Eggs Elinor (Sausage and Cheese Breakfast Casserole)

A breakfast casserole that checks the boxes on flavor, texture, ease, and reliability every single time. 

I’m not sure the origin of this recipe as google doesn’t produce a recipe if you search “eggs Elinor” or an assortment of other spellings. My mom received the recipe from a lady who hosted a bridal shower for my mom’s brother’s fiance. For someone whom I have never met and know nothing about her other than what you just read, I sure do think about her often.

While I have plenty of memories of eating this casserole when we’d have house guests because it can feed a crowd and is easy to prep the night before you eat it, my favorite memory of it has nothing to do with house guests … it’s one of My Armo’s finest moments!

He wakes me one morning before he heads out to catch the train to work. Here’s how it went.

My Armo: Nic! Nic! Was your breakfast dish supposed to be liquidey?

Nicole: Huh?

My Armo: It was kind of soggy.

Nicole: It had to soak overnight. It’s not cooked. Why?

My Armo: I ate it.

Nicole: You ate that!

My Armo: You need to warn me about these things. You know how I am with food.

Nicole: You should have realized something wasn’t right when it was so liquidey.

My Armo: I thought it was some fancy Louisiana sauce.

Nicole: Ummmm … no. How much of it did you eat?

My Armo: A my size portion. I thought about serving it in a bowl instead of a plate.

Nicole: Didn’t you realize it was disgusting?

My Armo: I thought it was some Nicole concoction I was supposed to like.

Eggs Elinor Ingredients
1 lb loose breakfast sausage
6 slices of bread
Softened butter
1 ½ c shredded sharp cheddar cheese
6-8 eggs
2 c half and half
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
¾ tsp black pepper

Eggs Elinor Directions
Preheat the oven to 350.

Heat a frying pan to medium heat. Add 1 lb of  sausage to the pa and you should hear a sizzle. If you don’t hear it, increase the heat. Break up the sausage with the flat tip side of a spatula as it cooks.

Butter one side of the 6 slices of bread. Stack the slices of bread and cut it into ½ inch cubes.

Butter a 13”x9”x3” dish. Put the bread in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle sausage then 1 ½ c of shredded cheese over the bread. 

In a bowl whisk together 6-8 eggs, 2 c half and half, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp dry mustard, and ¾ tsp black pepper. Gently pour it over the bread mixture.

Bake until the center of the eggs is just set.

Notes
You can wrap the leftovers in aluminum foil in individual servings. Reheat it in the oven in the foil.