The ability to prep the night before makes this Overnight Breakfast Casserole perfect for holidays and serving guests.

I first had this recipe on Christmas morning at my mother in laws house, and thought it was a perfect way to start the day. It wasn’t long afterwards that I had asked her for the recipe, which she copied for me out of her church cookbook. Years later, it’s still our Christmas morning tradition, even though my mother in law has passed away. 

While the overnight casserole is perfect for holidays like Christmas and Easter because you can prep it all the night before and just pop it in the oven while gifts are being opened or played with, it’s also a great breakfast or brunch recipe for serving when you are having guests spend the night. 

Overnight Breakfast Casserole

The original recipe my mother in law gave me had a few measurements missing as it had been passed around from church wife to church wife and most just eyeballed some of the ingredients such as cheese, ham and the corn flake topping. I actually do the same, but I’ve filled the recipe in for you to use as a guide. If you need more or less of something, feel free to adjust to suit your tastes. 

Ingredients

16 slices of bread, with the crusts removed
8 slices of ham (you can also use Canadian back bacon if you like)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
6 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 cups milk
1 tsp tabasco or hot sauce (more or less to your taste)
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 – 2 cups crushed corn flakes cereal (or special K)

Kids and adults love this recipe because the simple ingredients like ham, cheese and eggs go so well together. Even though we just had this casserole over the holidays, my boys had already requested it again.

We decided to do a “breakfast for dinner” one night while my husband was out of town and the boys loved having this dish on a cold January evening as well. In fact, they all had seconds (which is unheard of unless it’s tacos with my picky eaters) and we devoured the whole dish even without dad home!

Directions

Slice off the crusts from the bread and place on the bottom of a buttered glass baking dish. The good thing about making this one over the holidays is you can save the crusts for your turkey stuffing and none goes to waste. 

Cover bread with the slices of ham and the cheddar cheese. If you prefer Canadian bacon or back bacon, you can substitute it in for the ham if you like. 

Cover with the remaining slices of bread. It’s like you made a bunch of sandwiches here! 

In a bowl, whisk together eggs, salt, pepper, mustard, hot sauce, worcestershire sauce and milk. Pour over the bread evenly. 

Cover and refrigerate overnight. If you are “breakfast for dinner” kind of people, you can easily prepare this dish in the morning and serve for dinner in the evening. But you do need to let it sit for a few hours so the bread can soak up the liquid. 

In the morning, (or before cooking), melt butter and pour evenly over top. Sprinkle crushed cereal evenly over top  as well and bake uncovered for one hour at 350F.

Let sit for at least ten minutes before slicing and serving. 

Yield: 8

Overnight Breakfast Casserole

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The ability to prep the night before makes this Overnight Breakfast Casserole perfect for holidays and serving guests.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Additional Time 10 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 16 slices of bread, crusts removed
• 8 slices of ham (you can also use Canadian back bacon if you like)
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp mustard
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 3 cups milk
• 1 tsp tabasco or hot sauce
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups crushed corn flakes cereal (or special K)

Instructions

1. Butter a 9x13 glass baking dish
2. Place 8 slices of the bread over the bottom of the dish
3. Cover bread with thin slices of ham
4. Sprinkle cheese evenly over top
5. Cover with the remaining 8 slices of of bread
6. In a bowl, whisk eggs, salt, pepper, hot sauce, mustard, worcestershire sauce, and milk
7. Pour evenly over bread, cover and refrigerate overnight
8. In the morning, melt butter and pour evenly over top
9. Sprinkle crushed cereal over top
10. Bake uncovered for 1 hour at 350F
11. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving

Notes

If you are planning breakfast for dinner, you can start this in the morning and serve for dinner.

Recommended Products

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• 
  Pyrex Basics 3 Quart Oblong Glass Baking Dish, Clear 9 x 13 inch (Set of 2)
• 
  OXO Good Grips 11-Inch Better Silicone Balloon Whisk

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 439.5Total Fat: 21.7gSaturated Fat: 12.0 gCholesterol: 69.1 mgSodium: 1,112.0 mgCarbohydrates: 37.5 gFiber: 1.7 gSugar: 8.6 gProtein: 23.6g

This hearty breakfast casserole goes really nice with a fresh bowl of berries or mixed fruit. 

Did you try this recipe? Give it a star rating and leave me a comment below! 

Love easy breakfast ideas? Try our Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole, Strawberry Raisin French Toast Bake or Overnight Egg Cups