Overnight Eggs Benedict Casserole
Overnight eggs benedict casserole is my solution to wanting to serve eggs benedict at brunch but not wanting to be standing over the stove poaching eggs. No poaching required here! Just a silky baked custard over cubed english muffins with canadian bacon and a rich hollandaise sauce to finish!
Eggs Benedict is possibly my favorite breakfast dish ever. I have a really difficult time getting anything else when I see it on a menu. I have an endless love for eggs. I pretty much think they are the perfect food. So simple, yet so decadent and very versatile.
With Eggs Benedict you get a double bonus of eggs. Glorious runny yolk poached egg goodness, topped with an egg custard sauce, aka hollandaise! It’s eggs over eggs. I’ll brunch to that any day!
Speaking of brunch, Eggs Benedict is also the first thing that comes to mind whenever I am going to be having people over for brunch. But then I think about all the logistics of poaching the eggs while I have guests in my house and who really wants to do that? I want to be drinking a mimosa and chatting!
Yes, you could briefly poach them and then hold them in ice water until it is time to eat and then rewarm them in simmering water. All of us egg poachers know this trick.
But still, I like to avoid anything that actually involves cooking, simple or not, while my guests are here. That is when I got the brilliant idea to make an Eggs Benedict casserole!
(can’t resist getting that pour shot in…)
I’ve posted before about my favorite sausage egg and cheese breakfast casserole that my family has at every holiday. So I used that as the basis for developing this recipe. But instead of white bread I used English muffins and instead of sausage I used Canadian bacon.
I figured that the English muffins are so chewy that they would be good to sit in the egg mixture overnight so that in the morning everything could just go straight into the oven with the only thing left to prep being the hollandaise sauce.
This is basically an Eggs Benedict bread pudding or an Eggs Benedict strata. But I prefer to call this a casserole. It just sounds more casual and rustic to me which is the feel I like to have at brunch.
I could see this eggs benedict casserole being a big hit if it made an appearance at New Years Day brunch.
Nobody wants to get up and actually cook after a night of ringing in the new year with too much champagne. How amazing would it be to get up in the morning and just pop this baby in the oven?!
I will be working on New Years Eve. I very rarely work nights anymore, but I volunteered to help out that night so some of the other younger ladies could party it up. Plus, it is the only appropriate day I can wear this knock out of a dress that I have and never get to wear!
I won’t be around online too much this week. Mr. BB and I are flying back to Kansas- fingers crossed we get through our layover in Chicago without any delays! I assume you all will also be enjoying your own families and hopefully relaxing.
I just want to say that I am very thankful to spend another year with all of you. Thank you for being here with me! It has been a big one and I can already tell that 2015 is going to be even bigger!
Happy holidays friends! I love ya, I truly do!
Overnight Eggs Benedict Casserole
Ingredients
- 6 English muffins
- 1 lb thick cut canadian bacon
- 10 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- salt and pepper
- chives to garnish if desired
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 1/2 TBSP lemon juice
- 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
- salt
- squeeze of hot sauce, if desired or pinch of cayenne
Instructions
- For the CasseroleSpray or butter a 9X13" baking dish.
- Split the english muffins in half and cube and distribute them evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Cube the canadian bacon and sprinkle half of it over top of the bread.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk and season very liberally with salt and black pepper (about 1 tsp salt and 3/4 tsp black pepper but I just eyeball it). 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.
- Cover with tinfoil and refrigerate overnight.
- About an hour and a half before serving, pull the casserole out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temp while the oven preheats to 350 F.
- Cook the casserole at 350F 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 before ready to serve and slice.
- Top with hollandaise sauce and minced chives if desired.
- For the SauceWhile the casserole is baking, about 30 minutes before serving, set up a double boiler (a saucepan with barely simmering water that a glass or stainless steel bowl will fit over without touching the water).
- Put your egg yolks and lemon juice in your glass or stainless steel bowl and whisk vigorously until it begins to thicken and double in size. This will take some time. Be patient!
- Place the bowl over the double boiler and continue whisking constantly, paying attention that the bowl does not get too hot. You can take the bowl on and off the double boiler if needed.
- Drizzle in the melted butter, a little bit at a time, while continuing to whisk. I shoot for about 1 TBSP at a time and whisk until completely incorporated before adding more.
- Once all the butter is added, remove from the heat and taste and season as desired. Add salt, a bit more lemon juice, and a little hot sauce or cayenne if desired.
- If serving almost immediately, just place it in a warm spot covered until ready to use. Otherwise, place the sauce in a thermos to hold for up to an hour.
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Have an awesome Christmas girlyyyy!!! (and btw that dress is a KNOCKOUT!)
My Hubs says we have to try this for Christmas morning! I’ll let you know how it goes, it looks amazing! I love eggs benedict!! Merry Christmas, tell your mom hi for me!!!
Hope it went well Chrissi! My mother says “hello” right back at you! Merry Christmas!
Making this for New Years Day Breakfast/Brunch as I just love Eggs Benedict at any time (brill tip to keep Hollondaise Sauce Hot in a thermos), thanks.
A must make breakfast casserole along with your recipe for ‘Sunshine Breakfast’ casserole much needed to bring some brightness into our dark, frosty mornings here in the U.K…
I like that you’ve chosen ‘English Muffins’ for this recipe, I think it will add much more texture/structure, complementing the finished dish.
