This is a staple for our Christmas breakfast brunch. Southern Living magazine recipe that I’ve used for over 20 years.

1 (6-ounce) package long-grain and wild rice mix

1 pound ground pork sausage (Jimmy Dean)

1 pound ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

1 (8-ounceor more) package sliced fresh mushrooms (i've used the jarred, they work fine)

1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 (2.25-ounce) package sliced natural almonds (1/2 cup)

Preparation

Cook rice mix according to package directions.

Cook sausage and ground beef in a large skillet, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Cook onion and mushrooms in same skillet over medium heat 7 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.

Combine rice, sausage and beef, onion and mushrooms, water chestnuts, parsley, and soy sauce; stir well. Spoon mixture into an ungreased 13" x 9" baking dish. Cover and chill casserole overnight.

Remove from refrigerator, and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Note: You don't have to refrigerate the casserole overnight. Just spoon it into the baking dish and bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20 minutes or until heated.

Thank you @maddielee! That sounds very different from most breakfast casseroles! I bet this would be a good dinner casserole also. Although we sometimes love breakfast for dinner!! Thanks again!

I often make a frittata in a 9-inch square baking pan. You could certainly make a larger one in a 9" x 13" pan. I don't have a specific recipe. I found this on Epicurious that you might find useful.

No sausage in this, bacon instead. And I use more than the recipe calls for. :)

I’ve posted it here before, been making it for years. I assemble it the night before, bake Christmas morning. It’s so good (and easy):

https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-bacon-potato-and-egg-breakfast-casserole-160263

My favorite holiday breakfast casserole is very easy, a Egg and Sausage Strata

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cheese-sausage-strata 

Usually use 1/2 spicy sausage.

The last two Christmas’s I have done other recipes as my brother has become vegetarian, but the Strata is the favorite. Very rich, a little goes a long way. Serve it with a fruit salad.

I've never made this so can't say it's a favorite but will be trying it soon. It has all the right stuff and is a bit different than other breakfast casseroles I've tried. Croque Madame Casserole

Eggs Bel Mar…..an old Southern Living recipe I made for YEARS….

Canadian Bacon, onion and bell pepper,. sautéed in a good bit of butter, a bechemel sauce, 18 eggs, scrambed and softly cooked, then all folded together into a large casserole, topped with buttered bread crumbs, and baked until browned.

Google will not pull up the recipe! If I still have the book, I will update….

I have tried a few..in the end they all sort of taste the same. This year we ate Eggs Benedict version but that has English muffins, can't beat the impact of the hollandaise!! Our go to is super simple. Frozen O'brain potatoes at the base, chopped meat of your choice. Spice it up or down with sausage/ham of your liking, then drown the entire thing in the typical egg mixture, The peppers and onions in the potatoes make a HUGE impact. If you make your own potatoes from scratch be sure and spice it up!!

Thank you all! @Fun2BHere I make frittatas quite often and do not use a recipe. Thank you all for your suggestions! I will have to try some of these! I'll google the Eggs Bel Mar recipe.

I think I have decided on one that is similar to Jinx's recipe, but with sausage, but no tomatoes. It has a base of potatoes. Yes Arcy, I like to add onion and peppers (we prefer red). One thing I have found is using cream, at least for part of the milk makes a big difference.

I'm pretty sure I have decided on doing brunch this year, which will be different for us. But so many things are different in our family now, why not?! I think we need a change! My MIL may not be happy, but I can't help that.

Thanks again for all the suggestions, some yummy recipes here!!

This is a family favorite of ours. You can probably tell by the tattered recipe

It’s quite decadent.

Here is my favorite breakfast casserole, which I make very often. I also like frittatas and generally make them with potatoes, peppers, eggs, and cheese.

Grits Casserole

• 7/8 cup quick grits (be sure not to use “instant”)
• 2 cups water (or chicken stock)
• 2 tsp vegetable or chicken soup base (use 1 tsp salt instead if using stock instead of water)
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 3-4 cloves garlic (can substitute 1 Tbsp garlic powder)
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme (or basil)
• 1 Tbsp dried sage
• 2-3 minced chilies de arbol (or 1/2 Habanero chili or 2 minced Serrano chiles) – all seeds removed
• 1/2 to 3/4 chopped red bell pepper (can substitute dried bell pepper flakes)
• 2 ribs of celery, finely chopped
• 4 oz. Grated cheddar cheese
• 2/3 cup frozen corn
• 2 cooked Italian sausages, sliced in half and then cut into 1/4” thick half rounds
• 2 eggs, beaten, with 2 Tbsp water
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Extra grated cheddar cheese, for topping

Put the water in a medium saucepan on high heat. Add the herbs, butter, chilies, and soup base. Stir to mix all the ingredients and make sure the soup base has dissolved. Add the bell pepper and celery, and heat until boiling.

When the water begins to boil, remove pan from heat and add the quick grits while continuing to stir. Return pan to heat on simmer and stir for about one minute to prevent lumps, but the bell pepper and celery do a good job of preventing lumps. Cover and cook five minutes more, stirring occasionally.

