At Bobak’s Sausage Company, we are always interested in what our head chef is cooking up. From time to time, we will feature an article describing Kim’s creations and how she puts them together.
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Ever have that same old, same old feeling when trying to decide what to make for a big weekend family breakfast? Sure, you could go for the tried-and-true eggs, bacon, and pancakes, but if you want to shake things up and not spend too much time putting something together, this is a great recipe to try. After all, what could be better on a lazy weekend morning than a toasty croissant casserole filled with sausage and cheese?
The recipe is the perfect marriage of a breakfast croissant sandwich and an omelet, and you are about to become the most popular chef in the house. 😊 It is a hearty meal filled with a savory combination of eggs, sauteed onions, bell peppers, garlic, Bobak’s smoked sausage and cheddar cheese. You can even recruit some helping hands to slice the croissants open or stir the sauteed vegetables and sausage on the stove, filling the home with amazing aromas and spending some quality time with the kids.
This tasty dish feeds a big crowd and is super easy to prepare; you can even make it the night before and bake it the next day to make your life even easier. It is great for holidays, brunch potlucks, and travels well if you need a nice dish to bring somewhere.
We give you the recipe below, but here we will walk you through the process of making it with some tips along the way.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Baking Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 8-10 people
Steps for making the Croissant Breakfast Casserole: I like making a prep list to imagine the whole process.
1. Slice open and toast the croissants.
2. Dice Bobak’s sausage, bell pepper, onion and chop garlic, sauté mixture.
3. Grease pan, arrange bottom half of croissants.
4. Fill croissants, top with top half.
5. Whisk custard together, pour on top of filled croissants, bake.
Ingredients: Let’s discuss options
Croissants: Buy them pre-baked, large or small. If you use small, you will be spreading the filling over the Tetris-style croissants in a layer. If you use larger croissants, you may choose to fill them individually with the sausage mixture.
Bobak’s sausage: you can’t make a wrong decision on which one to use. Choose from Smoked Bratwurst, Pork or Beef Polish, Maxwell Polish, Smoked Cheddar or Mild Italian with Sundried Tomatoes.
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Onions, Bell Peppers and Garlic: adds a lot of savory deliciousness. If you truly want to avoid the vegetables, it’ll still be delicious without them. Or go crazy and add some baby spinach to boost the nutrition.
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Eggs: use whole eggs, allowed to come to room temperature ideally. If you really must, use the egg whites.
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Half and half: you can swap in milk and a bit of heavy cream, or substitute for evaporated milk.
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Cheese: use shredded sharp cheddar, but why not Swiss, gouda or whatever you have on hand. No wrong moves here.
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Cream cheese: it’s like an instant cream sauce that brings the filling together.
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Seasonings: Dijon mustard adds depth, paprika and freshly cracked black pepper add some savory dimension, and the “everything bagel seasoning” makes a pretty, crunchy topping for the casserole.
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Sliced green onions: sliced green onions make a beautiful, tasty contrast right before serving.
Procedure:
1. Turn on oven to 400F. Take a 9”x13” and decide how many croissants will fit snugly in the dish. Slice these croissants open like a sandwich and place cut side up on a sheet pan. Bake for about 10 minutes or until slightly toasted on the surface. Reduce heat to 350F.
2. Dice the Bobak’s sausage of your choice into ½” pieces. Dice the onion and bell pepper into ¼” pieces and mince garlic. Heat large sauté pan to medium-high heat. Add 2 Tablespoons of butter (unsalted or salted) and add the sausage, onion and bell peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally until the mixture is slightly browned, about 15 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes more or until the garlic is fragrant. Don’t scorch it. You may choose to add a few tablespoons of water to keep mixture from sticking to the pan.
3. Stir in cream cheese and mix into vegetables until it looks saucy. Add the shredded cheddar, half the scallions and minced basil. The mixture will look rough--don’t worry, it’s delicious. Season mixture lightly with salt and pepper.
4. Grease the inside of the 9”x13” dish with butter. Arrange bottom pieces of croissants snugly into the dish. Spread the sausage and bell pepper filling over the bottom pieces of the croissant, reaching all the way to the edges. Place the top parts of croissants over the filling.
5. Whisk the whole eggs in a deep bowl. Add the half and half, Dijon mustard, paprika, salt and pepper until mostly homogenous. Pour mixture over the filled croissants, making sure to moisten the top of the croissants. Sprinkle the “everything bagel seasoning” over the croissants.
6. Cover the baking dish with heavy duty aluminum foil. Bake mixture for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 15 minutes more or until the filling doesn’t shoogle when you shake the pan and the tops of the croissants are nice and toasty.
7. Top the croissant casserole with the sliced green onions and serve warm.
Storage:
Leftover casserole can be refrigerated and reheated for up to 4 days. You may choose to reheat the casserole in the microwave, it’s fast-- but you won’t see the nice toasty texture. The preferred method is reheating the casserole pieces on a heat-proof dish, covered in foil at 325F for 20 minutes.
Freezing:
When the casserole is completely cool, cut it into serving pieces. Add pieces to a zipper topped bag or a plastic storage container. Can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in either the microwave or oven.
RECIPE:
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Serves: 8-10 people
Ingredients:
1 pkg. (4 links) Bobak's Sausage, any flavor, diced into ½” pieces
softened butter to line baking dish
8 small croissants, split open and toasted
1 bunch scallions, green parts only, sliced 1/2" thick
8 eggs
4 oz. cream cheese
1 cup half and half
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 bell pepper, red or green, diced
2 Tablespoons minced fresh basil
8 oz. shredded Cheddar cheese, or 2 cups
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
“Everything bagel seasoning”
Procedure:
1) Preheat oven to 400F. Open croissants and toast them on a sheet pan for 5-10 minutes or until they have golden crispy edges. Watch closely. Reduce heat to 350F.
2) Sautee diced sausage, onion, bell pepper and half the scallions in a large skillet with 2 Tablespoons butter for 15 minutes or so or until lightly browned. Add minced garlic and cook 2-3 more minutes. Stir in cream cheese until mixture looks saucy, stir in shredded cheddar. In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs, half and half, paprika, salt, pepper, and minced basil.
3) Butter the baking dish with the softened butter. Arrange the bottom croissant pieces in the dish and fill the croissants with the sausage, vegetable and cheese mixture. Add the croissant tops. Pour the custard over the croissants. Optional: cover the dish and refrigerate overnight 8-10 hours. May also add custard and allow the filling to soak into the croissants before baking.
4) To bake: top croissant tops with “everything bagel seasoning.” Bake for 30 minutes covered in foil, then uncover and bake 15 minutes more or until the dish doesn't jiggle when shaken. Garnish with more scallions before serving and serve warm.