Overnight Breakfast Casserole with Sourdough Bread

Easy Breakfast Casserole For The Morning Win

Everyone needs a simple go-to recipe for an overnight breakfast casserole. Here’s a great one that requires only 6 ingredients. You can bake it right away or store it overnight in the fridge to make the next morning.

With minimal cooking required, this recipe calls for cubed bread pieces in place of the standard hash browns or tater tots that show up in many breakfast casseroles. It tastes absolutely delicious when made with cubed sourdough bread. The bread pieces get golden brown at the edges of the casserole dish and create a soft and light souffle-like texture.

A great recipe for busy weekday mornings, brunch, or even holidays like Christmas morning, this casserole can be baked right away or stored overnight to bake the next day.

Ingredients Needed

Here are the simple ingredients you need on hand to make this overnight breakfast casserole recipe:

• Sandwich bread - use any Rudi’s organic or gluten-free loaf. This casserole is especially delicious when made with Rudi’s sourdough white bread

• Shredded cheese - use any favorite shredded cheese, such as Colby jack, Cheddar cheese, sharp Cheddar, gouda, swiss, or even pepper Jack
• Breakfast meat - use chopped ham, Canadian bacon, cooked sausage, or crispy cooked and crumbled bacon
• Green onions - you’ll use the white and light green parts of about 6 green onions; may sub ½ cup chopped yellow onion
• Eggs - you’ll need one dozen large eggs
• Milk - use 2% or whole milk; may sub an equal amount of unsweetened non-dairy milk
• Salt and black pepper

This recipe is a great canvas for other veggies or spices you may want to add. Some delicious additions are sautéed mushrooms and bell peppers. Some good spices to add include Italian seasoning, dried oregano or thyme, sage, and dry mustard.

How To Make

Here are the quick steps to make a delicious make-ahead breakfast that will come in so handy when you need it.

1. Cube the bread - I love to use sourdough or Italian bread, but any bread will work for this (doesn’t have to be dry or day-old bread, but that works, too). Spread the bread cubes around in a 9x13 baking dish.
2. Add the filling - Top the bread cubes with the shredded cheese, ham or pork sausage, and the diced green onions; spread that all around. If the breakfast meat isn’t cooked, saute it in a pan over medium heat until cooked and crumbled, then drain off any fat before adding to the casserole.
3. Make the egg mixture - Whisk the eggs in a bowl with the milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Then pour the egg mixture all over and around the ingredients in the baking dish. 
4. Cover with foil - Wrap a piece of aluminum foil over top of the casserole dish. Here’s where you could store the casserole in the fridge overnight. Or you could bake it right away, too. 
5. Bake - Bake the casserole in the oven for 30 minutes. Then, pull it out, remove the foil, and sprinkle more cheese over top. Send it back to the oven for another 10 minutes. Serve with fresh fruit for a delicious and healthy breakfast.

Make-Ahead Ham Or Sausage Breakfast Casserole

This egg casserole with bread works well as a make-ahead breakfast. To do so, prepare the casserole as directed through Step 4. Then, cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 12 hours. In the morning, bake the casserole for 30 minutes. Then, remove the foil and spread 1 cup of cheese over top. Return to the oven for 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the casserole is bubbly at the edges.

Storage

Allow the casserole to cool to room temperature. Leftovers can be stored directly in the casserole dish it was baked in with a tight-fitting lid or covered with plastic wrap. Or, store individual servings in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Reheat Directions

To reheat multiple servings, place the baking dish with any remaining casserole in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Or, reheat individual servings in a skillet on the stovetop or in the microwave until heated through.