Christmas Breakfast Casserole
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Start your Christmas morning with a savory casserole layered with a blend of mozzarella and feta, loaded with Italian sausage, tender veggies, and nestled in a rich, Parmesan egg custard. This all-in-one Christmas breakfast casserole can be assembled the day before for effortless baking, providing a warm, satisfying meal that the whole family will love.
For a slow and easy Christmas morning, simply assemble the sausage, veggies, and cheese the night before to chill in the fridge. Assemble with the fresh egg mixture in the morning and bake for a satisfying meal that’s perfect on its own or alongside a fresh fruit salad, warm biscuits, or a refreshing smoothie.
What is a Christmas breakfast casserole?
This Christmas casserole is a savory, all-in-one breakfast bake, offering an easy and scrumptious start to Christmas day! It features a base of mozzarella and feta cheese, followed by a hearty mixture of browned sausage and softened vegetables.
Nestled in a Parmesan-infused egg mixture, this assembled Christmas morning casserole is then topped with the remaining cheese for a gooey, golden-brown finish. The result is a dish that is light and fluffy, yet generously loaded with protein, veggies, and cheesy goodness.
While commonly enjoyed for breakfast, this Christmas casserole is just as good for brunch or dinner!
Ingredients needed to make this Christmas casserole
- Sausage: This casserole is made with sweet Italian chicken sausage, but you can use any type of sausage you prefer most. Make sure to remove the sausage skin.
- Cooking spray – To grease the baking pan and non-stick skillet.
- Mozzarella cheese: Freshly shredded from a block.
- Feta cheese: Blended with the mozzarella for a cheesy base and topping.
- Olive oil: For sauteeing the veggies. You can also use oil to cook the sausage, although I prefer greasing the skillet with cooking spray to reduce grease.
- Veggies: A combination of chopped shallots, sliced mushrooms, chopped roasted red bell peppers (drained from a jar), and finely chopped broccoli florets.
- Eggs: This casserole uses whole eggs as well as egg whites. Room-temperature eggs blend more smoothly into the rest of the ingredients, although you can use chilled eggs instead.
- Milk: I prefer whole milk, but you can use any type of milk you prefer.
- Parmesan cheese: Mixed into the egg mixture, infusing extra cheesy flavor throughout the casserole.
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper: A simple seasoning is all you need to enhance the flavors in this Christmas casserole.
How do you make this Christmas morning casserole?
Prep and preheat:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Make the cheese mixture:
- In a small bowl, add the mozzarella and feta cheese and gently mix together.
- Place half of the cheese mixture in the baking dish.
Cook the sausage and soften the veggies
- Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and cook the sausage over medium heat until browned and cooked through, breaking it up with a spatula into small pieces as it cooks. Set aside.
- In the same skillet, heat the oil and add the shallots and mushrooms, sautéing until they are tender, about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add the drained roasted peppers, small broccoli pieces, and return the cooked sausage back into the skillet, stirring and cooking for about 2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and spread this mixture evenly over the cheese mixture in the 9×13 baking dish.
Make the egg mixture
- In a large bowl combine the eggs, egg whites, milk, parmesan, salt and pepper and whisk well.
- Slowly pour the egg mixture over the vegetables in the baking dish and top with remaining Mozzarella and feta cheese mixture.
Bake
- Bake for 32-35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let it stand for 8-10 minutes before cutting into 8 uniform pieces.
Serving
Serve a slice of Christmas breakfast casserole with Honey Pepper Bacon, Buttermilk Biscuits, Hot Herb Bread, Homemade Fruit Salad, or an indulgent smoothie.
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- Storage: Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezing: Freeze individual portions (once fully cooled) for up to 1 month. Reheat in the oven, covered with foil, to restore that freshly baked texture.
- Chop consistently: Make sure your broccoli is finely chopped and all other veggies are uniformly sized. This ensures everything cooks evenly and makes for cleaner slices when serving.
- Drain the grease: After browning the sausage, if there is a significant amount of grease in the skillet, drain it off before adding the oil and vegetables. This will result in a less greasy baked casserole.
