Easy Overnight Breakfast Casserole - Little Sunny Kitchen (2024)

The tastiest dish for a festive morning, this Overnight Christmas Breakfast Casserole is delicious and simple to prepare!

You can get everything for this recipe prepared on Christmas Eve so that all you need to do in the morning is pop the casserole in the oven to bake while your family is opening their gifts from Santa.

Then, watch everyone devour this meaty, cheesy egg casserole. It’s the perfect hearty holiday breakfast.

Stop right here for the recipe for the best breakfast casserole for Christmas!

I’m calling this “Christmas Breakfast Casserole” because a tasty breakfast bake like this one is just perfect for a busy holiday morning.

But really, you can make this dish, packed with bread, eggs, meat, and cheese on any day of the year. It’s an amazing make-ahead dish that is always impressive.

You might also want to try my Bisquick Breakfast Casserole, or Baked Oatmeal Casserole. Each of these morning meals makes enough to feed a small crowd.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

1. A Time Saver –Nobody wants to be stuck in the kitchen on Christmas morning! This recipe is made almost entirely the day before, so all you need to do on the day of is preheat the oven and bake your breakfast casserole.
2. Something for everyone –All of the most common savory breakfast favorites are in here, including bacon, sausage, eggs, cheese, and veggies.
3. Easy Clean Up – A one-pan casserole rather than individual breakfast dishes means that you’ll have less to clean up after everyone eats. My Croissant Bread Pudding is another one-pan baked dish that makes a tasty breakfast too!

Ingredients In Christmas Breakfast Casserole

Here’s what you need to make this fantastic overnight breakfast casserole:

• Breakfast Sausage: Look for bulk, uncooked breakfast sausage. Be sure to cook it fully according to the package directions before adding it to the casserole.
• Bacon: This should also be fully cooked ahead of time. Save a bit of the bacon grease to saute the vegetables.
• Peppers and Onions: These veggies add festive red and green color and a savory-sweet-fresh flavor to the dish.
• Bread: Use your favorite dense, crusty bread as the first layer of the casserole. This will soak up the egg and create a beautiful bottom crust.
• Eggs: This recipe uses the whole dozen!
• Half and Half: Adds richness to the egg mixture.
• Velveeta Cheese: This melts perfectly into the casserole giving it the perfect amount of ooey-gooey cheesy goodness.
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese: This is added to the dish just before baking, to give the casserole a gorgeous cheesy topping.

Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

How To Make Breakfast Casserole for Christmas

1. Saute the Veggies: Using a tablespoon of bacon grease that you saved from cooking the bacon and sausage, cook the onion and bell peppers in a large skillet over medium heat. It should take 8-10 minutes for the vegetables to soften.
2. Start Layering: Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray so that nothing sticks. Then add the cubed bread evenly to the bottom of the dish.
3. Add Meat and Vegetables: Cover the bread with cooked sausage, then the cooked veggies, and then the cooked bacon. Lastly, add the cubed Velveeta evenly over the casserole dish.

4. Add Eggs and then Chill: In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with half and half, salt, and pepper. Slowly pour the egg mixture over the other ingredients in the baking dish, then gently press down so that the bread starts to soak up the eggs. Cover the dish and place it in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
5. Bake and serve: In the morning, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°). Remove the casserole from the fridge and top it with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until set. Allow the Christmas breakfast casserole to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Tips

• Be sure to cook the meat and vegetables first. The bacon, sausage, peppers, and onions should not be added to the dish still raw.
• To save even more time, feel free to use pre-cooked sausage and bacon. You can even use ham if you prefer.
• Choose hearty bread. Regular sandwich bread won’t hold up to soaking overnight. French bread, Italian bread, or crusty sourdough loaf are all great options.
• Small pieces of Velveeta added to the casserole create these tasty pockets of melty cheese! If you don’t have Velveeta (it’s difficult to find outside of the US), you can use cheddar cheese instead.

Storing Tips

Leftover Christmas breakfast casserole can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can easily reheat servings in the microwave or oven.

Once baked, you can also freeze this casserole for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

What To Serve With Overnight Breakfast Casserole

Keep things simple on Christmas morning, and serve this casserole with easy sides.

Fresh berries or a homemade fruit salad will add a fresh element to the meal.

For something sweet, enjoy some of your homemade Christmas Cookies and Desserts. There are no rules that say you can’t eat dessert for breakfast, especially on holidays!

Try my frosted Gingerbread Cake, Church Window Cookies, or Classic Snickerdoodles.

There’s also my “Christmas Crack” recipe or my old-fashioned Rum Balls.

Recipe FAQs

This Christmas Breakfast Casserole is a must for a stress-free holiday morning. It requires minimal prep time and delivers maximum flavor. Don’t forget to Pin this recipe to your Holiday meal-planning boards!