Breakfast Casserole with Everything Seasoning

 Breakfast Casserole with Everything Seasoning

1/2 loaf day-old French bread or baguette

1 T. olive oil

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 c. chopped leeks

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. spicy breakfast sausage

1 c. shredded mozzarella

1 c. shredded cheddar

1 c. whole milk

1 c. heavy cream

6 eggs

1 tsp. dried mustard

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 T. Everything Bagel seasoning

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil.  Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes.  Spread the bread cubes on the lined baking sheet and toast until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.  Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and leeks.  Sauté until soft then add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.  Remove this mixture from the skillet into a large bowl.  

Add the sausage to the same skillet and cook, stirring and breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned.  Set aside.

Add the toasted bread cubes and both cheeses into the bowl with the onion mixture.  Stir to combine.  Add the sausage to the bowl and stir.  

In a separate bowl, whisk the milk, cream, eggs, dried mustard, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper until thoroughly combined.

Grease a 10” x 10” baking dish.  Add the bread mixture to the pan.  Pour the egg mixture over the bread and gently press the bread cubes down.  (If you want to make this the night before, cover at this point and refrigerate.)

Before baking, scatter the Everything Bagel seasoning over the top.  Bake until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean; approximately 1 hour.  To prevent the top from getting too brown, cover with foil after the first 30 minutes. 

Serve warm.

You can also throw a couple cups of chopped fresh spinach in the onion and leek mixture if you would like to add some more vegetables to it.