Eggs Benedict Casserole Makes Breakfast Easy

When we have company stay with us I almost always try to make an overnight casserole for breakfast.  It's so much easier to throw something together before going to bed and then pop it in the oven in the morning than it is to prep and cook a decent breakfast first thing in the morning with a house full of guests.

Of course, sometimes I convince my husband to make his famous biscuits and gravy and I'm off the hook when it comes to breakfast, but more often than not I make a strata of some sort the night before.  Most of those "overnight casserole" type recipes tend to be stratas- basically dry bread of some type covered in an egg and cheese mixture with other items added.  They can be sweet- like the Overnight Blueberry French Toast I had on my latest Allrecipes trip- or they can be savory, like the super easy Christmas Breakfast Sausage Casserole I keep meaning to write about.  

Regardless of which direction you take them, they all tend to be fairly tasty and extremely easy to put together.

I love how this particular casserole puts a fun and easy spin on eggs benedict.
Do you like eggs benedict? Personally, I'm a fan.
While you probably won't find me ordering it at a restaurant unless it's one of those fun varieties where they've added a chipotle hollandaise or a crab cake or latkes or some other fun ingredient that piques my foodie interest, your standard eggs benedict is pretty darn delicious and perfect for a weekend breakfast.

Especially if you strata-fy it and make it into an overnight casserole that takes zero effort in the morning!

This dish has all of the same players as a regular eggs benedict- English muffin, Canadian bacon, egg, and hollandaise.  The English muffins are cubed and placed in a baking dish with the Canadian bacon.  Top with the egg mixture and you're done until it's time to go in the oven.

In the morning all you have to do is bake your meal and top it with hollandaise- and this recipe even cuts a bunch of culinary corners and uses a packet of hollandaise sauce mix.

Don't think about it too much- not every meal has to be gourmet.  ;-)

I've made this several times now and it's always a hit with guests.  With a houseful of hungry people I really haven't had time to devote to trying to get a great shot- so you know...sorry.  I promise it tastes WAY better than it looks in these pictures!  :-)

Whether you're cooking for your family or a crowd, strata is definitely my favorite way to go when it comes to breakfast.  Especially on holiday mornings!

Eggs Benedict Casserole

Click to see on Allrecipes.com

8 large eggs

2 C milk

3 green onions, sliced

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

3/4 lb Canadian bacon or ham, cut into 1/2-inch dice

6 English muffins, cut into 1/2" dice

1/2 tsp paprika

1 (.9 oz) package hollandaise sauce mix

1 C milk

1/4 C margarine

1. Spray 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Whisk eggs, 2 cups milk, green onions, onion powder, and salt together in a large bowl until well mixed.

3. Layer half the Canadian bacon in the prepared baking dish. Spread English muffins over meat and top with remaining Canadian bacon. Pour egg mixture over casserole. Cover baking dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).  Sprinkle casserole with paprika; cover with aluminum foil.  Bake in preheated oven until eggs are nearly set, about 30 minutes; remove foil. Continue baking until eggs are completely set, about 15 more minutes.

5. Whisk hollandaise sauce mix with 1 cup milk in a saucepan. Add margarine and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low, simmer, and stir until thickened, about 1 minute. Drizzle sauce over casserole to serve.