Brunch Egg Casserole

Brunch Egg Casserole

This is my favorite “dish” on Christmas and other big holidays spent with my family. Enjoy!

Ingredients (serves 16):

• 4 cups French bread, cubed (remove crust if desired)
• 2 cups Mexican blend cheese, shredded
• 10 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 quart milk
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 8 to 10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced

Directions:

Slice the crust off of the French bread. It’s optional, but we find that it makes it easier for the egg to soak into the bread if there isn’t any crust (I know, so sad)!

Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange the crust-less bread in cubes (we just pull off small chunks by hand) in the baking dish until the entire bottom is covered.

Sprinkle the bread crumbs with the cheese.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, dry mustard, salt, onion powder, and pepper and mix until completely blended.

Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread crumbs and cheese.

Sprinkle everything with the bacon and mushrooms. We leave half of the mushrooms off because my little brother isn’t fond of them. You can then cover and chill the dish for up to 24 hours.

When you’re ready to go, bake at 325* uncovered for 1 hour or until set (the sides are golden brown and clearly cooked). You can tent the dish with aluminum foil if it begins to overbrown.

Once it has cooled and is easy to cut, divide it into 16 even slices and serve!

The eggs are so fluffy (thanks to the bread) and the hot mushroom and bacon topping (which I like to think of as crust) really gives it added flavor. It’s amazing!

Nutrition Information (per 1/16 slice):

• 395 calories
• 17g fat
• 40g carbohydrates
• 3g fiber
• 20g protein