Grandma's Savory Breakfast Casserole

Hi everyone!  How was your Christmas?  My Christmas was great 😊🎄!  Today, I'm going to be sharing with you all a tasty Christmas tradition of my family, which is delicious anytime!

What do y'all make for a special breakfast? Whatever it is, ranging from sweet to savory, one thing is true:  all special breakfasts are homey and delicious.

The quintessential Christmas breakfast in my family is a savory breakfast casserole.  This comforting way to start the day traces its origins back to a recipe of my paternal grandmother.  When my dad and his siblings went to college, they had to leave their small rural Iowa town and because of this would not see their parents all the time.  Of course, the parents of my dad were very happy when he and his siblings came home to visit during their college years, his mom wanted to welcome them in the warmest way possible and she did this with food, specifically, a breakfast casserole.

I must admit that today's recipe is not exactly how my Grandma makes her breakfast casserole, but the basic style is very similar.  Both iterations start out with some sort of animal protein, like sausage or bacon.  Add some sauteéd vegetables, a lot of eggs, fluffy bread, and cheese, and you've got a breakfast or brunch main dish that can feed a crowd (feeding a crowd was certainly requisite in my dad's family; it has 11 people in it!)

Case in point, this breakfast casserole recipe is very customizable and difficult to mess up (the latter being good news for a klutz like me 😂).  Feel free to use whatever meat, veggies, bread, and cheese you want; just make sure to chop everything relatively small and pre-cook ingredients as necessary.  And once you make this recipe your own, please comment and share your tweaks; we all need kitchen inspiration, am I right?!

And while this casserole is perfectly delicious all on its own, it's extra good when served with a dollop of sour cream, a dash of hot sauce, and some fruit salad 😋.

Also, if you're looking for a special breakfast that is sweet instead of savory, let me direct you to these banana pancakes.  They are flavorful all by themselves, but would probably taste extra great when drizzled with caramel sauce 😋.

I think that today's recipe is a great one to close 2018 off with and I hope you all agree.

That's all for now.  Don't forget to follow me on Instagram!  I look forward to sharing the top 10 most popular recipes on the blog so far with you all on Monday 😊!

Grandma's Savory Breakfast Casserole

• 1 lb. bacon, chopped and fried - reserve half of the rendered bacon grease
• 1 yellow onion, minced and sauteed in some of the reserved bacon grease
• 1 red onion, minced and sauteed in some of the reserved bacon grease
• 8 oz. white mushrooms, sliced and sauteed in some of the reserved bacon grease
• 1 bunch asparagus, sliced into small circles and sauteed in some of the reserved bacon grease 
• 1 1-lb. loaf multigrain bread, chopped into small cubes (see picture earlier in the post for reference)
• 1.5 dozen (18) large eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp. hot chili sauce
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 bunch scallions, finely chopped and divided
• 2.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• Salt and pepper to taste

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, then grease an 11x 13 aluminum pan with butter, setting aside.

2.  In a large pot, beat together the eggs, milk, mustard, chili sauce, garlic powder, and salt and pepper.

3.  Into the egg mixture, gently stir in the bacon, onions, asparagus, bread, 3/4 of the scallions, and 2 cups of cheese.

4.  Pour the mixture into the prepared aluminum pan, then sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.

5.  Bake the mixture in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until fully cooked.

6.  Enjoy, sprinking with remaining 1/4 of scallions and storing leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.