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The Melting Pot
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1950s-present - Midcentury American home cooks and community cookbook editors
Breakfast casserole is built for mornings when the cook wants the work done early. Midcentury casserole culture, church cookbooks, and holiday hosting made the overnight egg, bread, sausage, and cheese bake a reliable American brunch dish.
Difficulty
Easy
Prep time
20 minutes plus chilling
Cook time
55 minutes
Total time
1 hour 15 minutes plus chilling
Servings
8 servings
Region
United States brunch and holiday tables
Era introduced
1950s-present
Introduced by
Midcentury American home cooks and community cookbook editors
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The classic breakfast casserole borrows from strata: bread soaks up a seasoned egg-and-milk custard, sausage adds savoriness, and cheese browns on top. Its real strength is timing. Assemble it the night before, refrigerate it, and bake it while people gather for Christmas morning, brunch, or a weekend family breakfast.
Drafted with Christmas morning casserole method from Betty Crocker (https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/christmas-morning-breakfast-casserole/f73977de-47ed-4245-a1be-71a182ca7ef4), sausage breakfast casserole context from Allrecipes (https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/9247/christmas-breakfast-sausage-casserole/), and holiday make-ahead context from Epicurious (https://www.epicurious.com/holidays-events/cowboy-casserole-never-fail-make-ahead-christmas-breakfast-article).
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