Christmas Country Breakfast Casserole from McCormick.com

Christmas morning is a magical time, if you have kids in the house. It’s a wonderful chaos that ensues as soon as they wake up.  This can be as early as 6 am if you live in my house. Kids can’t wait to get up, however adults may want to sleep till New Years. Weeks of preparation, being up late celebrating Christmas Eve, wrapping gifts and setting up trains and the like under the tree all night – it’s exhausting!  The last thing you want to worry about is what to make for Christmas breakfast.  However, this special day needs to start in a special way. So here’s a great recipe from McCormick.com, that’s just as simple to make as it is special to serve.  The big bonus is you can make it the day before. Just pop it in the oven when the kids are opening their presents and you will have a hot and scrumptious breakfast by the time they finish!

Country Breakfast Casserole – From McCormick.com , see the website for lots of great recipes!
Makes 8 servings.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 roll (12 ounces) breakfast sausage
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 package McCormick® Original Country Gravy Mix or 1 package McCormick®Sausage Country Gravy Mix
• 6 slices bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons melted butter (optional)
• McCormick® Paprika

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Cook crumbled sausage in large skillet on medium heat until brown, stirring occasionally. Drain sausage. Spread in lightly greased 11×8-inch baking dish. Sprinkle cheese over sausage.

2. Beat eggs, water, milk and Gravy Mix in medium bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Pour over cheese. Arrange bread cubes evenly over mixture. Drizzle butter over bread, if desired. Sprinkle with paprika.

3. Bake, uncovered, 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate unbaked casserole overnight. Bake, uncovered, in preheated 325°F oven 50 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Serving Suggestion: Prepare additional package of McCormick® Original Country Gravy Mix or Sausage Country Gravy Mix as directed on package. Serve with casserole.