asked me to share it on my blog so they can make it themselves. It is super easy and was very yummy! Not exactly low-fat or low in calories, but that is probably why it tastes so good! It is loaded with protein, so that’s a plus!

I used my experience from making egg casseroles to invent this version of the egg casserole. The secret to the yumminess is two packages of breakfast pork sausage, versus the one that most recipes call for. Here are the ingredients you will need:

2 packages of Jimmy Dean’s Breakfast Sausage (regular version)

10 large eggs

2 cups of shredded cheese (I used Mexican blend, as that is what we had in our refrigerator from Costco)

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 teaspoons of dry mustard

2 cups of whole milk (do not use low-fat milk, it does not thicken as well)

5 cups of cubed French bread (I like the firmness and absorbancy of this bread versus regular bread)

Step 1:

Brown off the sausage in a large skillet. While cooking, separate the pieces so that it becomes crumbles. Drain the grease. Set aside and allow it to cool.

Step 2:

Chop up the French bread. I used a half a loaf, 5 cups. It made an even heaping layer in my 9″ by 11″ pan. Grease the pan and then spread the bread evenly.

Step 3:

Add a layer of cheese using half the cheese: 1 cup

Step 4:

Add the pork sausage as your next layer on top of the bread and cheese.

Step 5:

In a large bowl mix the 10 eggs, salt, pepper, dry mustard, and milk. I whisked my ingredients until they were well blended.

This is a photo I took midway through mixing these ingredients. When I was finished all the yolks were fully blended.

After these ingredients are fully blended pour the mixture over the rest of the ingredients you have layered in the pan. It may initially sit on top, but if you allow it to soak overnight in the refrigerator (which I highly recommend) the bread will be nicely saturated with the egg mixture.

Step 6:

Add the final layer- a cup of cheese (the remainder of what the recipe calls for) on top of everything.

This is what your casserole should look like before it is baked. I recommend refrigerating it overnight to allow the egg mixture to soak nicely into the bread.

Step 7:

Cover and refrigerate overnight if at all possible. I can not vouch for the success of this recipe without allowing the ingredients to meld together overnight.

Step 8:

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. I covered mine for the first 45 minutes of baking with tented aluminum foil. That way the cheese doesn’t get too brown and tenting it ensures that the cheese won’t stick to the foil. For the last 15 minutes of baking I removed the foil and allowed the cheese to brown up nicely.

Here is how it looked at our bible study breakfast:

I hope you enjoy this breakfast casserole recipe as much as I did! My kids loved it too!