Winters are the best time to experiment with casserole dishes. Several weeks ago, I made a savory breakfast casserole using some of my favorite breakfast ingredients including tater tots and breakfast sausage. Last week, I made a sweet blackberry breakfast bake featuring some of my favorite flavors in French toast and pancakes. Earlier this week, I was craving another savory breakfast casserole, but this time, I wanted the casserole to feature two of my favorite indulgent breakfast items. I combined my love for everything bagel and scallion cream cheese with my love for bacon, egg, and cheese on an everything bagel. The end result was an overly indulgent, creamy, crispy, smoky, cheesy, and eggy everything bagel breakfast bake. I pretty much incorporated my two ultimate breakfast indulgences into one casserole dish, baked the creation, and dug right into the dish once it came out of the oven. My everything bagel breakfast bake is the perfect casserole to make during busy holiday mornings when all I want is to do is curl up on your favorite spot on the couch, watch my favorite television shows, and eat this breakfast bake topped with a few splashes of Tabasco sauce. While this would be the perfect Christmas morning in an ideal world, the reality requires more effort from my part. At our Pan household in Brooklyn, we wake up early on Christmas morning, help my mom out where necessary while she cooks wings and spareribs, make the guest bed, bake cookies, build a gingerbread house, put last minute touches on the Christmas tree, and prepare ourselves to greet guests. These are the days when a breakfast casserole or a batch of overnight slow cooker mushroom and chicken congee can really help save time on Christmas morning.
Everything Bagel Breakfast Bake:
· 6 large eggs
· 1 cup whole milk
· ½ teaspoon kosher salt
· ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
· 4 everything bagels, cut into large chunks
· 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
· 2 ounces scallion cream cheese
· 6 slices of thick cut bacon, cut into small pieces and cooked until crispy
· 1 stalk scallion, thinly sliced
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Set aside a casserole dish.
2) In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, kosher salt, and pepper together. Set aside.
3) Add half of the bagel pieces into the casserole dish. Pour in half of the egg mixture. Top with half of the cheddar cheese. Add scoops of the scallion cream cheese evenly throughout the casserole dish. Distribute the bacon pieces and sliced scallion evenly throughout the casserole dish.
4) Add the remaining bagel pieces into the casserole dish. Pour in the remaining egg mixture. Top the dish with the remaining cheese.
5) Bake the breakfast bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes. Remove the breakfast bake from the oven. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Takeaways: The breakfast bake tastes great right out of the oven. It also tastes equally good when served the next day. You can use any type of bagels of your choice or a combination of different types of bagels.