I like having people stay over, and I have stopped pretending I enjoy cooking for them at 7am. The answer is a casserole assembled the night before, so the morning job is turning on the oven and making coffee. Everything here sits in the fridge overnight and bakes while people wander downstairs. Nobody waits on a short-order cook.
1) Everything Bagel Breakfast Casserole
Torn day-old bagels, cream cheese, eggs, and a heavy sprinkle of everything seasoning is the casserole guests ask about by name. The bagels soak up the custard overnight and bake up crisp on top and soft underneath. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 45 to 50 minutes, until the center no longer jiggles. Smoked salmon on the side turns it into a proper brunch.
2) Ham and Swiss Strata
A strata is a savory bread pudding, and it is the most forgiving breakfast I know. Diced ham, Swiss cheese, and cubed bread go into the dish, the custard goes over the top, and a little Dijon in the eggs keeps it from tasting flat. Press the bread down before covering it so every piece gets soaked. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 50 minutes, until puffed and golden.
3) Sausage and Cheddar Breakfast Casserole
This is the one I make when I do not know my guests well, because nobody objects to sausage, eggs, bread, and cheddar. Brown the sausage and drain it well, or the casserole turns greasy at the bottom. Layer it with cubed bread and cheese, pour over the egg mixture, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 50 minutes.
4) Spinach and Feta Strata
I make this when one guest does not eat meat and nobody else notices. Squeeze the thawed frozen spinach completely dry in a towel, because spinach water is the reason most spinach casseroles turn soggy. Layer it with crumbled feta, sourdough cubes, and a few sun-dried tomatoes. It bakes at 350°F (175°C) for 45 minutes.
5) Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
Frozen shredded hash browns make the base, and I do not apologize for that. Thaw and squeeze them dry, then mix with eggs, cheddar, and crumbled bacon. The edges get crisp like a diner hash brown and the middle stays tender. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for about 55 minutes and let it rest for 10 before cutting.
6) Overnight Veggie Egg Bake
Sauteed peppers, onions, spinach, and mushrooms baked into eggs and cheese, with no bread at all. Cook the vegetables first and let them cool. Raw vegetables release water in the oven, which is the step most people skip and then wonder why their egg bake is sitting in a puddle. It bakes at 375°F (190°C) for about 40 minutes and cuts into clean squares.
7) Blueberry French Toast Bake
Day-old French bread is better here than fresh, because fresh bread falls apart in the custard overnight. Cube it, scatter blueberries and small cubes of cream cheese through it, and pour over eggs, milk, and maple syrup. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 45 minutes, covered for the first half so the top does not scorch. Warm maple syrup at the table is required.
8) Breakfast Enchiladas
Flour tortillas rolled around scrambled eggs, sausage, and cheese, packed into a dish, and covered with an egg and milk mixture and more cheese. They sit overnight and bake up like a cross between a casserole and a burrito. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 45 minutes. Salsa, sour cream, and sliced avocado go on at the table.
9) Cinnamon Roll Egg Bake
Cut a tube of cinnamon rolls into quarters, scatter them in a baking dish, and pour a vanilla and cinnamon custard over the top. By morning the pieces have soaked it up like French toast. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30 to 35 minutes and drizzle the icing from the tube over it while it is still warm. A bowl of fruit next to it keeps the whole thing from feeling like dessert.
10) Croissant Breakfast Bake
This is the fanciest casserole on the list and the least work. Tear 6 day-old croissants into pieces, add ham and Gruyere, and pour over a rich custard. The croissants turn custardy inside and shatter on top. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 40 minutes and watch it closely at the end, because all that butter browns fast.
11) Biscuits and Gravy Casserole
Southern guests will either love you for this or correct your gravy, and both are fine outcomes. Make a sausage gravy the night before and let it cool. Pour it into a dish, beat a few eggs into it, and lay raw biscuit dough over the top in the morning. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 25 to 30 minutes, until the biscuits are tall and golden.
12) Overnight Churro Bread Pudding
A loaf of brioche, cubed and soaked in a cinnamon custard overnight, bakes into something between French toast and a churro. The top gets a heavy coat of cinnamon sugar right as it comes out of the oven, while it is still hot enough to stick. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 45 minutes. Guests will hover by the oven, so set out the coffee first.
13) Baked Oatmeal
For guests who would rather not start the day with eggs, baked oatmeal is the quiet favorite. Stir old-fashioned oats, milk, an egg, maple syrup, and cinnamon together, fold in apples or berries, and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 35 to 40 minutes, until the center is set. It cuts into squares and reheats well, so leftovers are breakfast for 2 more days.
14) Mushroom and Gruyere Strata
Mushrooms and Gruyere make a strata that tastes like a much fancier breakfast than it is. Brown the mushrooms well in a hot pan and do not crowd them, or they steam and go grey. A little fresh thyme in the custard does a lot. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 50 minutes, until puffed and golden at the edges.
15) Overnight Cinnamon Roll Bake
Homemade cinnamon rolls sound like a 5am project, but the dough is happiest rising slowly in the fridge overnight. Shape the rolls the night before, nestle them in a baking dish, cover, and refrigerate. In the morning, let them sit on the counter for 30 minutes while the oven heats, then bake at 350°F (175°C) for 25 minutes. The cream cheese icing goes on while they are warm.
16) Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
This is the breakfast I make when there are teenagers in the house. Layer cooked sausage, cheese, and an egg mixture in a dish, then arrange frozen tater tots in tidy rows on top. In the morning it goes straight into a 375°F (190°C) oven for about 50 minutes. The tots on top crisp up and the ones underneath turn into hash browns.
17) Smoked Salmon and Dill Strata
For a holiday brunch that needs to feel like an occasion, this is the one. Sourdough cubes, flaked smoked salmon, cream cheese, chives, and fresh dill, soaked in custard overnight. Go easy on the salt, because the salmon brings plenty. It bakes at 350°F (175°C) for about 45 minutes and looks right on a table with mimosas.
18) Pumpkin French Toast Bake
In November and December, I swap the berries for pumpkin and nobody complains. Whisk canned pumpkin, eggs, milk, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice together and pour it over cubed challah or brioche. A pecan streusel on top bakes into a crunchy layer. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 45 to 50 minutes and serve with whipped cream.
