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This overnight eggs benedict casserole is the perfect make-ahead brunch! Don’t want to stand over the stove poaching eggs for a crowd? This is your easy solution! Prep the night before and bake the next morning.

A slice of Overnight Eggs Benedict Casserole on a plate topped with hollandaise sauce

Overview

  • Skill Level: Intermediate

Eggs Benedict is one of the most loved breakfast items on a menu, but making it at home can be a pain. Especially if you want to serve it to a crowd. I personally want to be spending time with my guests rather than standing over the stove poaching eggs.

Enter this easy eggs benedict casserole! The general idea is a breakfast strata using the ingredients that typically make up eggs benedict! For the bread components of the casserole, we will use English muffins of course! And for the protein, Canadian bacon!

What is Canadian Bacon?

Canadian bacon is also called back bacon, and would likely not be called “Canadian bacon” in Canada. It is different from what we would call bacon in the US.

American bacon is made from pork belly and is a fattier cut of meat, which allows for it to be cooked to a crispy texture. Canadian bacon is not cooked crisp and is more similar to ham (which comes from even a different part of the pig, the legs or butt).

Either ham or Canadian-style bacon can be used in this recipe, but it works best if you use a thick cut rather than thinly sliced meat.

A slice of Overnight Eggs Benedict Casserole on a plate topped with hollandaise sauce being poured on top

Hollandaise Sauce

Hollandaise sauce is the one part of this recipe that does require a bit more effort. But it is what truly makes this casserole come to life with the flavor of eggs benedict, so please don’t skip it!

Hollandaise is one of the “mother sauces” in French cooking, and it can seem somewhat intimidating at first because it requires making an emulsion. The traditional ingredients are egg yolks, butter, lemon juice, and typically a touch of cayenne pepper. It is silky and rich with a slight tanginess.

Over the years, I have switched from making hollandaise the old-fashioned way (by whisking over a double boiler), to using Julia Child’s method of making it in a blender! If it’s good enough for Julia, then it’s good enough for me! But if you don’t have a blender, the traditional way is not all that difficult either! The key is to go slow as you add the butter and to whisk continuously!

Why Bettie Loves this Casserole

  • This casserole is so easy to prep-ahead and bake the next day! Makes a weekend breakfast or brunch very low stress!
  • English muffins are sturdy and chewy enough that they will hold up to being soaked in the egg mixture overnight. In fact, it will actually bake up much better if you do let it sit so the bread can absorb the egg.
  • All of the flavors of eggs benedict put into casserole form! Easy to prep the day before you want to serve it!
  • The hollandaise to serve on top is key to really taking this recipe over the top! I promise the extra effort is worth it!

Casserole Variations

Think of this casserole as a canvas to make all of your favorite eggs benedict variations!

  • Florentine Benedict Casserole: Add 1- 10 oz package of frozen chopped spinach that has been thawed and drained to the egg mixture. Replace the holladiase sauuce with mornay sauce.
  • Country Benedict Casserole: Replace the ham with cooked sage sausage. Serve with country gravy instead of hollandaise.
  • Vegetarian Benedict Casserole: Replace the Canadian bacon with your cooked veggies of choice. Bell peppers, onions, spinach, and mushrooms all work well. Saute until lightly softened, and then add to the egg mixture. Serve with hollandaise sauce.

Prep Ahead and Storage

  • Day Ahead Prep: You can put the casserole together and keep it covered with foil in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Just take out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking.
  • Freezer Prep: If you would like to prep this farther than 24 hours in advance, you can freeze it raw. Wrap it well in foil and freeze for up to 2 months. The day before you want to bake it let it thaw in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours. Then bake as you would normally.
  • Storage: This casserole is best eaten the day it’s made, but you can store leftovers in the oven for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat in the microwave.
Plate of eggs benedict casserole with a cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice

Additional Brunch Recipes

A slice of Overnight Eggs Benedict Casserole on a plate topped with hollandaise sauce
Yield: 9 Servings

Overnight Eggs Benedict Casserole

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

This overnight eggs benedict casserole is the perfect make-ahead brunch! I love this easy way of making eggs benedict because you can make it without poaching eggs! Top with a rich hollandaise sauce to serve!

Ingredients

For the Casserole

  • 6 whole English muffins
  • 450 grams (1 pound) thick cut canadian bacon or ham*
  • 500 grams (about 10 large) eggs
  • 227 grams (1 cup) milk, preferably whole milk
  • salt and pepper
  • chives to garnish if desired

For the Hollandaise

  • 170 grams (1 ½ sticks, 6 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and still warm
  • 100 grams (about 6) egg yolks
  • 2 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • squeeze of hot sauce, if desired or pinch of cayenne

Instructions

For the Casserole

  1. Spray a metal or ceramic 9 x 13-inch (22 x 33 cm) baking dish with non-stick spray
  2. Split the English muffins in half and then cut them into about ½-inch cubes. Distribute the cut English muffins evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Cube the Canadian bacon or ham and sprinkle half of it over top of the bread. (*If you live outside the US and the Canadian bacon you have is not fully cooked, you will want to cook it first)
  3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the whole eggs and milk and season very liberally with salt and black pepper (about 1 teaspoon salt and ¾ teaspoon black pepper but I just eyeball it).
  4. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread and top with the rest of the Canadian bacon. Press down on the bread to make sure that it is all submerged in the egg mixture.
  5. Cover with tinfoil and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.
  6. About an hour and a half before serving, pull the casserole out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temp for about 30 minutes before baking.
  7. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.
  8. Bake the casserole at 350°F/175°C. for 50 minutes to 1 hour until the egg custard has set. You may place a loose piece of tinfoil over the casserole during the last 20 minutes of baking to avoid over-browning. Remove from the oven and keep covered until ready to serve and slice.
  9. Top with hollandaise sauce (recipe follows) and minced chives if desired.
  10. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator covered for up to 3 days.

For the Hollandaise Sauce

  1. Make the hollandaise sauce right before serving the casserole. It can be kept in a thermos for up to 30 minutes, but it takes less than 5 minutes to make so it is best to make it right before serving.
  2. Melt the butter and set it aside. You still want it to be fairly hot when you make the sauce.
  3. Place the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and a pinch of cayenne or a dash of cayenne (if desired) into a blender. Place the top on and blend on high for just a few seconds.
  4. Remove the top of the blender and while still blending, very slowly stream in the melted butter. The sauce will begin thickening up.
  5. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
  6. Serve immediately. As it cools it will start to solidify.
  7. If you need to wait a bit before serving, keep it in a thermos or let it sit on the hot stove.


Note: If you do not have a blender, you can make hollandaise the old-fashioned way by using a double boiler and a whisk.

Notes

  • *Note about Canadian Bacon: The Canadian Bacon traditionally sold in the US is fully cooked. If you live outside the US and your bacon is not already cooked, you will want to cook it before you add it to your casserole.
  • Freezer Prep: If you would like to prep this more than 24 hours in advance, you can freeze it raw. Wrap it well in foil and freeze for up to 2 months. The day before you want to bake it let it thaw in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours. Continue with step 6.

    • Hollandaise sauce is a modified version of Julia Child's Blender Hollandaise Method

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© Bettie
Cuisine: Breakfast / Category: All Recipes