Bacon and Cheddar Sourdough Breakfast Casserole
Feeding a crowd? This sourdough breakfast casserole is the perfect make ahead breakfast! Use leftover sourdough bread to create an easy (and delicious!) breakfast the whole family will love.
Overnight breakfast casserole recipes are popular, and for good reason! I decided to make this sourdough version of breakfast casserole, because, well, why not right? If you are like me and find yourself with leftover bread from time to time, it’s nice to have easy ways to recreate it and put it to good use! Some of my favorite ways to repurpose stale bread include making homemade breadcrumbs, using it as a base in this sausage stuffing recipe, and even overnight French toast casserole (delicious).
This recipe can be prepped and baked in the same day, or stored in the fridge overnight for an easy breakfast the next morning. I can tell you I have tried it both ways, and found both of them to be equally delicious.
Let’s make it!
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
Tips for Preparing to Make This Recipe
- Stale bread works best. To avoid a spongey, soppy dish, the casserole needs some structure at the bottom. The combination of the eggs and milk will release a lot of liquid as the casserole bakes. The chunks of crusty, stale bread soak up some liquid so the casserole is baked well and has some texture, rather than being too wet.
- Overnight makes it even better. Assemble the bread and custard layers and let it sit overnight in the fridge before baking. This time gives the crusty bread a chance to soak up all the egg and milk, making it even more delicious.
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below!
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Step by Step Instructions
1. Begin by roughly chopping the bread into cubes.
2. Optional: Toast the bread in 1-2 tbsp of butter over medium high heat until golden brown. I like to do this because it gives the bread some extra flavor and added texture. Go ahead and place in the prepared baking dish when done.
3. Cook the bacon: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and then place a wire rack on top. Line the slices of baking onto the wire rack and bake for 15 minutes or until crisp.
4. While the bacon is cooking, finely dice the onion and bell peppers and mince the fresh parsley.
5. Sautee the chopped peppers and onion together in the same skillet you toasted the bread in, cooking until soft and translucent. Set aside while you prepare the egg custard mixture.
6. In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk, cream, minced parsley, and salt. Whisk until combined and then set aside.
7. Pull the cooked bacon from the oven and let it cool slightly before roughly chopping into bite-sized pieces.
8. Place the toasted bread, cooked peppers and onions, and chopped bacon into the bottom of the prepared casserole dish.
9. Pour the egg custard mixture over the top of the bread, and then top with the grated cheese.
10. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes and then loosely cover with aluminum foil and bake for another 15–20 minutes. The casserole is done when it has browned on the sides and the center is puffy. Mine usually takes around 50 minutes.
11. Allow to cool briefly before topping with more minced parsley (optional, but makes it extra pretty). Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Substitutions and Variations
- Meat: I used bacon because its what I had on hand, and it was delicious! Cooked breakfast style sausage would be a delicious variation.
- Bread: There are a lot of different bread options, just make sure you choose a nice hearty, artisan style loaf. I use my own sourdough bread for this recipe, but store-bought will also work just fine.
- Cheese: My family prefers cheddar cheese, but the options are endless. You can experiment with adding in different flavors like Swiss or Gouda.
- Veggies: Use any vegetables you like in this casserole! I definitely recommend chopping them and then sauteing in a little bit of olive oil or butter until they are nice and soft before adding to the casserole.
How to Serve
For side dishes, fresh fruit with yogurt and granola are simple and quick. However, if you’re entertaining (or just have some extra hungry folks in your house), some other breakfast options that pair will with this casserole would be sourdough coffee cake, sourdough chocolate chip muffins, cinnamon swirl banana bread, or even glazed orange scones.
Recipe FAQs
I recommend a hearty, artisan style loaf of bread. I used my beginner’s sourdough bread in this recipe, but store-bought will also work just fine. Just make sure its hearty and not a soft sandwich style bread.
Yes! One of the best things about this recipe is that it can be made up to a day in advance. Store overnight in the refrigerator before baking the next day.
Allowing the casserole to sit overnight in the fridge gives the bread time to soak up all of the egg and milk mixture, allowing the flavors to meld together and creating the perfect texture once baked.
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Bacon and Cheddar Sourdough Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 cups cubed sourdough bread
- 8 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated cheddar cheese
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 pkg bacon (about 6-7 slices)
- 2 tbsp freshly minced parsley
- 2 tbsp butter (for toasting bread)
- 1 tsp salt
- pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Begin by greasing a large 9 x 13 inch casserole dish (I use avocado oil spray) and set aside.
- Optional: Toast the bread in 1-2 tbsp of butter over medium high heat until golden brown. I like to do this because it gives the bread some extra flavor and added texture. Go ahead and arrange the bread evenly in the bottom of the prepared baking dish when done.
- Cook the bacon: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and then place a wire rack on top. Line the slices of bacon onto the wire rack and bake for 15 minutes or until crisp.
- While the bacon is cooking, finely dice the onion and bell peppers and mince the fresh parsley.
- Sautee the chopped peppers and onion together in the same skillet you toasted the bread in, cooking until soft and translucent. Set aside while you prepare the egg custard mixture.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, cream, minced parsley, and salt (can add pepper to taste). Whisk until combined and then set aside.
- Pull the cooked bacon from the oven and let it cool slightly before roughly chopping into bite-sized pieces.
- Assemble: Sprinkle the cooked bell peppers, onion, and chopped bacon evenly over the top of the bread. Top with the cheese and then pour the egg custard mixture evenly over the top.
- Cover the casserole tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
- Once ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Loosely cover with aluminum foil and bake for another 15–20 minutes. The casserole is done when it has browned on the sides and the center is puffy. Mine usually takes around 50 minutes.
- Allow to cool briefly before topping with more minced parsley (optional, but makes it extra pretty). Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- Stale bread works best for this recipe. To avoid a spongey, soppy dish, the casserole needs some structure at the bottom. The combination of the eggs and milk will release a lot of liquid as the casserole bakes. The chunks of crusty, stale bread soak up some liquid so the casserole is baked well and has some texture, rather than being too wet.
- Overnight makes it even better. Assemble the bread and custard layers and let it sit overnight in the fridge before baking. This time gives the crusty bread a chance to soak up all the egg and milk, making it even more delicious.
- Variations: This casserole is easily customizable to use whatever veggies/meat you prefer. Make this an all veggie version by swapping an extra cup of veggies for the bacon. Cooked breakfast style sausage would be another delicious swap for the bacon.
- Storage: This casserole will store well covered tightly in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezing Instructions: Baked casserole will freeze well for up to 3 months. Make sure to allow the casserole to cool completely after baking, and then cover tightly with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Once ready to bake, let it thaw it for about 24 hours (covered) in the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap, cover with just aluminum foil, and bake in a 350°F oven for 25–30 minutes or until golden brown and completely warmed through.
If you loved this recipe for sourdough breakfast casserole, make sure to come back and leave a comment and a 5 star review! I love to hear how each recipe turned out for you.
Delicious!!!