I’m trying this with some mushrooms in butter & fried tomatoes on the side, topped with the perfect runny yolk poached eggs, it’s got to be delicious!!!
Many thanks for all your great posts, recipes & tips over the past year, it’s been brilliant..Thank-you!
Here’s wishing you & yours ‘Good Health, Peace & Happiness’ for 2015.
Have a Brilliant time, eat, drink, enjoy…You’ll look totally amazing in your dress!!!
Looking forward to all the exciting things that you’ve planned for the year ahead…
Now that is a treat to look forward to & I can be excited for what is to come.
Yours truly,
Odelle Smith. (U.K.)
Okay, this is kind of genius. So perfect for Sunday brunch or an easy family breakfast! Can’t wait to try it out!
It got me at overnight! It is so clever idea. I love benedict eggs:) Pinning!
Is the bacon cooked before you sprinkle into the casserole?
Hi Keely, Canadian bacon is an already fully cooked product. So yes, just slice it up and add to the casserole!
Canadian Bacon / back bacon is not cooked but cured. Can traditional ham be substituted?
Hi Laura!
You can definitely use ham in this recipe! My frame of reference at the time of writing this article was of the product American’s refer to as Canadian bacon, which is almost always sold cured AND smoked (cooked). However, I now know that in other parts of the world back bacon isn’t always cured or smoked. However, any kind of pork will work in this, raw or cooked because it will have plenty of time to cook through in the oven. That said, if you wanted to substitute a high fat meat, such as sausage or traditional American style bacon, I would recommend cooking it first to render out the fat. 🙂
Tonight we had breakfast for supper! And I made this!!! It was a HUGE hit!! Thank you!!! Will make this again for sure!!
Thank u!!
This looks delicious. I want to try it, but know I cannot whisk this much. Only solution I can concoct is a hand mixer at lowest speed. ????? Any advice? Will this work, or will it break down the sauce?
Thank you.
First time I’ve been to your site, and love the “Meet Baker Bettie!” photo.
Hi Bettie,
How far can I make this ahead of time.
Thank You!
I had made this twice and it was devoured by my family and guests, who all loved it. But last Sunday my young cousin, who does not eat meat, was in attendance. So instead of the Canadian bacon l used semi-smoked salmon, and it was delicious.
Can this be made ahead and froze, then reheated in morning with sauce?
I have been making this casserole for years. It’s great that you can make it the nite before bc Christmas morning is a crazy time anyway so it keeps me from standing in the kitchen and missing festivities. I make it for New Year’s Day. And also for Easter brunch. I mix in a little Tabasco in the sauce. Hope you all enjoy it as much as my family.
I made this as part of our Christmas Day brunch. It was amazing, I will definitely make it again!
Wonderful! I’m so glad to hear it, Megan! Thanks for sharing.
What are we looking for when putting the egg yolks and lemon juice over a double boiler? Double in volume? Heatedt? I’m not sure since it already says to whisk until double in volume in the paragraph before putting over a double boiler.
They are going to start to thicken as they are heated and emulsified with the butter. You want to whisk pretty continuously as you slowly add the butter so that it all creates an emulsion.
I made this and it was perfect! Will be a keeper!
That’s so great to hear Kelly! <3
This dish made me look like a kitchen rockstar! That’s always fun.
That’s so great to hear Beth!
Mad this for Mother’s Day. I am a fan of eggs Benedict but was concerned about having to serve brunch to a crowd. Made this instead. Actually, my 17 year old son put it together. I made the sauce, though, no room for error. Made the dish as written, but used sliced Canadian bacon. Would use a licker cut next o time. Got great reviews from all. Cover with folk to avoid over browning. Served with Belgium waffles, macerated fruit and mimosas.
So glad you and your family enjoyed it Melissa! <3
Does anyone know if you can freeze the baked dish to save? Have done this before just like it says for overnight. But hoping to do more forward planning! It is that good!
Hi Judy! I have never frozen this dish after baked before. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work though. You could also freeze it unbaked and then thaw it to bake it fresh!
This looks great! Can you clear up a step for me? After I put the sauce on the double boil and recommence whisking, how long do I whisk before I start adding the butter?
Hi Kay! You can start immediately, but you just want to be already whisking as you do it. Does that make sense? I hope you enjoy it!
This recipe is just what I was looking for! To save time, I use Julia Childs’ blender recipe for Hollandaise. It’s much quicker & comes out great every time if you follow her directions exactly. Making this for Christmas morning! Thank you!
So glad I found this recipe when I was searching was egg benedict recipes, but this is way more scrumptious than I ever imagined. Your pictures are amazing and the recipes is quick and simple to make. Thank you for sharing this gem!
I’m so glad to hear that you liked it David! That is great!
It sounded good until I saw the cooking instructions; I was expecting a slow cooker to cook it for me seeing as how it’s one of seven recipes in an article titled 7 Slow Cooker Egg Recipes You Have to Try.
Hi Cindi! I’m so sorry that you found this recipe through someone else’s article about slow cooker recipes. I’m not sure why they would do that since I have never categorized this recipe as such. Unfortunately I can’t control how someone else links to my recipes. Hopefully you found some other good slow-cooker recipes!