Having a breakfast casserole able to pop within the oven on Christmas morning is likely one of the greatest dishes a prepare dinner might have. The casseroles are an enormous time saver, particularly in the course of the holidays or in case you have in a single day visitors. They’re superb as a result of you possibly can feed a crowd and may have breakfast favorites coated.
Breakfast casseroles are every little thing you may eat at breakfast all tossed collectively and cooked in a single dish. The casserole is assembled the evening earlier than and sits within the fridge in a single day permitting the dry bread to absorb the liquid. The following day pop it within the oven and bake till puffy and set.
Although there are not any hard-and-fast guidelines for most of these casseroles, listed below are some fundamental tips.
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Select your bread
Use plain sandwich bread, candy challah, leftover rolls, croissants, croutons or something you might have readily available. Minimize bread into cubes or go away in slices. Determine a very good 6 cups of bread cubes in the event you’re utilizing a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Make certain the bread is a number of days previous and dry. If needed, dry it in a 300-degree oven for half-hour.
Select your add-ins
Cheese and add-ins: Use shredded cheddar, Monterey Jack, mozzarella, fontina or fontinella. Cheese blends comparable to Italian or Mexican additionally work nicely, or you need to use some Parmesan or Gruyere. The quantity of cheese you embrace, in line with epicurious.com, is about half the quantity of bread you used. If you happen to used 4 cups of bread cubes, use 2 cups of cheese. Add-ins embrace cooked sausage and bacon, sautéed ham and greens like peppers and onions, and sauteeed spinach and kale.
Eggs and milk
Most recipes use equal components eggs and milk. These, together with the bread, assist bind the casserole collectively. The mixture of eggs and milk ought to equal or come near the quantity of bread you utilize. If you happen to use 4 cups of cubed bread, use 2 cups of milk and a pair of cups of egg, then add in seasonings, herbs or substances comparable to sizzling sauce and Dijon mustard.
Meeting
Butter a baking dish and scatter or layer the bread within the dish. Scatter cooked meat and greens over the bread. Sprinkle with all however about ½ cup of the cheese. Pour the milk-egg combination over the bread. Press down barely on the combination so all of the bread will get some moisture. It’s okay if some bread is uncovered on the prime. Sprinkle with reserved cheese. Cowl with foil and refrigerate for not less than 8 hours or in a single day.
Bake: Take away casserole from the fridge, maintain coated with foil and bake in a preheated 350- to 375-degree oven for about 20 minutes. Then take away the foil and proceed baking till the casserole is puffed and frivolously brown and the middle is about and doesn’t jiggle. Or bake in line with the recipe. Let sit 10 minutes earlier than serving.
Contact Detroit Free Press meals author Susan Selasky and ship meals and restaurant information to: 313-222-6872 or sselasky@freepress.com. Observe @SusanMariecooks on Twitter.
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Strata with Sausage, Cheese and Herbs
Serves: 12 (generously) / Preparation time: 20 minutes / Complete time: 1 hour
You should use turkey sausage or gentle or sizzling Italian sausage on this recipe. Or you need to use frozen vegetarian crumbles.
20 ounces candy Italian sausage, casings eliminated if in hyperlinks
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, chopped into ½-inch items (about 1 cup)
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, cleaned, sliced
1 crimson bell pepper, diced
1 tablespoon chopped recent thyme, elective
1 cup heavy whipping cream
½ cup half-and-half
10 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly floor black pepper
16 ounces egg bread or nation bread (ideally 1 to 2 days previous), reduce into ½-inch-thick slices
2½ cups shredded Fontina or Swiss cheese
Butter the underside and sides of a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish.
In a big skillet over medium warmth, break up sausage and sauté till golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Take away from warmth and put aside on paper towels to empty. Add the 1 tablespoon butter to the identical skillet and soften. Add the onions, mushrooms and bell pepper and sauté till they’re tender. Take away from the warmth and funky.
In a medium bowl, whisk the thyme if utilizing with the cream, half-and-half, eggs, salt and pepper, and put aside.
