Everything Bagel Breakfast and Brunch Casserole

The ultimate breakfast or brunch bagel casserole with eggs, bagels, everything bagel seasoning, cheeses, bacon, and ham! It’s the perfect make-ahead or freezer meal!

I love casseroles. They are just so homey and comforting. Whether it’s a hot tuna noodle casserole, a chicken and broccoli casserole, or this bagel casserole it’s a “Me” dish.

Casseroles are something we grew up on and I’d say 90% of the time it was a way Mom could repurpose leftovers into something delicious. Even though we were eating leftovers, she would make it into something new.  Mom’s are mad geniuses like that!

Breakfast Bagel Casserole Ingredients

This really only uses basic pantry and fridge items. And if you don’t have one of the items or want to change it up, check out the substitutions section below!

• Day Old Bagels – I went with Everything Bagels as those are my favorite but you can use any savory type
• Cheese – Shredded white cheddar (though you can use any other melty-type cheese) plus cream cheese
• Mustards – Dijon and Whole Grain
• Meats – Bacon and Shaved Ham
• Milk
• Seasonings
• Eggs – I used Duck Eggs as they are THE BEST EVER but you can use chicken
• Green Onions

Let’s Make This Bagel Casserole!

This dish requires you to allow it to rest at least 1 hour in the fridge though it honestly is best if it rests overnight in the fridge. You need to allow enough time for the liquid mixture to soak into the bagels.

1. Grab your bagels (day old is best) and cut them up into 1″ pieces.
2. Chop up the ham and cooked bacon.

3. Spray a 9″ Baking Pie Dish (can use a rectangular baking dish as well) with cooking spray and set aside.
4. Place half of the bagels into the dish in an even layer.
5. Place half of the ham and bacon on top of the bagels. Push some of the ham/bacon between the pieces of bagel.
6. Sprinkle on half of the cheese, 1 tablespoon of everything bagel seasoning, and half of the onion.
7. Repeat with another layer of bagel, meat, cheese, seasoning.

8. In a bowl, add the milk, pepper, both mustards, and eggs. Whisk until combined.

9. Slowly pour the milk mixture over top. Pour some, allow it to soak in, and continue pouring until all of the mixture is in.
10. With a spatula, gently push the bagel items down into the pan.

11. Add the remaining green onions and cover with plastic wrap.
12. Place in the fridge for at least one hour though it’s best to allow it to rest overnight.

Let’s Bake Breakfast… or Brunch!

I don’t know about you but I could not stop thinking about this as it was resting in my fridge. I knew I was going to have one amazing breakfast!

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F
2. While the oven is heating up, remove the dish from the fridge, unwrap and grab your cream cheese plus remaining everything bagel seasoning.
3. Place the bits of cream cheese all over the top of the dish and sprinkle on the remaining everything bagel seasoning.

4. Bake the dish for 40-50 minutes, uncovered until the edges are golden brown and the center is set.

To test if it’s set, insert the tip of a thin-bladed knife in the middle. It should come out warm/hot but not coated in the egg mixture.

GBD – Golden Brown and Delicious!

She’s sexy, isn’t she? But right now, she’s too hot even for you. lol

When you pull this out of the oven you have to let it rest for 10-15 minutes. It needs to cool down just a bit. Plus it allows the bagel mixture to not tear but rather stay together.

It’s kind of like when you make bread. You are to never cut it straight out of the oven as you’ll tear it. Think of this similarly like that.

For some finishing touches, add on a few green onions and if desired some slices of tomatoes.

The smell of this smelled exactly like a fresh bagel and cream cheese from the bakery. It’s so intoxicating and took a considerable amount of self-control to not dig in right away.

Serving Suggestions

This is perfect for breakfast or brunch. I serve this quite often over the holidays for our brunch feast with friends. It’s great hot or even warm temperature.

• Sliced Fresh or Roasted Tomatoes
• Herbed or Everything Cream Cheese
• Boursin Cheese
• Warm Cheese Sauce
• Hollandaise Sauce
• Salmon
• Hard-Boiled Eggs
• Roasted Asparagus
• Broccoli Pecandine

Substitutions

• Bagels – Onion, Garlic, Tomato, Egg, Plain
• Veggies – roasted peppers or mushrooms, sauteed asparagus, shallots, jalapenos
• Cheese – gouda, gruyere, smoked provolone, pepper jack
• Cream Cheese – marscapone
• Bread – brioche or Texas toast
• Meats – cooked breakfast sausage, chorizo

Bagel Casserole Variations

• Farmers – bacon, sausage, maple syrup, farmer’s cheese
• Artisan – roasted tomatoes, asparagus, goat cheese, basil and finish with prosciutto
• Meat Lovers – Bacon, Breakfast Sausage, Bacon, Ham
• Veggie Lovers – roasted mushrooms, peppers, sundried tomatoes, asparagus, and broccoli
• Salmon (Lox) – Capers, thinly sliced red onions, cream cheese, and when it’s done, thinly sliced Lox and fresh tomatoes

Make-Ahead / Freezer Meal Instructions

This is a great dish that is perfect for freezer meals and meal prep. Because this includes a milk/egg mixture you have to bake it fully then freeze.

You cannot assemble then freeze. The egg/milk mixture would break and you’d end up with a hot mess when you attempted to bake it.

1. Follow the instructions below and bake as directed.
2. Allow to cool completely.
3. At this point, you can double wrap in plastic wrap and freeze OR portion out into freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months.

Reheating Instructions

1. Remove from the freezer and allow to thaw in the fridge overnight.
2. If using the oven, transfer to an oven-safe dish and reheat at 350 F until warmed all the way through.
3. If using a microwave, microwave in 30-second increments until warmed all the way through.

 

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