Sausage Croissant French Toast Casserole
Sausage Croissant French Toast Casserole is tender, buttery, and flavored with sage and Gruyere cheese! Perfect breakfast or brunch recipe to make for company, or just because.
A Sausage Breakfast Casserole is great for the holidays and this one is a winner!
Why You Must Make
- I’ve made loads and loads of French toast casseroles over the years. Known by other names like savory bread pudding, strata, or overnight French toast casserole, they all have a bread component. But this was the first time using croissants!
- Paired with Italian sausage and sage, this was one stupendous brunch recipe over the holidays.
- Both boys and the hubby gave this easy breakfast casserole rave reviews. When I sent some leftovers home with our oldest, Bill was a little concerned that I’d send TOO much in his care package!
Ingredient Notes
- Kitchen Staples – Large Eggs, Olive Oil, Kosher Salt, Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Croissants – About 5 to 7 or 1 pound, split in half lengthwise
- Bunch of Scallions – AKA green onions, the white part only, sliced thin
- Mild Italian Sausage – Bulk or links with the casings removed. May use spicy Italian sausage if that’s your preference.
- Fresh Sage – Finely chopped. Use ⅓ the amount if substituting dried sage.
- Whole Milk – 3½% Milk Fat
- Heavy Cream – 36% Milk Fat
- Gruyère – Grated. It may be substituted with other favorite Swiss cheeses like Emmental or Jarlesberg.
Recipe Tips
A friend (Hi, Mary!) shared this New York Times recipe on her Facebook page. It looked so cheesy, tempting, and EASY that I knew I’d be making it ASAP. Much as the family would love this every week, the cheese, the croissants, and the cream make it a special occasion breakfast. This easy French toast casserole is definitely worth the caloric splurge!
- Toasting the croissants before soaking them in the egg mixture helps dry removes much of their moisture. Having stale bread or croissants allows them to soak up more of the custard mixture.
- Whisk together the eggs, milk, and cream until they’re well combined before stirring in the cheese, etc. This helps ensure a smooth custard.
- Feel free to use bacon instead of sausage or a breakfast sausage instead of Italian sausage if that’s your preference. We like the nuttiness of Gruyere cheese, but sharp cheddar would taste delicious, too.
- The goal is to add the custard to the croissant and sausage mixture and give the croissants time to soak up the rich liquid. This gives you the perfect opportunity to prep your brunch dish the night before. Then just pop it in the oven about an hour before you plan to serve it.
- But, you can also shorten the soaking time to 4 hours if needed. Just keep it covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated no matter which time frame you choose.
You May Also Like
- Crock Pot Cinnamon Roll Casserole from Wishes and Dishes
- Fully Loaded Cheesy Breakfast Casserole from The Slow Roasted Italian
- Creme Brulee French Toast
- Bacon and Egg Strata
- Chiles Rellenos Casserole
- More Brunch Recipes
Sausage Croissant French Toast Casserole
A savory French toast casserole made with croissants and sausage. Adapted from the NYT.
Ingredients
- 1 pound croissants (about 5 to 7), split in half lengthwise
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 bunch scallions, white part sliced thinly
- ¾ pound mild Italian sausage, casings removed
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage
- 8 eggs
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces Gruyère, grated (2 cups)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°. Spread croissants on a large baking sheet and toast, cut side up, until golden brown, about 5 minutes (watch carefully to see that they do not burn).
- Let cool, then tear them into large bite-size pieces.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add sliced scallions and sausage meat; cook, breaking up the sausage until mixture is browned and crumbled, about 5 minutes. Stir in sage, and remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, toss the croissant pieces and sausage mixture. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and cream. Then mix in the 1½ cups cheese, salt, and pepper.
- Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Add the croissant mixture into the pan, spreading it out evenly. Pour the custard over the croissants. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- When you’re ready to bake the casserole, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle the rest of the grated cheese over the top of the casserole.
- Bake until casserole is golden brown and set, about 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 591Total Fat: 42gSaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 258mgSodium: 986mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 1gSugar: 10gProtein: 25g
30 Comments on “Sausage Croissant French Toast Casserole”
Sausage croissant french toast casserole is the perfect treat. I have made it, I enjoyed it.
Christina,
Your posts a superb!!!!!!! Really you cover the the whole process of cooking in a light straight forward authentic normal
Creative way!!!!! Being Scottish myself you have made Scottish and Italian sumptuous, refreshingly new.
I am so wonderfully glad I have your posts.
Authentic and lovely!!!!
Thank you so much for your kind note! Such a nice message to read first thing in the morning. Merry Christmas to you and yours!!
This was a big hit at yesterday’s brunch! I will have to make two next time.
Love this Savory French toast casserole. Great for Mother’s Day coming up!
I adore breakfast casseroles. They are the perfect way to start a day! This sounds totally decadent with croissants an all. Jeez. I might have to take a wlak around the block after this! BUT! It would be worth it!
This looks like something I would order while on vacation. Thankfully, now I can have it while at home.
Wow, this looks like a truly wonderful treat for breakfast!! Will be trying too…ASAP! 🙂
Ohhhhh my!!! I’ve been living on my island for 3.5 months now, without access to any of my ol faves, reading this, imagining allllllll the tastes, I’m drooling. Absolutely going to hit the shops in a week or two for ingredients. YARM!
Be Still My Heart! I would also share Bill’s concern =) Croissant and gruyere cheese? I am in! Thank you for sharing the recipe inspired by your friend.
What is not to love about this awesome recipe? I mean, we all love sausages AND croissants! It must have filled the house with delicious aromas as it baked.
I have never tried savoury bread pudding before. This one sounds like a winner, especially given that Bill was protective of the leftovers.
I would love to wake up to the aroma of this baking!
Sometimes its good to splurge on calories, I am going to try this with vegetarian sausages 😀
Thanks for this recipe Liz – I know an opportunity will arise where I can make this casserole and share it too! I would hate to have to eat the whole thing myself – haha. Have a lovely weekend.
Liz, This recipe looks delicious! It’s perfect for a brunch. Thanks for sharing and Happy New Year! Joan
This does sound delicious even if it is a heart attack waiting to happen. Everyone deserves to indulge occasionally!
This looks supremely comforting with all that melty cheese and is perfect for a savory twist on French toast.
delicious! i have a recipe similar to this, perfect for breakfast with a full house of guest! Love it!
What a clever idea!
We love breakfasts like this and the recipes I’ve been using have gotten mundane. Love having a new one to try. Thanks LIZ!
Oh I love these kind of breakfast casseroles! This one sound especially delicious.
Very snazzy! Sounds good:@)
I love using croissants for French toast (so decadent!). This is the perfect weekend brunch recipe!
Oh I love this dish Liz, perfect for when we have overnight guests.
Liz, I bet it’s delicious and wonderful as well.
Love
I am not sure what I love more that there is cheese in this or its french toast! All in one dish with sausage what a bonus recipe! thanks Liz!
Love this kind of recipe in winter times. So goood and cheesy!! Have a wonderful day Liz!
wow..Croissants used in French toast….amaaaaaaaaazingly delicious!
What a fancy breakfast and it’s one I can make here! So often the decadent things Americans come up with aren’t available here. I can’t wait to have company and try this. First I have to make my own sausage but that’s doable. 🙂