Recipe: Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole

Breakfast casserole is one of my favorite Christmas brunch delights—but if we're being honest, breakfast casserole is one of my favorite anytime delights! I've tried all different kinds and combinations—with a few hits and misses—and these days, I usually don't even follow a set recipe. But last year I found a recipe for a breakfast enchilada casserole, which was when I discovered that breakfast enchiladas were exactly what my heart (and stomach) had been craving all these years!

My recipe is adapted from this one.

Ingredients

• 9 eggs

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup salsa (I use a salsa verde)

• 2 (10 oz.) cans green chile enchilada sauce

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• 10-12 flour tortillas

• Sausage, cooked and crumbled (about 8 ounces, or I use a bag of the Jimmy Dean turkey sausage crumbles found in the frozen food section)

• 2 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar jack cheese

• 1 small can diced green chiles

• Salt and pepper seasoning to taste

Directions

1. Whisk together eggs, milk, salsa and salt. Cook in a greased/buttered skillet on medium heat, stirring often. You're basically making soft scrambled eggs, so cook them through and let them form into soft, creamy scrambled eggs. Set aside

2. Stir together enchilada sauce, diced green chiles and sour cream. Set aside.

3. In your baking dish (11x7 or 9x13), pour a thin layer of the enchilada sour cream mixture and lightly spread over the bottom of the dish. Layer with flour tortillas, tearing as needed to fit in your pan. You want a single layer, so try not to overlap and it's OK if there are some small gaps. Layer on one-third of the eggs, cheese and sausage and top with one-third of the enchilada sauce. Repeat with two more layers, finishing with a layer of tortillas, topped with remaining cheese and enchilada sauce.

4. Cover baking dish with foil. You can make this ahead and keep it in the refrigerator for a couple of days before baking or freeze it for up to a month if you'd like.

5. Bake, covered, for about 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Remove foil and bake for 10-20 minutes more, until cheese is melted.

6. Allow to cool slightly (10-15 minutes) before serving. You want the casserole to set and not scald your guests' mouths! Feel free to garnish with extra sour cream or top with bacon.