If you need a Christmas morning breakfast that will not have you missing out on sleep or early morning gift exchanges, this Christmas Morning Casserole is a fabulous make-ahead option.
As an overnight breakfast casserole, this dish could not be easier and it just happens to be low carb which is fabulous for those sensitive to carbs and sugar.
RELATED: 30 Easy Christmas Breakfast Recipes
Just prepare this breakfast casserole the night before and bake it when you get up on Christmas morning.
Low Carb Christmas Morning Casserole Recipe
Since this is a simple sausage breakfast casserole, no fancy ingredients are required.
The red and green bell peppers are to give festive color but if you need to cut costs, the red bell pepper can be swapped for an additional green bell pepper.
- 12 eggs
- ½ cup milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pound sausage, browned, crumbled, and drained
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 2 cups shredded cheddar
How to make an Overnight Christmas Morning Casserole
Since this is an easy make ahead Christmas Morning Casserole, preparation is simple.
To make chopping the bell peppers even faster, I love using the this food chopper available at Amazon. It saves me a ton of time when dicing and slicing vegetables. I have used it for onions, potatoes, celery, and more.
To make cleanup easier and to avoid the casserole sticking to the edges, prepare a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
To the baking dish, add the cooked and crumbled sausage and diced bell peppers.
Over the bell peppers, add the cheese in an even layer.
With an electric mixer or wire whisk, beat together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper until well blended and frothy.
Pour the egg mixture over the top of the casserole. The eggs will run down into all of the cracks and crevices of the casserole to hold it together.
Cover the casserole dish tightly and store it in the refrigerator overnight.
On the next morning when you are ready to bake the Low Carb Overnight Breakfast Casserole, remove the casserole from the refrigerator about 30 minutes prior to cooking or while the oven preheats.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the center is set and the cheese is melted and golden on the edges.
Substitutions for Low Carb Christmas Morning Casserole
As previously mentioned, you can substitute an additional green bell pepper in the place of the red bell pepper.
In addition to that, these substitutions will also work well:
- Butter can be used to grease the casserole dish if you choose not to use nonstick cooking spray.
- One pound of any meat can be used in the place of the pork sausage. Just make sure the meat is cooked and diced into small piece.
- Any shredded cheese would a good substitute for the cheddar cheese so feel free to use your favorite or whatever you have on hand.
- Heavy cream can also be used in the place of the milk but it may result in a thicker batter as the cream will whip when you beat the eggs. The baking time will be approximately the same but check for doneness by inserting a knife into the center. It should return clean.
How to Freeze Christmas Morning Casserole
There is no need to toss the leftovers.
The low carb Christmas Morning Casserole will freeze very well. Either cut into slices and place in a gallo-size freezer bag to store or freeze the casserole whole.
To reheat, place single serving on a microwave safe plate and heat until warmed through, about 2 minutes. The casserole will heat faster if cut into pieces.
If you prefer not to use the microwave, the casserole can also be thawed in the refrigerator overnight and then reheated in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes.
What to serve with Christmas Morning Casserole
Depending on whether or not your guests are carb conscious, all of these make excellent side dishes for Overnight Christmas Morning Casserole:
- Easy Sausage Balls
- Slow Cooker Cranberry Orange Steel Cut Oats
- Fruit Salad
- Cheesy Grits
- Breakfast breads (croissants, danish, etc.)
Make Ahead Christmas Morning Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 eggs
- ½ cup milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pound sausage browned, crumbled, and drained
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 green bell pepper seeded and diced
- 2 cups shredded cheddar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper until well blended.
- To the baking dish, add the sausage and diced bell peppers. Top with cheese.
- Pour the eggs over the top of the mixture.
- If baking in the morning, cover tightly and store in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator about 30 minutes prior to cooking or while the oven preheats.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the center is set and the cheese is melted and golden on the edges.
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