A classic, baked bread and egg casserole with chunks of sausage, ham, mushrooms and lots of gooey Monterey Jack cheese. Perfect to greet a holiday or weekend crowd, this Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole is even good for a dinner.
Christmas is tomorrow so prep this today to pop it in the oven to bake Christmas morning without any fuss.
It starts with day old bread. I make this usually with a loaf of challah bread, but since I made my Gramma’s Potato Rolls the other day I had a few left over and thought they would be great in this. I was right.
Just a quick chop and in the baking dish they went.
Next I browned some breakfast sausage. Feel free to use any kind you prefer.
Chopped red and green bell peppers, a red onion and sliced mushrooms went in the pan and browned with the sausage.
This mixture goes on top of the chopped bread.
Next comes the diced ham, green onions.
I shred up some Monterey Jack cheese to sprinkle on top.
Now give all of this a good toss to mix it up a bit if you like, or leave it as is layered.
In a mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, cream and water. Pour this over the entire dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight so it sets.
In the morning before guests or the family wake up, pop this in the oven to bake to a golden brown.
Under that crunchy bread and gooey cheese topping is a custard like egg mixture filled with all the sautéed goodies.
This is a fantastic breakfast casserole and feeds a crowd.
Lots of textures and the maple syrup comes through and goes well with the sausage and ham. With that hint of sweet and the savory it’s a winner.
The bread, egg and cheese bind all the sautéed vegetables and meats together beautifully.
I hope you give this a try and have a wonderful holiday. Enjoy!

Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground breakfast sausage
- 1 medium red onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 green bell pepper cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 lb crimini mushrooms sliced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 8 cups day-old challah sliced 1 inch thick and cut into 1-inch dice (3/4 lb) (See Note 1)
- 6 oz ham finely diced
- 1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Instructions
- Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the sausage and brown over medium heat, breaking up pieces with spoon and until the fat is rendered, about 3 minutes. Add the red onion and cook until lightly browned and tender, about 5 minutes. Add the bell peppers, kosher salt, pepper and cook, about 7 minutes. Let cool completely.
- In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, water and maple syrup. To the greased baking dish layer the bread, vegetable mixture, ham, green onion and cheese. Pour the egg mixture evenly over all and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight to set.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Uncover the casserole and bake for about 50 minutes, until it’s just set and the top is browned. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Feel free to use other breads like sourdough, bread rolls or wheat. Just be sure it's a day or two old and not too moist.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
Just look at this fabulous way to start the day – Christmas day or ANY day! So much savory goodness!
Thanks Marissa! You guys have a wonderful New Years friend! 🙂
This is the time of year when we get a lot of house guests heading to Florida to escape the cold. This would be perfect to serve them. I hope Christmas was everything you wanted it to be.
Thank you so much Karen. I had a fantastic Christmas. Cheers and here’s to keeping those house guests well fed! 😉
Such a delicious casserole! I find it really convenient when we just need to put most of leftovers from the Christmas dinner into one casserole and bake! Still super tasty and hearty in a different way ❤
– Natalie
Excellent! So happy you gave this a go and enjoyed it Natalie. 🙂
Kevin, this casserole is perfection! The Christmas morning casserole is one of the most important meals of the season and you aced it. All my favorites in one dish. Scrumptious! Happy Holidays!
Oh, thanks so much Kelly. Merry Christmas to you and yours! 🙂
Hey Kevin! I don’t usually eat breakfast, but I would make an exception for this dish! It’s chock full of the things I really like. And it’s so convenient to make the night before! Happy Holiday to you and Dave!!
It is indeed Dorothy! Hope you and Gary have a wonderful Christmas and a promising New Year! 🙂