Lay half of the bread within the buttered baking dish, sprinkle with half of the sausage combination, half of the mushroom combination and about half of the cheese. Repeat layering with remaining bread, sausage, mushroom and cheese. Slowly pour egg combination over prime. Press down on the bread so it will get coated with the egg combination. Cowl and refrigerate half-hour or in a single day.
Preheat the oven to 350 levels. Take away the strata from the fridge whereas the oven is preheating. Uncover and place the baking dish on a baking sheet to catch overflow. Bake 40 minutes, or till golden brown. Take away from oven. Permit to take a seat 10 minutes earlier than serving.
From and examined by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Take a look at Kitchen.
438 energy (61% from fats), 30 grams fats (14 grams sat. fats), 23 grams carbohydrates, 21 grams protein, 929 mg sodium, 269 mg ldl cholesterol, 214 mg calcium, 1 gram fiber.
In a single day French Toast
Serves: 6 / Preparation time: quarter-hour (plus in a single day setting time) / Complete time: 50 minutes
FRENCH TOAST
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened
12 French bread slices (3/4-inch-thick)
6 eggs
1½ cups 2% milk
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar
MAPLE SYRUP
2 cups maple syrup
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted
To make the French toast: Unfold a thick layer of butter over the underside of heavy massive baking pan with 1-inch-high sides. Organize bread slices in pan. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, milk, sugar, syrup, vanilla and salt. Pour combination over bread. Flip bread slices to coat. Cowl with plastic and refrigerate in a single day.
Preheat oven to 400 levels. Take away the plastic wrap. Utilizing a spatula, switch bread slices to buttered baking sheets; discard any remaining liquid. Bake 10 minutes. Flip bread over and proceed baking till simply golden, about 5-8 minutes longer.
In the meantime, put together the syrup. In a heavy medium saucepan, mix the maple syrup and walnuts. Carry to simmer and maintain the syrup sizzling.
Switch cooked toast to plates and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve instantly, passing Maple-Pecan Syrup individually.
Tailored from epicurious.com
Examined by Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Take a look at Kitchen.
548 energy (36% from fats), 22 grams fats (8 grams sat. fats), 73 grams carbohydrates, 15 grams protein, 621 mg sodium, 231 mg ldl cholesterol, 3 grams fiber.
Mushroom and Cheddar Breakfast Casserole
Serves: 12 / Preparation time: half-hour / Complete time: 1 hour, 20 minutes (plus in a single day setting time)
Vegetable oil cooking spray
5 massive eggs
4 massive egg whites
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated skim milk
¾ cup skim milk
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon favourite sizzling crimson pepper sauce (comparable to Frank’s RedHot)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
8 (1 ounce) slices sturdy white bread, cubed
1 bundle (7 ounces) reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded or grated
2 cups sliced recent mushrooms
½ cup diced onion
½ cup diced inexperienced pepper
The evening earlier than serving, coat a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
In a big bowl, whisk collectively eggs, egg whites, evaporated milk, skim milk, dry mustard, sizzling sauce, black pepper and salt; put aside. Distribute half the bread cubes, half the shredded cheese, half the mushrooms, onion and inexperienced pepper within the ready pan. Repeat layering utilizing the remaining substances. Pour egg combination evenly over casserole. Cowl with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate in a single day.
When able to bake, take away the casserole from the fridge. Preheat the oven to 350 levels. Bake the casserole, uncovered, for about 40 to 45 minutes, or till eggs are set and the casserole has overvalued. Take away from the oven and let cool barely earlier than slicing. Serve with a facet salad if desired.
Created by Jamie Ray, dietetic intern, Henry Ford Well being System, and examined by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Take a look at Kitchen on the Nice Lakes Culinary Middle in Southfield.
174 energy (31% from fats), 6 grams fats (3 grams sat. fats, 0 grams trans fats), 16 grams carbohydrates, 12 grams protein, 370 mg sodium, 90 mg ldl cholesterol, 274 mg calcium, 1 gram fiber. Meals exchanges: 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 2 lean meats.