Everything Bagel Breakfast Casserole
I love a breakfast casserole on Christmas morning!
When I’m at my sister’s house for Christmas, the present-opening part of the morning tends to go on...
and on...
and on!
Finally, my brother in-law, Josh, can’t stand it anymore.
He'll declare a break for us all to fuel up so that maybe we can finish all of the presents sometime before dinner!
We used to just make cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning.
But as much as we all love a good, old-fashioned, sugar-filled breakfast, we decided we wanted something a little more substantial—not to replace the sugary stuff, of course, just to go with it!
And that brought us to breakfast casseroles!
What’s better than making a breakfast big enough to serve your whole family and barely lifting a finger because you made that breakfast the night before?
Well, I guess there is one thing better...
Making your casserole with everything bagels!
It’s like a bagel sandwich with eggs, bacon, and veggie cream cheese—in casserole form!
And this year, it just might be the best present under your tree!
(Just to be clear, please don’t put this under your tree. Keep it refrigerated and bake at 375°. 😉)
Everything Bagel Breakfast Casserole
servings: 10 to 12
Ingredients:
- 4 bacon strips (about 4 ounces)
- 6 everything bagels (1 pound, 4 ounce-bag of bagels), chopped
- 1 medium yellow squash, chopped (about 2 cups or 8 ounces)
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
- 4 scallions, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 cups whole milk
- 8 large eggs
- 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (about 3 ounces)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- One 8-ounce block of cream cheese, cut into ½-inch slices
Directions:
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp—about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, then coarsely chop and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the bagel, squash, red bell pepper, and scallions, then set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, Gruyere, salt, garlic powder, and ground black pepper.
- Prepare a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray, then add half of the bagel mixture to the dish. Next sprinkle on half of the cream cheese and half of the bacon. Repeat this layering with the remaining bagel mixture, cream cheese, and bacon.
- Pour the egg mixture over the entire casserole, then cover the casserole and chill it in the refrigerator for at least one hour, but preferably overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator and bake it covered for 40 minutes, then uncovered until the eggs are set and the bagel pieces are toasted in spots—about 15 minutes more.
