Here's a good question from reader Chelsea, who writes:
Every year for Christmas, we eat breakfast casserole after opening our presents. It's easy to put together the night before and pop into the oven when we wake up.
The problem? My boyfriend is joining us this year and he absolutely does not eat breakfast sausage. Are there any casseroles that don't depend on sausage? Or any other make-ahead breakfast ideas that are special enough for the holidays?
Chelsea, sure! There are plenty of breakfast casseroles that don't use sausage. Here are a few from The Kitchn, and I am sure that the readers also have good recipe suggestions.
• Ham and Cheese" Breakfast Casserole
• Smoked Salmon and Potato Breakfast Casserole
• Zucchini and Asparagus Strata -- substitute chard or another winter green for the asparagus.
• Weekend Apple Pancake - A sweet option.
Here are a few other special breakfast ideas we enjoy.
• Breakfast Pizza
• Confetti Quiche with Curry Crust
• Zucchini-Potato Frittata
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I usually do a strata with red pepper and a green (spinach or kale) for the festive red and green look. Add enough sharp cheddar and no one cares that there's no meat. This year I made an artichoke-parmesan quiche ahead. I love hot artichoke dip but it's a calorie bomb. So is quiche, so this is my way of combining two sins in one.
view cmcinnyc's profile
I have made this spinach strata from Epicurious for a couple of years and it gets RAVES from meat-eaters and vegetarians alike. Here's the link.
view mstinagray's profile
I like to make a nice frittata, it doesn't need meat to be hearty. I will often do something like zucchini and mushrooms in it with a mix of parmesan and cheddar on top.
view Anne (in Reno)'s profile
Another sweet option is a baked french toast casserole. I did a quick perusal of epicurious and ran across this one with marmalade and spices. I think I will have to try it!
http://preview.tinyurl.com/4r3tck
view Niamh's profile
We always make a bread pudding-ish savory/spicy egg casserole: Crusty (preferrably slightly stale) french bread cubed with eggs, cream, monterey jack cheese, salt, pepper and chili flakes baked in the oven. It's essentially the savory cousin to the french toast casserole above. It is delicious served with Mexican hot chocolate.
view mangelina's profile
We celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas and I've served a sweet noodle kugel for brunch on either occasion (or a combined Chrismukkah brunch!): http://foodietots.com/2008/12/18/cherry-coconut-kugel/
Italian panettone is a traditional Christmas breakfast item in my family, and I've made it into panettone bread pudding for an extra special treat. You can serve it with prosciutto melon salad to get your pork fix. :)
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Chilaquiles topped with fried eggs, sour cream, onion and cheese.
view arstellla's profile
My ex-boyfriend's family made a Dutch baby every Christmas morning. Oh, and a LOT of bacon and fresh coffee.
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