This year my kiddo is busy with school and has to be up there at 6:55am so I need easy dishes I can heat up and and get out the door. It is a very filling dish with the cheddar biscuits on top. I did a packet gravy mix to top the dish with and I recommend this. Overall the casserole was easy to prep ahead of time if need be and also tasted good as leftovers. I just heated in the microwave and popped in the toaster oven to crisp up the biscuit part.
Cheddar Bay Breakfast Casserole with Sausage and Eggs
(Adapted from Not Entirely Average)
6 fresh green onions chopped; white and green parts
2 small sweet red peppers chopped; may also use 1 medium red bell pepper
1 pound bulk sausage raw, any kind
½ teaspoon paprika or to taste
½ teaspoon garlic powder or to taste
½ teaspoon onion powder or to taste
½ teaspoon Kosher salt or to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
1 package Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit mix or these Best Cheesy Garlic Biscuits
¼ cup cheddar cheese shredded; divided
¼ cup pepper jack cheese shredded; divided
8 large eggs whisked; may reduce to 5 eggs whisked together with 1 1/2 cups liquid eggs
optional for serving
country gravy, sausage gravy, or red eye gravy
hash browns
sliced tomatoes
hot sauce
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Assemble a large sheet of parchment paper atop a baking sheet and set the baking dish directly on the parchment.
To a non-stick skillet over medium heat, add raw bulk sausage. Cook until golden brown on one side before breaking up and turning bigger pieces over for equal surface time in the pan. Use a slotted spoon to remove the sausage to a paper towel to drain.
Add the onions and peppers to the skillet and cook until soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the heat slightly so they do not cook too fast and burn. Add paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, Kosher salt, and black pepper. ProTip: if short on time, brown the vegetables and aromatics in the pan with the sausage. Taste. Add more seasonings if necessary. Remove from the heat and combine with the sausage in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/4-cup (combined) of shredded cheddar and shredded pepper jack cheeses.
Whisk eggs and pour over the sausage mixture, filling in all of the nooks and crannies. Top with remaining shredded cheeses.
Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes. While the casserole bakes, prepare the Cheddar Bay biscuit dough.
Mix the biscuits according to the package directions; cold water, shredded cheese, and the herb seasoning packet dissolved in melted butter. Set the herb butter mixture aside. Remove the casserole from the oven and use a small cookie scoop (I’m using a 1.6-inch size scoop) to scoop biscuit dough atop the semi-baked casserole. NOTE: The egg mixture will not be completely set when you get ready to add the biscuits. ProTip: if short on time, add the biscuits atop the egg and sausage mixture WITHOUT PARTIALLY BAKING the egg and sausage mixture first. Set the oven timer for 25 minutes as eggs will take LESS TIME this way. The egg and sausage mixture will essentially BAKE INTO THE BISCUITS as shown in my photos rather than on top of the egg and sausage mixture.
Use a pastry brush to apply half the herb butter mixture to the tops of the biscuits. Place back into the oven for another 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the middles of several biscuits comes out clean.
Remove the casserole from the oven. Baste the remaining herb butter atop the biscuits and casserole. Let it stand for 5 minutes before serving. Offer a white gravy as a base to this casserole if desired.
