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Home » Recipes » Courses » Breakfast and Brunch Recipes

Christmas Morning Casserole (Wife Saver)

Published: Dec 6, 2020 by Terri Gilson · Modified: Oct 14, 2022 · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links · 10 Comments

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Pinterest pin with text on top and bottom and photo of a slice of Christmas morning casserole on a white plate, on brown wooden surface, with fork on red napkin beside it, salsa in a white dish behind and a blue casserole dish with remaining casserole in it
Pinterest pin with white text on green background on top and bottom and photo of Christmas morning overnight breakfast casserole in the middle

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)! 

A slice of Christmas morning casserole on a white plate, on brown wooden surface, with fork on red napkin beside it, salsa in a white dish behind

This recipe 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 the next day for a delicious Christmas morning breakfast or brunch. And the best part is... you don't have to remove the crusts from the bread!

Jump to:
  • 🥘 Ingredients
  • 📖Variations & Substitutions
  • 🔪 Instructions
  • 💭 Top tip
  • 🌡️Storage
  • 🍽 Equipment
  • 🥗What to serve with Christmas Morning Casserole
  • ⭐ Reviews
  • 📋 Christmas Morning Casserole Recipe (Wife Saver)
  • 🎄Christmas Morning Breakfast Ideas!

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!

Christmas breakfast casserole in blue casserole dish with white and gold Christmas oven mitts in the background

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!  

collage of 4 photos of Christmas brunch recipes with a white circle in the middle with red text

🥘 Ingredients

For this wife saver recipe, you'll need:

  • white bread 
  • sliced ham
  • cheddar cheese *I use sharp/old and I grate it, instead of slicing
  • eggs
  • minced garlic
  • milk *it's important to use whole milk and not a 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

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. 

A slice of Christmas morning casserole on a white plate, on brown wooden surface, with fork on red napkin beside it, salsa in a white dish behind

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 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.
collage of 9 photos with instructions for making Christmas morning breakfast casserole

💭 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.

close up of Christmas morning casserole in blue casserole dish with a piece missing

🍽 Equipment

All you need is a casserole dish (affiliate link) 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.

easy fruit salad in white bowl with honey lime dressing being poured over salad

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

A slice of Christmas morning casserole on a white plate, on brown wooden surface, with fork on red napkin beside it, salsa in a white dish behind

⭐ Reviews

Did you make this recipe? Please RATE THE RECIPE below!

A slice of Christmas morning casserole on a white plate, on brown wooden surface, with fork on red napkin beside it, salsa in a white dish behind
Food Meandering Logo

📋 Christmas Morning Casserole Recipe (Wife Saver)

This Christmas Morning Casserole (Wife Saver) 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
Cook Time: 1 hour
Refrigeration time: 8 hours
Total Time: 9 hours 15 minutes
Prevent your screen from going dark

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 slices of bread (with crusts on) to bottom of dish, overlapping slightly so they all fit.
    bread layered in bottom of casserole dish, overlapping
  • Cover bread with half of the ham slices.
    ham covering bread
  • Then sprinkle on grated cheese.
  • Then add remainder of ham slices.
    Ham slices over cheese and bread
  • Cover with remaining slices of bread, overlapping as in the first layer. Press down to flatten a little, if it's too high.
    another layer of bread covering ham and cheese
  • 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.
    casserole covered with plastic wrap
  • 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.
    corn flakes sprinkled on 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!
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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%)
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review below!
Rate this Recipe

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amy

    December 08, 2020 at 7:20 pm

    I'm going to be honest, I've never heard of Christmas Morning Casserole before. But, this looks amazing especially if you need to feed a large crowd.

    Definitely going to try this!

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      December 10, 2020 at 8:12 am

      Hi Amy,
      Yes, it's a pretty retro recipe so not surprised you haven't heard of it. ! I hope you enjoy it 🙂

      Reply
  2. Yvonne Langen

    December 10, 2020 at 1:48 pm

    I LOVE a one-pan solution to breakfast and not having to do 100 dishes on Christmas morning when I want to be opening presents!

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      December 13, 2020 at 9:10 pm

      I agree, Yvonne!

      Reply
  3. Sharon

    December 13, 2020 at 1:57 pm

    Fun! I love the idea of breakfast being leisurely for all, even the cook. 🙂 And I have never heard of Best of Bridge! Just reserved it at my library. Christmas reading! Thanks. 🙂

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      December 13, 2020 at 8:46 pm

      Thanks, Sharon! Yes, the Best of Bridge have a series of books and some really great recipes - enjoy!

      Reply
  4. Kristen

    December 13, 2020 at 8:18 pm

    I love the idea of a casseroles Christmas morning. Talk about making things a little easier! Thank for sharing.

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      December 13, 2020 at 8:44 pm

      Me too, Kristen! I'd rather be opening presents 🙂

      Reply
  5. NANCY

    December 14, 2020 at 6:53 pm

    great comfort food and perfect for leftovers!

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      December 14, 2020 at 7:58 pm

      Thanks, Nancy!

      Reply

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I'm Terri, a passionate home cook and baker, an award-winning recipe developer and a busy working mom that is trying to eat healthy and fit everything into not enough hours in a day! My mission is to share not only my recipes, cooking hacks and tips with you, but also my secrets to successful weight maintenance.

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