Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole

13 Reviews
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Photo: Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro, Laura Zapalowski
Yield
6 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)
By Mary Simpson Creel, M.S., R.D.
May 2007
RECIPE BY Cooking Light

This breakfast casserole is not only low-fat and easy to prepare, but it's also a great make-ahead breakfast or brunch dish. Prepare the casserole overnight, then bake in the morning for a hearty and piping hot meal. For more recipes like this one, see our complete breakfast and brunch recipe collection.

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces ciabatta bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 pound turkey breakfast sausage
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onions
  • 1 1/4 cups fat-free milk
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 (8-ounce) carton egg substitute
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Nutritional Information

  • Calories 344
  • Caloriesfromfat 28%
  • Fat 10.8g
  • Satfat 4.2g
  • Monofat 2.2g
  • Polyfat 1g
  • Protein 28.7g
  • Carbohydrate 26.4g
  • Fiber 1g
  • Cholesterol 123mg
  • Iron 3.3mg
  • Sodium 983mg
  • Calcium 227mg

How to Make It

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400°.

Step 2

Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes or until toasted.

Step 3

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sausage to pan; cook 6 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Combine sausage, bread, and onions in a large bowl. Combine milk, cheese, eggs, and egg substitute in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to bread mixture, tossing to coat bread. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Step 4

Preheat oven to 350°.

Step 5

Uncover casserole. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until set and lightly browned. Sprinkle with parsley; serve immediately.

Chef's Notes

If you have a hard time finding a pacakge of raw turkey breakfast sausage, you can use a package of pre-cooked turkey sausage and just skip the step of browning the sausage in the skillet.  Just put it in the skillet to heat it thoroughly. 

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Ratings & Reviews

Shannonvcole's Review

Shannonvcole
December 20, 2013
N/A

Dougboy's Review

Ashcooks
July 26, 2013
This was very tasty. I couldn't find Ciabatta bread at my market so i just got regular italian bread and it worked well. I definitely recommended thoroughly toasting it so you get some crunch. I also chose spicy turkey sausage which gave it some zip which I really liked.

Joanette's Review

pimmsy
January 03, 2013
N/A

Ashcooks's Review

mmpauer
January 02, 2013
Made this for a New Years Day brunch and it was fantastic. I used precooked turkey crumbles and added cayenne pepper. I did follow another reviewers suggestion and added more egg. It was great being able to put it together the night before and pop it in the oven the next day. Will definitely make this again.

Sara550's Review

LindsayD
December 22, 2012
Fabulous! Husband says it's the best he's ever had. We make it every year for Christmas morning. Crunchy bread, and not as heavy as most breakfast casseroles.

pimmsy's Review

malorey279
November 05, 2012
Easy and fast. 6 guests raved and ate it all. The recipe is delicious as is, and can be taken down any flavor road with spices. Curried would be amazing. Use double the egg substitute for more of a casserole than bread pudding feel.

TennD13's Review

BosBruin5
February 26, 2012
Really good for brunch with my friends. I made some modifications-used a bit more than 8oz of ciabatta bread for my crowd (maybe 10 oz?), used an entire 16oz carton egg substitute (which was perfect), sauteed some leeks, red peppers and cremini mushrooms and added these (maybe 1.5 cups total), along with some thyme, basil and oregano.Used only 10 oz of sausage which was plenty. Added a bit of monterey jack cheese with jalapenos since I had it around. Oh, did put a bit of salt and pepper in the morning of baking before it went in the oven. Forgot to add parsley and did not notice. This is not very eggy, more of a breakfast bread pudding. Everyone liked it (as did all the kiddos), so will definitely make again.

mmpauer's Review

TennD13
February 03, 2012
Simple, fast and can't tell it's low fat. We had a taste test with this recipe in my office today. I have been making this recipe for years and claimed you can't tell it's low fat. Which sparked a challenge. So I made the version as noted here and I made a version that takes all the low fat low calorie ingredients and replaces with the regular calorie versions. Not one person guessed which one was which and everyone said to make it low fat. The only changes I make is to use the full 16 oz carton of egg substitute, it would be very dry without doing that and I use 1% milk instead of fat free. As another reviewer noted, I also stir/turn it once I take it out of the refigerator in the morning.

foodieforpeace's Review

Sara550
December 25, 2010
Made this recipe for holiday brunch with a fruit salad as my husband had to work 1-9 PM and could not eat a big meal. Made a few substitutions: swapped out 6 oz. Canadian bacon for sausage (could not find), increased green onion, added sauteed red pepper and mushrooms. Tasty, yes. But a little bland for our taste. Will try adding a pinch of cayenne. Took longer to bake (1 1/4 hours).

malorey279's Review

MonicaDc
November 23, 2009
We really liked this. Very simple, very easy to make ahead and we liked the toasted bread. I made sure to stir once I took it our of the refrigerator in the morning but it was a hit with us and my in-laws. It does not make a ton so you may want to double for a crowd.