A layer of crescent roll dough on the bottom, browned sausage over it, and eight beaten eggs mixed with four cups of cheese poured across the top. Into the oven for half an hour. That is the whole thing.
It makes twelve servings out of a nine by thirteen dish, which puts it firmly in the category of food you make when you are feeding a house full of people who all want breakfast at different times.
Two cheeses, and the mozzarella is not filler
Two cups of shredded mozzarella and two cups of shredded cheddar. Four cups total, which is a lot, and swapping to all cheddar changes the result more than you would expect.
Cheddar brings the flavour. Mozzarella brings the pull and the melt. Cheddar on its own goes slightly grainy and oily when baked in quantity, because it has more fat and less moisture. The mozzarella keeps the whole set smooth and gives you those stretchy strands when you lift a piece out.
Shred it yourself if you have the patience. Pre-shredded cheese is coated with starch to stop it clumping in the bag, and that starch can leave a slightly chalky texture through a baked egg dish.
Drain the sausage properly
Brown the pork sausage in a deep skillet over medium-high, seven to nine minutes, until it is evenly coloured through. Then drain it and crumble it into small pieces.
Draining is the step to take seriously. A pound of pork sausage releases a surprising amount of fat, and any of it that goes into the dish will pool on top of the eggs as they set. You get a greasy layer that never really absorbs.
Crumble small. Big chunks of sausage sink through the egg mixture and end up sitting on the dough.
The crescent dough is the crust
One eight ounce package pressed into the bottom of the greased dish, perforations sealed shut with your fingers.
It bakes into a soft bready base underneath everything rather than a crisp one, which is the correct outcome. Do not blind bake it first. It needs the moisture from the eggs above to cook properly, and pre-baking gives you a dry biscuit floor.
Baking it
325F, and the lower temperature matters. Eggs baked hot go rubbery and can weep water. A moderate oven sets them gently into something custardy.
Twenty five to thirty minutes, and the test is a knife inserted in the centre coming out clean. Not almost clean. Clean. Underbaked egg casserole is unpleasant in a way that is hard to recover from.
A teaspoon of dried oregano goes into the egg mixture. It sounds like a small thing against a pound of sausage and four cups of cheese, and it is the only seasoning in the dish besides whatever is already in the sausage. It cuts the richness.
Twelve servings from one dish
The yield here is generous and it is worth knowing before you plan around it. A nine by thirteen dish cut into twelve gives squares that are filling rather than dainty, because eggs and cheese and sausage together are heavy.
If you are serving it alongside fruit and pastries at a brunch, cut sixteen instead. Nobody will notice and it stretches further.
Serving and storing
Let it sit five minutes before cutting so the eggs finish setting. Twelve squares out of the pan.
It reheats well in the microwave and keeps three or four days covered in the fridge, which makes it useful for a week of quick breakfasts.
Assembling it the night before
Brown the sausage and press the dough into the dish the evening before, then cover and refrigerate. Mix and pour the eggs in the morning. Do not add the egg mixture ahead, since it will soak into the dough overnight and leave the base soggy.
Things people add
Diced bell pepper, sliced green onion or chopped spinach all work stirred into the egg mixture. Cook off any watery vegetables first, or the extra liquid will stop the eggs setting properly.
Egg and Sausage Breakfast Casserole
Description
An easy baked breakfast casserole with pork sausage, mozzarella, cheddar and eggs over a crescent roll base.
Ingredients:
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 325F (165C) and lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
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Cook the sausage in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat until evenly browned, 7 to 9 minutes. Drain thoroughly and crumble into small pieces.
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Mix the beaten eggs mozzarella cheddar and oregano together in a large bowl.
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Line the bottom of the prepared dish with the crescent roll dough, sealing the perforations shut. Sprinkle the crumbled sausage over the top.
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Pour the egg mixture over the sausage.
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Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. Rest 5 minutes before cutting..
Note
Nutrition per serving from source: 341 calories, 9g carbohydrates, 20g protein, 25g fat, 11g saturated fat, 178mg cholesterol, 764mg sodium, 175mg potassium, 2g sugar. Drain the sausage thoroughly or the fat will pool on top of the eggs. Bake until a knife inserted in the centre comes out completely clean. Keeps 3 to 4 days covered in the refrigerator.
