Christmas Morning Casserole (Wife Saver)

Christmas morning has always been my favorite. It was the one day of the year, aside from Easter, that we were allowed to eat chocolate for breakfast. But the best part was the chocolate was only the appetizer to the big Christmas brunch yet to come! Although my excitement for a chocolate breakfast never waned, as an adult, the after- brunch wasn't quite as exciting because I was the one that had to get up and cook it. That is, until I discovered overnight breakfast casseroles, like this Christmas Morning Casserole (aka Wife Saver Breakfast)! 

This Wife Saver recipe is a savory overnight breakfast casserole with layers of bread, ham, cheese, eggs and corn flakes. It's easy to throw together Christmas eve and pop in the oven the next day for a delicious Christmas morning breakfast, brunch or any holiday morning! And the best part is... you don't have to remove the crusts from the bread!

Christmas brunch is even more special than your typical brunch because it's leisurely; there's nowhere to rush to (until dinner at least.) But being able to prep your Christmas morning meal the night before makes it feel even more leisurely, especially if you're an adult and the one responsible for getting it on the table! No wonder Grandma Jean made this recipe every year!

I'm all about breakfast and brunch recipes that you can prep the night before and toss in the oven in the morning. And that's why overnight breakfast casseroles are ideal for holiday mornings. My Baileys Irish Cream Overnight French Toast Casserole, my Carrot Cake Overnight French Toast Casserole,  Lazy Pierogi Breakfast Casserole and my Overnight Cinnamon Sticky Buns are also really great recipes that can be prepped the night before, do their magic overnight in the fridge, then get tossed in the oven. You can check out my Christmas Brunch Menu for even more ideas!  

🥘 Ingredients

For this wife saver recipe, you'll need:

• white bread 
• sliced ham
• cheddar cheese *I use sharp cheddar cheese and I grate it, instead of slicing
• eggs
• minced garlic
• milk *it's important to use whole milk and not lighter milk or the dish gets too soggy
• green pepper
• hot mustard
• green onion
• Worcestershire sauce
• unsalted butter
• corn flakes

*See recipe card for amounts

📖Variations & Substitutions

• Ham - you could substitute Canadian bacon
• Bread - you could substitute whole wheat bread, but white bread works best
• Mustard - you could substitute dry mustard for hot mustard
• Corn Flakes - you could substitute Special K cereal instead

This Christmas Morning Casserole brings back a lot of memories. Grandma Jean was my late mother-in-law and she loved to make this dish for Christmas Day brunch. In fact, it was the dish she always made. 

She was a a big fan of The Best of Bridge Cook books, as am I. This recipe was adapted from the Best of Bridge "Wife Saver" Casserole, as it was known back in the day. Not my favorite term for it, but that what it was actually called. 

🔪 Instructions

This Wife Saver breakfast is very easy to make! But the magic is in the overnight part. I love that you can simply turn on the oven and pop it in the next morning!

1. Spray a 9X13 baking/casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Add 8 slices of bread (with crusts on) to bottom of dish, overlapping slightly so they all fit.
2. Cover bread with half of the ham slices
3. Then sprinkle on grated cheese.
4. Then add remainder of ham slices.
5. Cover with remaining slices of bread, overlapping as in the first layer. Press down to flatten a little, if it's too high.
6. Beat eggs, hot mustard and milk, then add green pepper, green onion and Worcestershire sauce.
7. Pour egg mixture over casserole.
8. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in fridge overnight.
9. In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Remove plastic wrap. Melt butter and pour over casserole. Crush corn flakes (*I put them in a Ziplock bag and roll a rolling pin over them a couple of times) and sprinkle on top of casserole. Bake (uncovered) for 1 hour. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
   Garnish: Sprinkle with chopped green onion and garnish with salsa or ketchup, if desired.

💭 Top tip

I don't remove the bread crusts, as the original recipe calls for because WHY? We're not 3-year-olds here and we can handle a little crust, right?! And so it doesn't lay perfectly flat in the pan- who cares? That's what overlapping is for. I'm all about making things easier.