- Cheese substitutes: Sharp cheddar, and Gruyère can replace the mozzarella cheese. Goat cheese is a good substitute for feta.
- Meaty twist: Use chopped bacon, ham, shredded chicken, or ground beef instead of sausage.
- Check for doneness: Once baked, insert a toothpick into the center of the Christmas breakfast casserole. It should return clean for the casserole to be cooked through.
- Rest to set: Like most egg-based casseroles, this Christmas casserole should stand for about 8-10 minutes before sliced to serve. This ensures that the egg custard sets enough for clean slicing and easy serving.
Variations:
- Dairy-free Christmas casserole: Use your favorite plant-based cheese shreds and unsweetened, unflavored non-dairy milk (like oat or almond).
- Spicy Christmas casserole: Add in some paprika, cayenne pepper, or red pepper flakes if you want a hint of heat in your Christmas morning casserole. Use a spicy sausage as another way to add in some heat.
- Ritz cracker Christmas casserole: A sprinkle of crushed Ritz crackers or saltines over the shredded cheese topping is great for a golden-brown finish and for a slight crunch. Seasoned breadcrumbs is another delicious option.
- Vegetarian Christmas casserole: Omit the sausage and add in extra veggies and leafy greens instead, such as spinach.
If you’re looking for more holiday breakfasts, be sure to check out this list of 30 Christmas Breakfast Ideas!
More breakfast casseroles you may want to try:
- Pear Vanilla French Toast Casserole
- Make-Ahead Winter Breakfast Casserole Recipe
- Pumpkin French Toast with Eggnog
- Ham Breakfast Casserole
- Biscuit Breakfast Bake
Get the Recipe:
Christmas Breakfast Casserole
Wake up to the ultimate Christmas breakfast casserole! This holiday bake features a rich blend of mozzarella and feta, Italian sausage, savory veggies, and a fluffy egg mixture with Parmesan. This make-ahead breakfast is the perfect effortless and satisfying start to your holiday.
Ingredients
- 8 oz sweet Italian chicken sausage, removed from skin
- Cooking spray
- 1 cup mozzarella, shredded
- ¾ cup feta cheese
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ⅓ cup chopped shallots
- 5 oz sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup chopped roasted red bell peppers, from a 12 oz jar, drained
- 1 ½ cups finely chopped broccoli florets
- 10 large eggs
- 2 large egg whites
- ¼ cup milk
- 4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, add the mozzarella cheese and the feta cheese and gently mix together. Place half of the cheese in the baking dish.
- Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and cook the sausage over medium heat until browned and cooked through, breaking it up with a spatula into small pieces as it cooks. Set aside.
- In the same skillet, heat the oil and add the shallots and mushrooms, sautéing until they are tender, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the drained roasted peppers, small broccoli pieces, and return the cooked sausage back into the skillet, stirring and cooking for about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and spread this mixture evenly over the cheese mixture in the 9×13 baking dish.
- In a large bowl combine the eggs, egg whites, milk, parmesan, salt and pepper and whisk well. Slowly pour the egg mixture over the vegetables in the baking dish and top with remaining Mozzarella and feta cheese mixture.
- Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 32 to 35 minutes. Let stand 8 to 10 minutes before cutting into 8 pieces.
Notes
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- Storage: Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezing: Freeze individual portions (once fully cooled) for up to 1 month. Reheat in the oven, covered with foil, to restore that freshly baked texture.
- Cheese substitutes: Sharp cheddar, and Gruyère can replace the mozzarella cheese. Goat cheese is a good substitute for feta.
- Meaty twist: Use chopped bacon, ham, shredded chicken, or ground beef instead of sausage.
- Rest to set: Like most egg-based casseroles, this Christmas casserole should stand for about 8-10 minutes before sliced to serve. This ensures that the egg custard sets enough for clean slicing and easy serving.
Calories: 259kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Cholesterol: 279mg, Sodium: 1094mg, Potassium: 272mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 827IU, Vitamin C: 24mg, Calcium: 224mg, Iron: 2mg
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Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
