Christmas Morning Casserole
I make an egg casserole every Christmas Morning. It’s a great dish because it feeds a lot of people and you can make it ahead of time. I like to make it the night before and just pop it in the oven in the morning. I switch up the ingredients every year to keep it fun and interesting. Sometimes I’ll add bacon, ham, leeks, mushrooms or any other veggies I have on hand. This sausage and peppers version is probably my favorite, but feel free to get creative. I LOVE jalapenos in this casserole but unfortunately my Mom is not a fan of spicy foods so I omit it when cooking this for my family (but I recommend one finely diced jalapeno added to the onion and pepper mixture). The red and green bell peppers add the perfect touch of Christmas to this dish.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb Jimmy Dean sausage
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 lb frozen hash browns, thawed
- 8 eggs
- Salt and pepper
- Green onions, sliced
Directions:
Place a large sauté pan over medium heat. Cook the sausage until browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove sausage and place on a plate lined with a paper towel. Add the onions and peppers to the pan and cook until softened, about 10 to 15 minutes. Then add the garlic and cook for another few minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Butter a 9 x 11 baking dish. Layer the bottom with half of the hash browns. Then top with half the onion and pepper mixture, followed by half of the sausage and half of the cheese. Then repeat, layering the hash browns, onions and peppers. Crack all eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Sprinkle eggs with salt and pepper and whisky again. Pour the eggs over the casserole and top with sausage and cheese. If you are preparing this ahead of time, cover the casserole dish with foil and place in the fridge until ready to cook.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place casserole in the oven, covered in foil for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the foil and continue cooking for another 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the eggs are fully cooked. Remove from oven and garnish with green onions.
