Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole

We had a pot luck of sorts at work today. It wasn’t necessarily a lunch thing. Our department just brought whatever we felt like. I decided to make the “Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole” from Cook’s Country. Of course, I tweaked the recipe a bit. I had to add a little kick. I like my food the way I like my men. Spicy!

Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole: Recipe adapted from Cook’s Country

Serves 8 to 10 (Note: You will need a 13×9 baking dish)

Ingredients:

1 (14 inch) loaf Italian bread with ends trimmed

1 pound bulk pork sausage (I used hot/spicy sausage)

1 small onion, chopped fine

3 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

12 large eggs, lightly beaten

4 cups of whole milk

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon of hot sauce (The recipe said that if you use Tabasco, you should reduce the amount to 1 1/2 teaspoon. I didn’t do that. I eyeballed it to what I thought was appropriate).

Optional: Jalapenos. I diced up 2 large jalapenos.

1. Heat your oven at 400 degrees. While the oven is heating, slice the bread in half lengthwise, then slice each half crosswise into 1/2 inch-thick pieces. Place the bread pieces on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden on both sides. This may take up to 15 to 20 minutes.

2. While the bread is toasting, brown the sausage on medium heat until no longer pink. Then add the onions and cook until golden. If you opt to add jalapenos, you can add them to the pan with the onions.

3. When the bread is toasted, let it cool for 15 minutes. Grease a 13×9 inch baking dish. Shingle half of bread in prepared pan so that edges overlap slightly. Top with half of the sausage mixture and 1 cup of cheese.

4. Repeat with remaining bread, remaining sausage mixture and remaining cheese.

5. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Pour evenly over the casserole.

6. Wrap the casserole with plastic wrap. In order to make sure that the bread fully absorbs the custard, you’ll need to weight the casserole. You can place another baking dish/pan on top of the casserole and weigh it down with canned goods. You can also weigh it down with boxes of broth if you have that handy.

7. Refrigerate for at least an hour and up to 24. I refrigerated over night and baked the following morning.

8. When you’re ready to bake, adjust the oven to 350 degrees. Take the casserole out of the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature while the oven is heating.

9. Remove weights and unwrap casserole.

10. Bake until the edges and center have puffed and top is golden brown. Baking time can take up to 1 hour. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve.