Recipe: Chrissy Teigen’s Everything Bagel Cream Cheese Breakfast Bake

updated May 1, 2019
Chrissy Teigen’s Everything Bagel Cream Cheese Breakfast Bake on a plate and in a baking dish
Credit: Aubrie Pick
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Credit: Aubrie Pick

You heard it here first: Chrissy Teigen’s Everything Bagel Cream Cheese Breakfast Bake is about to take over the internet. Coming in at peak everything bagel seasoning season (say that five times fast) and right in time for the holidays, this cozy casserole is exactly what you want to eat right now.

Aside from being in the right place at the right time, this breakfast bake also features everything you look for in a casserole. It’s easily adaptable, you can make it ahead of time, and it feeds a hungry crowd. Plus, it’s equally at home at a grown-up brunch as it is on the kids’ table.

This Breakfast Bake Is the Best Use for Stale Bagels

Take Teigen’s advice and stick with day-old bagels for this recipe. I tried both fresh and stale bagels on separate occasions, and found the day-old baked up crisper on top and delightfully chewy underneath.

The ingredient list for this recipe looks long, but know that most of the prep work is simply chopping and grating a few key ingredients; once that’s done, everything comes together quite quickly.

Chrissy Teigen's Everything Bagel Cream Cheese Breakfast Bake

Serves 8

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 1 pound

    uncooked breakfast sausage links (optional, see Recipe Notes)

  • 2 tablespoons

    unsalted butter, plus more for the baking dish

  • 1

    large onion, thinly sliced

  • 1 (10-ounce) package

    frozen spinach, thawed

  • 3

    day-old everything bagels, halved and cut into big chunks

  • 2

    large tomatoes, cut into chunks

  • 1/4 cup

    chopped fresh basil leaves

  • 1 cup

    finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

  • 1 1/2 cups

    grated Gruyère or Swiss cheese, divided

  • 1 1/2 cups

    grated cheddar cheese, divided

  • 2 teaspoons

    kosher salt, divided

  • 1 teaspoon

    freshly ground black pepper, divided

  • 8

    large eggs

  • 2 cups

    milk

  • 1 cup

    half-and-half

  • 2 tablespoons

    Dijon mustard

  • 1/4 teaspoon

    cayenne pepper

  • 8 ounces

    cold cream cheese, cut into 14 pieces

Instructions

  1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, if using, and cook, turning occasionally, until cooked through, about 12 minutes or according to package directions. Remove the sausage from the skillet, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces, place in a large bowl, and set aside.

  2. Melt the butter in the same skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden and translucent, about 9 minutes. Meanwhile, pile the thawed spinach into the center of a big clean kitchen towel and roll up the towel. Over a bowl or the sink, twist the ends toward each other and keep twisting until you wring out as much liquid as humanly possible. (Or make someone else do this.)

  3. Transfer the spinach to the bowl with the sausage. Add the sautéed onion, bagel chunks, tomatoes, basil, Parmesan, 1 cup of the Gruyère, 1 cup of the cheddar, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper. Toss it all together with your hands or a spoon. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, half-and-half, mustard, cayenne, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon black pepper until evenly combined.

  4. Coat 9×13-inch baking dish with butter. Transfer the bagel mixture into the baking dish and arrange into an even layer. Pour the egg mixture over the top, pressing down on the bagels so they soak up the liquid. Nestle the cream cheese chunks in and all around the baking dish (they can be peeking out). Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 1/2 and up to 12 hours. (The longer you soak, the moister the inside will be.)

  5. When ready to bake, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 400°F. Uncover the breakfast bake and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Gruyère and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue to bake until the top is golden-brown and the center is set, 50 minutes to 1 hour more.

Recipe Notes

Vegetarian version: If you want to keep this veggie, omit the sausage, increase the butter for sautéing the onions by 3 tablespoons, and add another half of a 10-ounce package of thawed frozen spinach.

Recipes and photographs reprinted from Cravings: Hungry for More. Copyright © 2018 by Chrissy Teigen. Photographs copyright © 2018 by Aubrie Pick. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

Buy the Book! Cravings: Hungry for More by Chrissy Teigen, $18