Many of you are probably like me on Christmas morning.

A wee bit frazzled and a lot bit sleep-deprived.

Is this the scene at your house? Christmas morning generally begins with wide-eyed excitement (much too early in the morning, I might add), quickly followed by the opening of gifts, cleaning up the resulting mounds of wrapping paper and ribbon litter, and finally, excited children who just want to play?

And now it’s time to make breakfast. But making that big Christmas morning breakfast means you’ll miss out on a lot of the fun part of Christmas morning — the watching the joy spilling out all over the family room floor as your children relish in receiving “exactly what they wanted.”

I discovered the perfect solution a few years ago, when I attended a Christmas brunch for the ladies in my church and my mom surprised me by bringing along a yummy dish. This easy and delicious Christmas morning casserole is made ahead, the night before, and then quickly slipped into the oven to bake while I enjoy my family. All it needs is a side a fruit and your beverage of choice, and you have the perfect meal for Christmas morning. If you feel particularly inspired, and sometimes I do, toss some biscuits into the oven with the casserole.

Nana’s Sausage Breakfast Casserole

Serves 8

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb. pork sausage

6 slices white bread, cubed

8 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dry mustard

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese

ground black pepper to taste

 

Directions:

1. Brown sausage in a skillet, breaking into small pieces as it cooks. Drain on paper towels.

2. Layer bread on bottom of a greased 9×13 glass casserole dish.

3. Spread sausage over bread pieces.

4. Mix eggs, cheese, salt, mustard and pepper in a large bowl.

5. Pour egg mixture over sausage and bread.

6. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

8. Bake 45 minutes or until the center of the casserole is firm and a knife inserted comes out clean.

 

What are your tips for a stress free Christmas morning? Do you have a quick and easy Christmas morning meal idea to share. Let’s chat more in the comments!