Holle's Spicy Sausage Breakfast Casserole

This is a wonderful breakfast casserole that can be made the night before. I often put it together on Christmas Eve, then pop it into the oven on Christmas morning for a hearty, delicious meal. If we’re having a late Thanksgiving dinner, I’ll make this the night before that big day, too, so that we’ll have something to tide us over before the feast.

Serve the casserole with fresh fruit, and you have all four major food groups covered! Of course, as traditional Southerners, we usually cook a pot of grits to go with the casserole. It’s like a law or something.

This is also a great dish to take to potluck breakfasts and brunches.

For the sausage, I like to use an extra-lean whole-hog sausage that’s spicy. If your family doesn’t like as much heat, use a mild sausage, instead. As for the peppers, I usually use hot peppers because hubby and I like a lot of heat. When I make this for the grandkids, I use sweet bell peppers instead of the hotter versions. If I’m serving this for Christmas morning breakfast or brunch, I like to use a mixture of green and red bell peppers for the seasonal colors, and I save a few to sprinkle on top, too. For a Thanksgiving or autumn brunch, use red, green, and yellow bell peppers.

What you’ll need:

1 pound hot bulk sausage

½ cup diced onion

½ cup pepper strips, bell or hot (or a mixture of both)

6 slices white bread, with crusts trimmed

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

10 large eggs, beaten

4 cups milk

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Cook sausage, onions, and pepper until sausage is just done. Drain well.

In a buttered deep 9 x 13-inch casserole dish, arrange bread slices on bottom.

Place sausage mixture on top of bread. Add cheese.

Combine eggs, milk, salt, and pepper and pour over cheese and sausage. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, bake casserole at 325 degrees for about an hour, uncovered.

For more great breakfast casseroles, including make-ahead recipes, view the following videos: