Egg Bake with Croutons is the make-ahead breakfast casserole for holiday mornings and brunch: seasoned croutons, browned sausage and three cheeses in a 9×13 dish, soaked overnight in eggs, half-and-half and milk with a little dry mustard and onion, then baked until puffed and set. It serves 6, and all the work happens the night before.
How to make it: Brown and crumble the sausage. Layer croutons, cheeses and sausage in the dish, pour the egg mixture over, cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, bake at 350°F for 45 to 60 minutes until the center is set, then rest 20 minutes before cutting.
Why You’ll Love It
- Made the night before: 30 minutes of prep in the evening, then it waits in the fridge.
- Croutons do the work: seasoned croutons soak up the custard, so there is no bread to cube.
- Three cheeses: cheddar, Swiss and Monterey Jack with peppers.
- Easy to change: use ham, Italian sausage or a can of mushroom soup.
Ingredient Notes
Pork sausage: One pound of bulk sausage, browned and drained well.
Seasoned croutons: One 5 1/2-ounce package, laid in a single layer across the bottom of the dish.
Cheeses: One and a half cups of cheddar, 1 cup of Swiss and 1 cup of Monterey Jack with peppers, all shredded. Keep the total cheese to about 3 1/2 cups whatever mix you use.
Eggs and dairy: Eight eggs beaten with a pint of half-and-half and 1 1/2 cups of milk.
Seasoning: One and a half teaspoons of dry mustard, a tablespoon of minced onion, salt and pepper.
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork sausage
- 5 1/2 ounces seasoned croutons (1 package)
- 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Monterey Jack pepper cheese, shredded
- 8 eggs
- 2 cups half-and-half (1 pint)
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1 tablespoon onion, minced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
How to Make Egg Bake with Croutons
1. Brown the sausage. Cook the sausage in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until evenly browned (160°F). Drain, crumble and set aside.
2. Layer. Arrange the croutons in a single layer in a lightly greased 9×13-inch baking dish. Top with all the cheeses, then the sausage.
3. Add the eggs. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the half-and-half, milk, dry mustard, onion, salt and pepper. Pour it over the sausage.
4. Chill overnight. Cover and refrigerate overnight, at least 8 hours, so the croutons soak up the egg mixture.
5. Bake. In the morning, bake in an oven preheated to 350°F for 45 to 60 minutes, until the center is set and reaches 160°F.
6. Rest. Let it sit for 20 minutes before serving.
Why the Croutons Need the Overnight Soak, and How to Know It’s Done
Croutons are dry and crunchy, which is exactly why they work here: they soak up the egg and cream overnight and bake into a soft, custardy layer. They just need time to do it. Give the covered dish at least 8 hours in the refrigerator; 10 hours is even better. In a pinch, as little as an hour of soaking still works.
Keep it cold overnight. The assembled casserole is raw egg and dairy, so it goes in the refrigerator right away and stays there until morning.
Take the chill off before baking. Let the dish stand on the counter for about 30 minutes while the oven heats to 350°F.
Bake until set. Start checking at 45 minutes. It is done when the center is puffed and no longer looks wet and reaches 160°F, the USDA safe temperature for egg dishes. That can take up to an hour. If the top browns before the middle is set, lay a sheet of foil loosely over it.
Let it rest. Twenty minutes out of the oven lets the egg firm up, so the squares cut cleanly instead of running.
Tips for Success
Can I use Dijon instead of dry mustard?
Yes. The pepper jack variation uses 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard in the egg mixture.
Which cheese can I use?
Any mix you like: cheddar, Swiss, pepper jack or Monterey Jack. Keep the total to about 3 1/2 cups.
Should I drain the sausage?
Yes. Drain and crumble it well after browning, before it goes on the croutons.
Variations
- Smaller pan with mushroom soup: layer 1 1/2 cups of croutons, 1 pound of sausage and 1 1/4 cups of cheddar in an 8×8 dish, pour over 5 eggs beaten with 1 teaspoon of dry mustard and 1 cup of milk, and chill. Before baking, spoon half a can of cream of mushroom soup thinned with 1/4 cup of milk over the top. Bake at 325°F for 1 hour.
- Big batch: use 2 pounds of sausage, 4 1/2 cups of seasoned croutons, 10 eggs, 4 cups of milk, a can of cream of mushroom soup, drained canned mushrooms and dry mustard in a 9×13 or 11×15 dish. Bake at 325°F for about an hour, then add cheddar for the last 5 to 10 minutes.
- Pepper jack and Italian sausage: use Italian sausage with cheddar, Swiss and pepper jack, and Dijon mustard instead of dry mustard. Scatter chopped parsley on top.
- Ham and cheese: swap the sausage for chopped cooked ham, use cheddar and Monterey Jack with 2 1/2 cups of half-and-half and 10 eggs, and bake at 350°F for 35 to 45 minutes, until puffed and set.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. Reheat squares in the oven or microwave until they reach 165°F.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with fresh fruit and coffee. For more breakfast casseroles, try breakfast casserole with tater tots and sausage, bacon, egg and cheese biscuit casserole, bacon, egg and hash brown casserole or sausage, egg and cream cheese hash brown casserole. For a grab-and-go option there are easy sausage breakfast muffins, and for something sweet, bundt cake breakfast.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should an egg bake with croutons sit before baking?
At least 8 hours in the refrigerator, ideally overnight or up to 10 hours, then about 30 minutes on the counter while the oven heats.
Do I have to refrigerate it overnight?
Overnight gives the croutons the most time to soak, but it can be baked after as little as an hour.
How do I know the egg bake is done?
The center is puffed and set, no longer wet, and it reads 160°F.
Can I make it with ham instead of sausage?
Yes. Use chopped cooked ham as in the ham and cheese variation; it bakes in 35 to 45 minutes.
Final Notes
Assemble it the night before, give it 30 minutes on the counter in the morning, and let it rest before cutting. If you have a question or make this, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Egg Bake with Croutons
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Ingredients
- 1 pound pork sausage
- 5 1/2 ounces seasoned croutons 1 package
- 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 cup Swiss cheese shredded
- 1 cup Monterey Jack pepper cheese shredded
- 8 eggs
- 2 cups half-and-half 1 pint
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1 tablespoon onion minced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the sausage in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until evenly browned (160°F). Drain, crumble and set aside.
- Arrange the croutons in a single layer in a lightly greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Top with all the cheeses, then the sausage.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the half-and-half, milk, dry mustard, onion, salt and pepper. Pour it over the sausage.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight, at least 8 hours, so the croutons soak up the egg mixture.
- In the morning, bake in an oven preheated to 350°F for 45 to 60 minutes, until the center is set and reaches 160°F.
- Let it sit for 20 minutes before serving.
