Breakfast Egg and Bagel Casserole

A casserole is one of the easiest ways to serve a filling and hearty breakfast on Christmas morning. Prepared with eggs, bagels, bacon, and cheese, and refrigerated overnight, presenting a delicious breakfast on an exciting and busy morning couldn’t be easier!

In our home, typically, a casserole is not something associated with breakfast. We save our casserole cravings for those that are savoury and filled with ingredients one tends to eat for dinner, like carrots, beef, or peas! I’m not new to the idea of casseroles for breakfast, but I did need to experiment a little to get one just right. I couldn’t be happier to share this Breakfast Egg and Bagel Casserole recipe with you, because I think it is perfect for a busy Christmas morning.

Is Christmas morning busy in your home? We don’t have a big family, in fact, most Christmases, it’s just me, John.e, and McKenna. Even when I was married to McKenna’s mom, I can’t remember a Christmas morning with more than six people gathered around the tree. To be honest, I don’t know how you guys with large families pull it off! But, the fact that you do makes me completely jealous. I’d love to have an extra large family, especially during the holidays.

There is something so appealingly cozy to me about being surrounded by family. They don’t have to be brothers and sisters, because I only have one each of those, so that doesn’t count for a large family. But, the idea of having parents, cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and even close friends, is just so so beautiful. Many times John.e and I have talked about that. He’s not super close to his family, but I’d love to have everyone under the same roof just once!

My dad used to spend almost every Christmas with us, but the five-hour drive has gotten to be too much for him, so mostly it’s just the three of us. Most of our friends have families of their own, so inviting them is fruitless. Reading this back, it might seem like I’m ungrateful for what I have, but that’s not true. I realize how lucky I am to have this life, and I guess, even more lucky that I don’t have to share this Breakfast Egg and Bagel Casserole with too many people, right!?

I’m going to tell you all about this breakfast recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season, but first, I want to review the other Christmas recipes I have shared this holiday season. The last week of October, I finished up my first holiday recipe series for this year, called Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Donuts. Then, I shared Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Appetizers. Just last week, I shared the last recipe in my annual 24 Cookies of Christmas series. I still can’t believe that was Volume 6 of that series!

And now, with Christmas just a short time away, I’m kicking off this next series called Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Breakfasts!

IN CASE YOU’RE WONDERING, I’VE GOT MORE CASSEROLES!

Casseroles are among the most comforting types of dishes out there, and not only at breakfast time like in the case of this Breakfast Egg and Bagel Casserole. Not only were they super easy for a working, busy mom to prepare, but they could make a full and hearty meal out of the simplest and most inexpensive ingredients. I have a few casserole recipes that I want to bring your attention to as well because they are delicious!

One of the most popular of my casserole recipes is this Make Ahead Creamy Vegetable Casserole. It’s wonderful at Thanksgiving and Christmas too! My Leftover Turkey Casserole with Biscuits is also quite popular. I make this one almost every time I have lots of leftover turkey or chicken. It would be a shame for me not to mention my Shipwreck Casserole! This is the one casserole that my mom made the most often and we couldn’t get enough of it.

Not all casseroles need to be so impressive. Why not try this Kraft Dinner Casserole on for size? It’s prepared with a store-bought box of mac and cheese, some diced ham, shredded cheese, and a can of cream of mushroom soup. It’s fast and easy and so, so good!

LORD BYRON’S 12 CHRISTMAS BREAKFAST SERIES

Another holiday series, Lord Byron? Yes – why not!? Welcome, Dear Reader, to the fourth of my annual holiday recipe series for this season! I’m calling this one Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Breakfasts. This series will focus on easy-to-make and some make-ahead breakfasts that are both delicious and festive.

I will try to keep the recipes in this series quick and easy too. Most of them will require some baking, but they won’t be too complex that you can’t whip them up on Christmas morning, especially if you’re an early riser. Some are just assembly-type recipes, while others can be prepared in advance.

Just like every other holiday series that I’ve shared over the years, this series will see a new recipe shared every day for the next 12 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW SO THAT YOU NEVER MISS OUT ON NEW RECIPES!

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Breakfast series! Even though this is the third series for this holiday season, you can always take a look back at previous years if you just cannot wait until the next recipe is published. Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday recipe countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Bagels – Use plain bagels so that you don’t muddle the flavours too much.
• Bacon – Cook the bacon ahead of time and allow it to cool so that you can crumble it easily.
• Cheese – Use good melting cheese, like shredded mozzarella, cheddar, provolone, colby jack, etc.
• Cream Cheese – Use brick-style cream cheese rather than spreadable or whipped.
• Eggs – Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature too – just like your butter!
• Cream – Cream makes a richer-tasting casserole. In a bind, you could use whole milk.
• Salt and Ground Black Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Dried Oregano and Dried Thyme
• Nonstick Cooking Spray

HOW TO MAKE BREAKFAST EGG AND BAGEL CASSEROLE

Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish well with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. Next, beat the eggs, cream, salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, and dried thyme until well combined. Set the egg mixture aside.

Transfer half of the bagel pieces to the dish and move them about so that they are in an even layer. Sprinkle half of the crumbled bacon over the bagel pieces and follow that with two cups of shredded cheese. Next, dot the entire surface of the casserole with the cubed cream cheese. Repeat the layers again starting with the remaining bagel pieces, bacon, and cheese.

Ladle the egg mixture over the surface of the casserole, paying close attention to ensure everything is well covered. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate the casserole overnight. When ready to bake the next morning, remove the baking dish from the fridge and allow it to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes while you preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake for 45 minutes before removing the aluminum foil and baking for another 10 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned. Once browned, remove the casserole from the oven and allow it to rest for 5 minutes. Spoon out the portions and garnish accordingly. Serve immediately.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

If you’re serving this Breakfast Egg and Bagel Casserole as a brunch item, you might consider serving them with a few other goodies. The first time I served these, I made sure that I had several options to make a full, bigger brunch. A plate of fried breakfast sausage on the table is always a good idea. I’ve even whipped up some scrambled eggs to set in the middle of the table too!

Let’s see – how about some Very Berry Muffins, or a skillet full of my Potato and Bell Pepper Hash? I also think a Fresh Fruit Salad is a great option! You can make this fruit salad ahead of time and save yourself the task of washing and cutting up fresh fruit in the morning. Lastly, ensure that there is a bottle of maple syrup, lots of coffee and tea, and good conversation! Enjoy!!

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!