With Christmas just a few short days away, it’s time to put the finishing touches on all the plans leading up to the special day — and that includes breakfast plans! We asked a few Southern chefs and food bloggers to share some of their favorite breakfast casserole recipes that are perfect to make for Christmas morning. Take a look, pick up the ingredients, and prepare a tasty start to the day.
Brie + Sausage Casserole
Atlanta’s Ashley Schoenith, of Heirloomed, has a longstanding family tradition — indulging in her aunt’s yummy brie and sausage casserole on Christmas morning. “She always makes it the night before, and then we pop it in the oven,” explains Ashley of the delicious, flavor-filled breakfast treat. “It has become a go-to in my rotation.” We don’t blame her!
Brie + Sausage Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 8 oz round of brie
- 1 pound ground hot pork sausage
- 6 slices bread
- 1 cup grated parmesan
- 7 large eggs divided
- 3 cups whipping cream
- 2 cups fat-free milk
- 1 tsp dried rubbed sage
- 1 tsp seasoned salt
- 1 tsp dry mustard
Garnish:
- chopped green onions
Instructions
- First, trim and discard the rind on the brie. Cut cheese into cubes — set aside.
- Cook sausage until crumbled and no longer pink. Drain.
- Cut crusts from bread and place crusts evenly in lightly greased 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Layer evenly with bread slices, sausage, brie and grated parmesan.
- Whisk together 5 eggs, 2 cups whipping cream and remaining ingredients. Pour evenly over cheeses. Cover and chill 8 hours.
- Whisk together 2 eggs and 1 cup whipping cream. Pour evenly over chilled mixture.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until set.
Nutrition
Overnight Brioche French Toast with Caramelized Bananas
Amanda Frederickson, esteemed chef of Nashville’s Radish Kitchen and author of Simple Beautiful Food, offers up a tasty recipe to tempt your tastebuds. She says, “My Overnight Brioche French Toast with Caramelized Bananas is the perfect recipe to make during the holidays for those busy mornings when you want to make something special and festive but don’t have a lot of time. I love it because it’s made the night before, soaks overnight, and then it’s ready to be baked when you wake up. All that’s required is to preheat the oven in the morning and pop it in.”
Amanda also adds a pro tip for anyone looking to keep it on the lighter side. “The banana topping is delicious and decadent, but that can be replaced with maple syrup and some fresh berries.”
Overnight Brioche French Toast with Caramelized Bananas
Ingredients
French toast:
- 6 eggs
- 2 1/2 cups half and half
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp rum
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- salt to taste
- 1 loaf sliced brioche approximately 1 pound
Caramelized bananas:
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 sliced bananas
- 2 tbsp rum
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs. Add half and half, brown sugar, rum, cinnamon, ground cloves and a pinch of salt.
- Place brioche into a 9-by-13-inch pan. Pour the egg mixture over the brioche, cover with plastic wrap, and let it sit overnight.
- When ready to eat, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake for another 20 minutes or until the edges of the brioche are golden brown. Let it cool slightly before serving.
- While the French toast is cooling, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add brown sugar and whisk until the sugar is incorporated.
- Add bananas, rum and a pinch of salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until liquid is syrupy and the bananas are caramelized.
- Serve the French toast with a spoonful of the caramelized bananas and maple syrup.
Nutrition
Spinach Bacon Buttermilk Quiche
Family Savvy‘s Jamie Tarence says quiche is one of her favorite things to make the day before Christmas at her home in Birmingham. “I love waking up before everyone else on Christmas morning and having breakfast ready to pop into the oven while the coffee brews,” she tells us. Even better, making several at once means breakfast in the days to come, too.
If the Christmas spirit moves you, you can even follow Jamie’s lead. “Since this recipe makes two quiches,” she explains, “I sometimes give one to a friend on Christmas Eve to help make their Christmas morning easier as well.” A merry Christmas, indeed!
Spinach Bacon Buttermilk Quiche
Ingredients
- 1 cup buttermilk not fat-free
- 1 cup half and half
- 8 eggs
- 1 shallot diced
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 1/2 cup Gruyère cheese grated
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 box frozen spinach thawed and water squeezed out
- 10-12 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 2 refrigerated pie crusts
Instructions
Prepare Crusts:
- Unroll pie crusts, placing each one into a pie plate.
- Prick bottom of crusts with a fork.
- Bake crusts at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven; set aside to cool.
Prepare Quiche:
- Melt butter in skillet; saute diced shallot until soft.
- Put eggs in medium bowl; mix lightly with a fork.
- Add buttermilk, half and half, cheeses, spinach, bacon and spices.
- Mix with a whisk until well incorporated.
- Pour half of the mixture into each crust.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until quiche barely jiggles when shaken.
- Allow the quiche to sit for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
Mascarpone French Toast Bake
An easy dish to prepare in advance, this delicious recipe from Memphis-based Andrea LeTard of the blog Andrea’s Cooktales, is the perfect cold-weather accompaniment. Andrea explains how her recipe came to fruition. “My husband, Tres, grew up skiing, and he’s quite good at it,” she tells us. “I didn’t grow up skiing, and I’m the opposite of good at it, but it’s still one of my favorite vacations. I love snow, chilly days, relaxing with a glass of wine in the hot tub, sipping coffee by the fire, cooking family-style meals for friends and family … everything about a ski vacation is cozy. On my first ski vacation with Tres and a group of friends, I created this dish with things we had in the refrigerator. It was so good; it’s become a breakfast staple when cooking for a group. It was also one of the first recipes I decided to put in my cookbook, Andrea’s Cooktales. It can be prepped the night before and refrigerated to throw in the oven first thing in the morning — perfect before hitting the slopes or getting a good day started.”
Mascarpone French Toast Bake
Ingredients
Custard
- 8 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 dash kosher salt
Filling
- 1 8-oz. container mascarpone cheese room temperature
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature (plus more butter for greasing)
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 3 8-oz. cans of crescent rolls
Topping
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp minced candied ginger
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Set aside.Â
- In a medium bowl, combine the mascarpone, butter, honey, sugar, and cinnamon until smooth.
- Open the crescent roll cans and separate each dough piece from the other.Â
- Fill each piece of crescent dough with a large dollop of the mascarpone mixture and roll up the dough.
- Line the rolls in a greased 9x13 baking dish, side by side.Â
- Pour the egg mixture over the crescent rolls.
- Refrigerate for several hours or overnight, if desired
- When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.Â
- In a small bowl, mix together the pecans, brown sugar, and candied ginger, and sprinkle the nut mixture over the top of the crescent rolls.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until puffed and golden.Â
Nutrition
May your Christmas morning be filled with joy, love, and delicious food!
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For more delicious recipes, check out our archives!
