Fab Recipe: Holiday Breakfast Casserole

There is nothing better than waking up on Christmas morning to the heavenly scent of a breakfast casserole wafting through your nose. My Holiday Breakfast Casserole is an ode to the warm, festive Christmas tradition of gathering together on Christmas morning (while everyone is still wearing their pj’s) and enjoying a great meal with your family. After all, opening Christmas presents and unstuffing stockings involve a lot of hard work, so it is only appropriate to refuel with a good hearty breakfast.

I was brainstorming about my ideal ingredients to put inside my ultimate breakfast casserole. It all starts with my favorite trifecta of breakfast meats: thick-cut bacon, pork sausage, and smoked ham. For the aromatics, I used yellow onions, garlic, cremini mushrooms, red, and green bell peppers for extra flavor. Of course, what’s a breakfast casserole without cheese? So, I opted for a nice mix of sharp cheddar and nutty Gruyere cheese. Most casserole recipes suggest using canned cream of mushroom or chicken to bind it all together, but it didn’t sound interesting to me. My version has a rich and creamy custard that will help hold all the fresh ingredients together. I have been dreaming of using tater tots in a casserole for quite some time now. Who doesn’t love tater tots? Adults love them as much as kids do. Feel free to make your own, but the convenience of the pre-made version appeals to me, especially after all the stress of holiday shopping. Since it is the season of indulgence and nobody’s allowed to count calories, serve it with a killer smoked gouda cheese sauce. It adds a layer of smokiness, creaminess, and cheesiness to the dish.

Holiday Breakfast Casserole with Smoked Gouda Cheese // Photo: @sherriesavorsthecity

If the cheese sauce is too rich for your taste, you can simply put a sunny-side up egg on top. The runny yolk gives it that extra yum factor without being too over the top.

Holiday Breakfast Casserole with Sunny-Side Up Egg // Photo: @sherriesavorsthecity

The best part of this recipe is that you can make and assemble all the components in advance minus the tater tots which will be added right before baking. It keeps well in the refrigerator overnight or up to three days. The last thing you need on Christmas day is to be stuck in the kitchen and miss out on all the excitement. This is stress-free cooking at its best. Needless to say, clean up is a breeze because there won’t be a lot of leftovers. Trust me, it would be hard to put your fork down once you start eating this highly addictive breakfast casserole.

What are you waiting for? Let’s get cookin’…

Fab Recipe: Holiday Breakfast Casserole

 

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Author: Sherrie Tan

Recipe type: Breakafast

Cuisine: American

Serves: 8 to 10

Ingredients

For the Tater Tot Casserole:

• 6 slices thick cut hickory smoked bacon, cubed
• 1 pound Jimmy Dean pork sausage
• 1 cup (1/2 " thick) Sara Lee honey ham, cubed
• 10 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms
• 1 large green bell pepper, diced
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• ½ cup yellow onions, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1½ cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1½ cups grated gruyere cheese
• 3 cups half-half
• 8 large eggs
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• dried red pepper flakes (optional)
• salt and pepper
• 1½ pounds frozen tater tots
• 

For the Smoked Gouda Sauce:

• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 cup grated smoked gouda cheese
• pinch of kosher and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Have your 3-quart baking dish ready to go.

For the Tater Tot Casserole:

1. Heat a large non-stick skillet on medium-high heat, place all the bacon.
2. Cook, while stirring continuously until evenly crisp and golden brown. Drain over paper towels.
3. Set aside. Make sure to save all that bacon fat for later.
4. In the same pan, cook the pork sausage over medium-high heat.
5. Try to break it up to pieces while browning.
6. Drain and place evenly over the baking dish.
7. Set aside.
8. Still using the same pan, place all the cubed ham over medium-high heat.
9. Stir until light brown all over.
10. Pour on top of the sausage pieces.
11. In the same pan over high heat, add 2 Tablespoon of bacon fat.
12. Add the cremini mushrooms.
13. Saute until mushroom are soft and brown.
14. Add kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
15. Pour on top of the ham and sausage pieces.
16. In the same pan over medium-high heat, add 1 Tablespoon more of the bacon fat.
17. Add the onions, saute until translucent.
18. Add the red and green peppers, saute until slightly soft.
19. Add the minced garlic, stir until fragrant.
20. Season with kosher salt, freshly ground ground black pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional).
21. Pour over all the browned meats and mushrooms.
22. Set aside to cool completely.
23. Add 1 cup each of the grated sharp cheddar and gruyere cheese on top of the cooled meats and vegetable mixture. FAB TIP: It's very important to brown everything separately to avoid steaming the meats or vegetables. BROWNING = FLAVOR!
    
24. In a small mixing bowl, add all the eggs and whisk together until combine.
25. Add the half-half and pinch of nutmeg.
26. Whisk until well incorporated.
27. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
28. Pour mixture over all the cooled browned meats, vegetables and cheese mixture.
29. Top it off with frozen tater tots.
30. Push it down so that part of the tater tots is submerged in the egg mixture.
31. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and a half or until tater tot is golden brown on top and the egg mixture is set. FAB TIP: How to test when the breakfast casserole is done: the top will puff a bit and the center will feel slightly firm when pressed lightly with your fingertips.
    
32. Top it off with ½ cup each sharp cheddar cheese and gruyere cheese.
33. Place it back in the oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
34. Garnish with crispy bacon pieces and chopped parsley.
35. Let the casserole cool for 15 minutes before serving.

For the Smoked Gouda Sauce:

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
2. Add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. FAB TIP: Make sure to cook the flour long enough to get rid off the starchy aftertaste.
   
3. Add the whole milk while whisking to prevent lumps.
4. Let the mixture come to a boil and it will thicken up.
5. Lower the heat, add the freshly grated nutmeg and grated smoked gouda cheese.
6. Stir until melted.
7. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
8. Immediately pour over 20-0z. baking dish.
9. Serve along side the casserole.

3.5.3208

Holiday Breakfast Casserole // Photo: @sherriesavorsthecity

This Holiday Breakfast Casserole has so much delicious elements to it: the crunchy bacon pieces on top, the crispy layer of tater tots, and the creamy custard that holds all that meaty goodness at the bottom. It is everything I want for breakfast in one satisfying casserole.

Holiday Breakfast Casserole // Photo: @sherriesavorsthecity

Whether you decide to make this breakfast casserole on Christmas morning or any other holiday morning, this would surely have the adults and kids clamoring for more. Hope this make-ahead recipe will be part of your annual tradition.

What’s your favorite breakfast casserole? I wanna hear from you so please comment below!

Savor Every Moment,
Sherrie