After six minutes, remove from heat and add the cheese, frozen corn, and sausage in that order. Stir until all the cheese has melted and combined. Then add the eggs all at once – mixture will be cool enough by then. Add extra water, if it is too thick to stir. Add the olive oil and then transfer to an 8x8” pan with cover. I use Corningware, as it is exactly the right size for this and has a cover. Sprinkle grated cheddar on stop, cover with lid, and bake in toaster oven at 360° (regular oven at 350°) for 38 minutes. Then remove the lid, rotate pan, and bake another 10 minutes without the lid. Remove from oven and replace the lid. Allow to sit for five minutes before serving.

*Note: this is a recipe that I created myself, and it has evolved over time.

I make this every christmas morning. so easy and good. but of course i make changes and it is even easier. . i eliminate the sauce completely and i crack the whole egg into the muffin tin not seperated. i start with ham slice, then egg then grated cheese. you can get the muffin tins ready the night before with the bread slice pushed in and then just refrigerate till the morning. you can change ham to sausage.

https://leitesculinaria.com/85169/recipes-croque-madame-muffins.html

A few years ago I made a ”Buttery Breakfast Casserole” from a New York Times recipe. It comsisted of about seven or eight split and toasted croissants chopped roughly and combined with about a half pound of sweet italian sausage that had been browned with scallions. That was placed in the bottom of a 9 x 13” pan. Then a mixture of beaten egg, whole milk and heavy cream and a little over a cup of shredded cheese is poured over the croissant sausage mixture. Bake at 350 for 25 min, then add a quarter cup more shredded cheese to the top and continue baking 20 more minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes after it comes out of the oven.

This recipe was the best ”strata” / bread pudding type recipe I have had. That said, it was nothing to write home about, and I agree with Arcy that most of these dishes taste very much the same. I prefer to cook a big pot of oatmeal and serve buffet style with different fruits (both fresh and cooked, like sauteed cinnamon apples) and sugars/ syrups. Alternatively, you can set out scrambled eggs, breakfast meats, cheeses and toasted English muffins for an assemble-your-own breakfast sandwich.

I used to make a baked apple french toast every year for Christmas morning but none of us needs or wants anything that rich now.

Oh I think there are some yummy breakfast casseroles out there! It's all in the sauce, and seasonings as mentioned. The oatmeal and eggs/meats would be fine if I wanted more of a breakfast. But this will be around 11:00, our main Christmas meal, so I want a little more than that. I prefer not to use a strata recipe as I don't want added bread. We will also be having biscuits and maple glazed ham and an apple pastry type dish along with cinnamon rolls, so I definitely don't need any more bread. I think we will also do the cranberry salad, or another type fruit salad and possibly baked cheese grits. Not sure about the grits. Yes, I agree, baked french toast is much too sweet/rich.

Tina, your menu sounds so good.

I hope you don’t mind me posting Deb’s biscuit recipe … I know you already have yours planned, but sharing in case anyone else needs an idea. I came across it yesterday and am drooling. :D

https://smittenkitchen.com/2015/01/caramelized-onion-and-gruyere-biscuits/

With the menu you’ve mentioned I think a quiche, either with a homemade crust or crustless, would be exactly what you’re looking for instead of a casserole. There are lots of great recipes out there with leeks or caramelized vidalia onion or broccoli.

This is my favorite brunch recipe. Not only is it really flavorful, it is make-ahead. Sweet Potato Hash with Sausage and Eggs. https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-sweet-potato-hash-with-sausage-and-eggs-breakfast-recipes-from-the-kitchn-162997

Of course, I have adapted the recipe to fit my likes. I use bacon instead of sausage (cook the bacon to the point of thoroughly done but still limp; cut across the strips in ~1” pieces. It will cook more in the oven phase of the recipe). I peel the sweet potatoes.

I caramelize onions in huge batches and then freeze them in small portions. Having caramelized onions on hand makes this recipe come together fairly quickly.

That sounds good @bbstx! @Jilly, thank you! Do you think the baked cheese grits would work? @kswl i had thought of quiche or frittata, but one guest is not fond of either.

Tina, if you are looking for a grits recipe, give this one a try. It is from a Junior League cookbook — Little Rock, I think. It is a little different and everyone seems to like it. Plus, it can be made ahead! (Do you detect a theme in my posts? I love ”can be made ahead.”)

Just glanced over it and saw ”1 cup of grated gruyere cheese.” FWIW, I use about 6 oz of gruyere. I need to update the recipe in my app.

We (all the women in my family) serve it for brunch, as a side with steaks, and I use it unbaked as a base with Shrimp and Grits.

Tap on the picture to increase it to a readable size.

In my neck of the woods, I would probably include something along the lines of these chili relleno egg muffins. Chili Relleno Bake The recipe linked here is similar to one I make but I do not add salsa (here I would often serve them with red chile sauce on the side). To simplify things more, instead of muffins, I would bake in a casserole dish and adjust the cooking time.