Christmas Breakfast Casserole

This was a fantastic breakfast for a lazy Christmas morning at home. This is not a low-fat or even remotely healthy dish so definitely a holiday special. I prepped the casserole the night before and on Christmas morning, while I brushed my teeth DH threw the casserole in the oven and it cooked while we opened gifts. We took it out and it cooled to just perfect temp in time for us to sit down and enjoy breakfast together. I also prepped a dairy-free version the night before (with eggs, sausage, bacon, peppers, green onions, Earth's Balance, soymilk and brown rice (since the croutons had cheese)).I served breakfast with a diary-free banana bread that friends dropped off yesterday and the oranges from our stockings. Delish! Recipe adapted from Charleston Breakfast Casserole on allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 pound bacon, chopped and browned
* approx 1/2 pound breakfast sausage, chopped and browned
* 1/4 cup butter, melted
* 3 cups croûtons (enough to cover the bottom of the casserole dish) **
* 2 cups grated Cheddar cheese (or enough to cover the croutons)
* 9 eggs
* 1 3/4 cups milk
* 1 red bell pepper, diced
* 2 green onions, diced
* 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
* salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt butter in the microwave, or in a small pan on the stove over low heat. Spray a 9x12 inch baking dish with vegetable spray. Place croûtons in the bottom of the dish, and drizzle with melted butter. Sprinkle with grated Cheddar cheese.
2. Sprinkle cheese with pre-cooked bacon & sausage.
3. Crack the eggs into a bowl, whisking to break up the yolks. Add milk, peppers, mustard, a few good turns of fresh cracked sea salt and black pepper, and beat until well-combined. Pour over the croutons and cheese.
4. Refrigerate overnight. Place in cold oven - turn oven on to 325* and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove and let sit for 10-20 minutes before serving.


**Purchase prepared croutons or make croutons with day old bread cut in to cubes, drizzle with melted butter or butter substitute (or olive oil), sprinkle with seasoning of choice (parmesan, garlic powder, salt & pepper, herbs) - bake at 400*, flipping once, until brown and crisp