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

Yield: 8-10 Servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

This 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! 

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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

1. For the CasseroleSpray or butter a 9X13" baking dish.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Cover with tinfoil and refrigerate overnight.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Top with hollandaise sauce and minced chives if desired.
8. 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).
9. 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!
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.