Christmas Morning Casserole

December 22, 2014

Christmas Morning Casserole | Sarcastic Cooking

Every family has their Christmas morning traditions. When we were little, I was never able to sleep so I would lie awake most likely watching mass at the Vatican on PBS because we didn’t have cable and it was either that or infomercials. I would lie awake until my eyes couldn’t stay open for any longer. I am sure this probably annoyed the crap out of my parents, I mean Santa, because they had to wait until I was asleep to put out presents.

Of course, I would eventually lose the battle with sleep and wake up in a cold sweat knowing that I dropped the ball on the Santa watch. I would crack open my door and squint down the stairs. I had a straight shot view of the living room and Christmas tree from my room. I would then walk into my brothers’ room and whisper to them, “He came. Santa was here!”

Then we would all go downstairs and just sit in the dark staring at the gifts under the tree. It took a few years for my parents to make the rule we couldn’t wake them before six in the morning.

My dad would wake up and come downstairs in his jammies and robe. He would make his coffee and say we couldn’t do anything until mom woke up. Uuuuuuggghhhh. Childhood is hard. My dad would make himself breakfast because clearly we were too psyched to eat.

Now, to this day, my mom wakes up before everybody and showers and gets ready. I think my mom always got ready before us because there was one shower and three kids. Anyway, this is the only day of the year I have ever seen my mom not showered and not hair all done and did. She was not happy when my dad would pan the camcorder over to her in our childhood Christmas morning videos.

We would then tear through the presents and start playing with our new stuff, only to be taken away for a quick Pop Tart and then made to get ready for our holiday festivities.

I am so excited because this year Mike and I get to start our new Christmas morning traditions with Andy! Yeah, he is little and doesn’t get the whole Santa thing or even know how to open presents, but by God there will be late night secret present wrapping and special morning breakfast!!!

Adapted from Food & Wine

 

Christmas Morning Casserole

The perfect Christmas morning casserole, filled with pesto challah, black forest bacon, pepperoni, mushrooms, peppers, and lots of cheese!
Cook Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • Butter for greasing
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup finely diced pepperoni 2 ounces
  • 6 ounces Black Forest bacon finely diced (1 1/4 cups)
  • 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms stems discarded and caps cut into 3/4-inch pieces
  • 1 medium onion minced
  • 1 red bell pepper cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more for seasoning
  • 8 large eggs
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1 tablespoon spicy mustard
  • 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 3/4 pound day-old challah sliced 1 inch thick and cut into 1-inch dice (10 cups)
  • 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese 1/4 pound
  • 1 cup shredded aged white cheddar cheese 1/4 pound
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped scallions plus thinly sliced scallions for garnish
  • Hot sauce for serving

Instructions

  1. Butter a large 9 x 13 inch baking dish and set off to the side.
  2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add the pepperoni and bacon. Cook until just about crisp. Add mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper. Cook until tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool while you get the remaining ingredients together.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the salt, eggs, milk, mustard, soy sauce, and pepper. Add the challah to the mixture. Allow to soak for a minute or two. Next, mix in both cheeses and the scallions. Pour the mixture into the baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Let the casserole soak overnight.
  4. In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover the casserole and bake for 50-60 minutes until the top is golden brown and the center is no longer jiggly. If you notice the top is browning too quickly, cover with tin foil and continue to bake. Allow the casserole to cool for at least ten minutes before serving.

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  • Red Snapper
    December 31, 2014 at 7:00 am

    […] or two because you won’t be up, moving, and hungry until about 11am, right? Alright, let’s talk casserole or overnight French toast. Those are good options you can prep today before you get all gussied up […]

  • Julia
    December 23, 2014 at 9:17 am

    My gosh, there is nothing better than Christmas when you’re a kid! I was the same way – couldn’t sleep on Xmas Eve and would wake my parents up at the booty crack of dawn and be all “chop, chop ‘rents! We’ve got presents to open!!” I absolultely LOVE Christmas morning breakfast, and this casserole looks perfect for my family. SO tasty!

    • Stefanie
      December 23, 2014 at 8:48 pm

      Nothing beats Christmas as a kid!

  • Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe
    December 22, 2014 at 10:46 pm

    I think my favourite part of Christmas day is the brunch. My family goes all out! We always have some kind of breakfast casserole as part of the meal. I’m not on casserole duty but my mom is looking to change things up this year and hasn’t finalized her casserole plans. Might have to tell her to check out this recipe – it sounds lovely. Happy holidays to you!

    • Stefanie
      December 23, 2014 at 8:48 pm

      Woo woo! Happy holidays to you and yours too friend!