🌡️Storage

This Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole can be stored in the fridge, in an airtight container,  for 2-3 days. However, this recipe does not freeze well, so I don't recommend freezing it.

🍽 Equipment

All you need is a casserole dish to make this Christmas classic. 

🥗What to serve with Christmas Morning Casserole

Since this wife saver casserole is a like a meal in itself, I like to serve it with fruit on the side and salsa or ketchup. I sprinkle chopped green onions and add them on top as a garnish to give it a little color. You can serve fruit or a Classic Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing (shown below) on the side or a simple and fun  kiwi garnish.

So, if you are looking for an easy and make-ahead casserole for your Christmas breakfast, with very little clean up, for your upcoming holiday breakfast, then give this Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole a try!

📋 Christmas Morning Casserole Recipe (Wife Saver)

This Christmas Morning Casserole (Wife Saver breakfast) is a savory overnight breakfast casserole with layers of bread, ham, cheese, eggs and corn flakes. It's easy to throw together the night before and pop in the oven for a delicious Christmas morning breakfast or brunch.

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast, brunch

Cuisine: American, Canadian, North American

Keyword: casserole, christmas morning, wife saver

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 323kcal

Author: Terri Gilson

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Refrigeration time: 8 hours hours

Total Time: 9 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

9x13 casserole dish

Ingredients

• ▢ 16 slices white bread
• ▢ 16 slices sliced ham (sandwich meat) (approx 395 g package)
• ▢ 1.5 cups grated cheese
• ▢ 6 whole eggs
• ▢ 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ▢ 3 cups whole milk * it has to be whole milk or it gets too soggy
• ▢ ¼ large green pepper
• ▢ 1 teaspoon hot mustard * I use Keen's hot mustard
• ▢ ¼ cup green onion, chopped
• ▢ 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 cup corn flakes, crushed a little

Garnish

• ▢ additional chopped green onion
• ▢ salsa or ketchup, as desired

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Spray a 9X13 baking/casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Add 8 pieces of bread (with crusts on) to bottom of dish, overlapping slightly so they all fit.
  
• Cover bread with half of the ham slices.
  
• Then sprinkle on grated cheese.
  
• Then add remainder of ham slices.
  
• Cover with remaining slices of bread, overlapping as in the first layer. Press down to flatten a little, if it's too high.
  
• Beat eggs, hot mustard and milk, then add green pepper, green onion and Worcestershire sauce.
  
• Pour mixture over casserole.
  
• Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in fridge overnight.
  
• In the morning: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
• Remove plastic wrap. Melt butter and pour over casserole.
• Crush corn flakes (I put them in a Ziplock bag and roll a rolling pin over them a couple of times) and sprinkle on top of casserole.
  
• Bake (uncovered) for 1 hour. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Garnish

• Sprinkle with chopped green onion and garnish with salsa or ketchup, if desired.

Notes

*See post contents for important recipe information and tips!

Nutrition Facts

📋 Christmas Morning Casserole Recipe (Wife Saver)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 323 Calories from Fat 162

% Daily Value*

Fat 18g28%

Saturated Fat 9g56%

Cholesterol 55mg18%

Sodium 762mg33%

Potassium 258mg7%

Carbohydrates 22g7%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 5g6%

Protein 17g34%

Vitamin A 441IU9%

Vitamin C 4mg5%

Calcium 229mg23%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition

Calories: 323kcal (16%) | Carbohydrates: 22g (7%) | Protein: 17g (34%) | Fat: 18g (28%) | Saturated Fat: 9g (56%) | Cholesterol: 55mg (18%) | Sodium: 762mg (33%) | Potassium: 258mg (7%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 5g (6%) | Vitamin A: 441IU (9%) | Vitamin C: 4mg (5%) | Calcium: 229mg (23%) | Iron: 2mg (11%)

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🎄Christmas Morning Breakfast Ideas!