If there is one recipe that should be a staple food at every breakfast gathering, THIS is it (well, maybe besides my Mom's French Toast Casserole recipe, see Blog Archives).
This is a recipe that you make the night before your breakfast. If you are serving it at a dinner party, like I did, make it the morning of. It needs at least eight hours to sit so the bread soaks up the egg mixture.
Ingredients
1 lb. regular bulk sausage, lightly browned, blotted with paper towels to remove excess grease, and crumbled (a food processor is good for crumbling)
4 cups of bread, cubed (I prefer using unsliced Italian bread from the grocer's deli)
2 cups finely shredded cheddar cheese
10 eggs
4 cups 2% milk
1 teaspoon dry ground mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
butter-flavored cooking spray
Spray 13x9-inch baking dish with butter-flavored cooking spray. Arrange bread evenly in baking dish. Sprinkle with the cheese.
In a large bowl, slightly whisk the eggs. Add milk, whisking until smooth. Add the mustard, salt, onion powder, and pepper, whisking just until combined. Pour this evenly over the bread in the baking dish.
Sprinkle sausage evenly over the top of the entire mixture. Press down slightly on entire mixture. Cover and chill over night, or at least for eight hours.
One hour before your party or meal, preheat oven to 325. Allow the dish to sit out while oven is preheating.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for about 20-30 minutes. Check the middle with a butter knife to ensure eggs are setting. If it's runny, it needs more time. If the sausage is getting to dark, cover with foil again.
Keep covered with foil until ready to serve to retain the heat. Serve hot and enjoy!
