Bacon, Eggs & Cheese Croissant Casserole
Bacon, eggs and cheese croissant casserole is the perfect dish to whip up for an impromptu brunch with old friends.
There’s nothing quite like catching up with good friends over brunch. Before kids, bottomless brunches were a regular occurrence on the social calendar for good vibes only “Sunday Funday.” With little kiddos now, we are lucky if we get to savour a hot cup of coffee without the kids asking to go to the playground at 8am in the morning. Even with the chaos of mom life, I love getting together for a ladies-only brunch every now and then for some good laughs and good food.
When my pregnant friend whom I haven’t seen in over six months messaged and asked if we could have a last-minute get-together, I didn’t hesitate to offer to host a meal. Plus our toddler girls who are 10 months apart can have a playdate whilst the parents catch up on life. I was picking my brains for easy and effortless brunch menu ideas. For me, the perfect brunch menu consists of both a savoury and sweet dish along with some fresh fruit and of course, a fresh pot of coffee. I quickly rummaged through my refrigerator and pantry to take inventory of key ingredients.
Eggs? Checked.
Cheddar Cheese? Checked.
Gruyère Cheese? Checked.
Bacon? Checked.
Tomatoes? Checked.
Milk? Checked.
Croissants? Duh. Luckily, there’s a patisserie around the corner.
The savory dish I had in mind? You have guessed right: Bacon, Eggs & Cheese Croissant Casserole!
It is essentially a bacon, egg, and cheese croissant sandwich, but (de)constructed in a casserole to feed a crowd. Buttery croissant, two types of cheeses, salty bacon, and silky eggs combined with milk, a dash of Worcestershire sauce and some Dijon mustard makes for a delicious casserole perfect for brunch.
It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3. Start with frying up chopped bacon over medium-high heat and place the bacon on a large buttered casserole dish. Tear eight croissants into pieces and layer them on the casserole dish. Chop and scatter the tomatoes over the croissants, followed by the cheeses. Then, in a large mixing bowl, mix the eggs and milk together with some Dijon mustard and a splash of Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the croissants and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Voila!
For the sweet dish, I opt for a lemon blueberry yoghurt cake served with fresh blueberries and strawberries to round out the brunch menu.
This is what I call an easy Sunday brunch!
Bacon, Eggs & Cheese Croissant Casserole
Ingredients
- Butter room temperature for greasing
- 8 rashers smoked back bacon roughly chopped
- 100 g grated Cheddar cheese
- 50 g grated Gruyère
- 8 medium croissants torn into pieces
- 100 g cherry or grape tomatoes sliced in halves
- 8 medium eggs
- 200 ml milk
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- A dash of Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Grease a large casserole dish with butter.
- In a medium pan, fry the chopped bacon until crispy and put into the buttered casserole dish, reserving a small amount of bacon for topping.
- Scatter half the cheese (Cheddar and Gruyère), followed by the torn croissants and then halved tomatoes.
- In a large mixing bowl or jug, beat together eggs, milk, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the croissants, then scatter the rest of the cheese and reserved bacon bits. Leave to stand for 15-15 minutes before putting into the oven.
- Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and cook uncovered for 10 minutes until golden and crisp. Remove from oven and allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes to cool before serving.
