Sausage, egg and cheese bagel sandwiches are my specialty. I make ten of them every Sunday, wrap 'em in plastic and stack 'em in the refrigerator. Monday thru Friday (the work week), these ten tasty sandwiches are breakfast for my husband and myself. When I tip-toe down the stairs in the dark (at the ungodly-dark hour of 4:20AM), I take one out and let it warm up on the counter for about 30 minutes. After 1 1/2 minutes in the microwave, I'm eating my breakfast. I repeat the process in the daylight, when my husband makes his appearance in the kitchen.
That said, occasions arise, which require me to rethink my laid-back AM sandwich scenario, namely: entertaining a group during the tailgate season and/or on holiday weekends. That's when having a few hearty breakfast casserole recipes in my repertroire comes in handy. This one is simple and straightforward, and, is remarkably resemblant of my sausage and everything bagel sandwiches. Served steaming hot, it is meaty, eggy-rich and cheddar-cheesy too.
The above said, leave this casserole recipe alone. If you wouldn't put it on your sausage sandwich for breakfast, please don't add it to this casserole. This recipe is a convenient alternative to making breakfast sandwiches to feed a crowd. Do not be inclined to add onions, mushrooms, bell peppers or tomatoes in an attempt to "gourmet it up" -- just don't do it, it's missing the point. Those watery additions just muck-up the flavors in the bagel seasoning blend: sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dehydrated onion, dehydrated garlic and sea salt.
A savory make-ahead stay-the-weekend breakfast or brunch casserole -- it reheats like a charm in the microwave.
It's been said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I whole-heartedly believe it, but, I also have strong opinions about it. The first: A protein-packed breakfast is better than a sugar-shocked one. I love pancakes, waffles and French toast as much as the next person, and indulging in them occasionally is divine, but, on a daily basis, I don't believe them to be the best way to start the day. The second: In today's busy food world, folks will put down the sweet pop tart in exchange for a savory sandwich if it can be made in advance, or several days in advance. The third: When entertaining stay-the-weekend guests, keep the morning meal simple and casual -- focus your time and energy on fancy-schmancy upscale fare for cocktails and dinnertime.
10 sandwich-sized sweet sausage links (2 1/4-2 1/2 pounds)
6-8 high-quality New York-style everything bagels (1-1/4-1 1/2 pounds)
12 large eggs (2 1/2 cups when cracked)
3 cups whole milk
3 tablespoons everything bagel topping
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon coarse-grind black pepper
2-3 cups shredded yellow cheddar cheese (8-12 ounces)
no-stick cooking spray, for preparing casserole dish
~ Step 1. Using a pair of kitchen shears, remove and discard the casings from the sausage links. Using your fingertips, pull the sausage into little pieces, dropping them in a 14" chef's pan as you work. Over medium-high heat, fry the sausage crumbles, stirring frequently with a large slotted spoon, until just cooked through and beginning to turn brown, 6-8 total minutes. Turn the heat off. Using the slotted spoon, transfer the cooked sausage pieces to a paper-toweled-lined plate to drain and cool.
~ Step 2. Using a serrated bread knife, slice the bagels in half horizontally, then slice the halves into 1/2"-3/4" cubes and pieces, placing the bagel cubes in a large 2-gallon food storage bag as you work.
~Step 3. Crack eggs into an 8-cup measuring container. Using a hand-held egg beater, whisk until uniform in color. Add milk to total 5 1/2 cups of liquid (about 3 cups). Add the bagel topping, followed by the salt and pepper and beat the mixture again, until all seasonings are thoroughly incorporated into the eggs.
~Step 4. Pour all of the egg mixture from the container into the food-storage bag of bagel cubes. Seal the bag. Using your fingers, lightly squish (don't mash) the bag in order to get the milk incorporated into bagel pieces. After that, lay the bag flat on the the countertop, flipping it over every 5 minutes for about 20-30 minutes, to give the bagel cubes time to evenly absorb most of the excess liquid.
~Step 5. Unseal the bag. Add all of the sausage pieces, immediately followed by the shredded cheese to the bag. Using your fingers, lightly squish (don't mash) the bag in order to incorporate the sausage pieces and shredded cheese throughout the moistened bagel pieces.
~Step 6. Spray a 13" x 9" x 2" (3-quart) casserole with no-stick cooking spray. Empty the contents of the food storage bag into the casserole. The casserole will be very full and mounded through to the center. Using the back of a large spoon, press down to compact and flatten the ingredients into the dish -- it will be filled to the brim. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Remove casserole from the refrigerator 2 hours prior to baking as follows:
~Step 7. Remove plastic wrap and recover casserole with aluminum foil. Bake on center rack of 325º oven, 45 minutes. Remove from oven and remove foil. Return casserole to oven and bake until puffed up through to the center, golden and bubbling, about 15 minutes. Serve hot.
~ Step 8. Got leftovers? Want to brown bag a piece to enjoy with your coffee at the office? After the casserole has baked and cooled to room temperature, use a sharp knife to cut into desired-sized squares and wrap each square tightly in plastic wrap. Keep stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. To reheat, remove a piece from refrigerator and set it on the counter to warm up a bit 30-45 minutes -- do not remove the plastic wrap. Reheat, wrapped in the plastic wrap, on high power in microwave for 1-1 1/2 minutes. Serve hot.
Full-flavored, steaming-hot, eggy-rich, & cheddar-cheesy:
Sausage and Everything Bagel Breakfast Casserole: Recipe yields 16-20 servings.
Special Equipment List: kitchen shears; 12" nonstick skillet; large slotted spoon; cutting board; serrated bread knife; 2-gallon food storage bag; 8-cup measuring container; hand-held egg beater; 13" x 9" x 2", 3-quart casserole; aluminum foil; wire cooling rack
Cook's Note: If it's a breakfast casserole full veggies you're looking for, ~ My Big Baked Denver Omelette Brunch Casserole ~, which is based on my recipe for ~ My Kinda Cowboy Breakfast: The Denver Omelette ~ will deliver.
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2018)
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