Name: Gluten-free Overnight Holiday Breakfast Casserole
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 9 h 20 min
Yield: 8-10
Ingredients: 6 cups cubed gluten-free white bread* (1" cubes); 2 cups cubed pre-cooked ham (1/2" cubes), bacon or breakfast sausage; 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese; 5 eggs; 2 cups milk; 1/2 tsp. ground mustard; 1/2 tsp. salt; 1/2 tsp. pepper; 1/2 tsp. garlic powder; 1/4 cup salted butter, melted

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Perfect for weekend mornings or holiday brunch because you prepare this gluten-free overnight breakfast casserole the night before and bake in the morning! Perfect gluten-free brunch recipe!

My family really enjoys when I make this gluten-free holiday breakfast casserole every year for Easter and Christmas brunch. Hearty, creamy, cheesy goodness, all in a delicious casserole that is made the night before! Just like my homemade Orange Julius recipe, my kids count on this being on the table for those holiday meals!

Since I am NOT a morning person, my family gets cereal, oatmeal, or muffins the other 363 days a year. The night before Easter and the night before Christmas, I take a bit of time and throw together this casserole, cover, and place in the fridge overnight.

Then I write out the baking instructions (time, temp, and reminder to uncover) and set that out for my early-rising hubby. He happily gets up, pulls the casserole out of the fridge, and places in the hot oven at the right time so we can enjoy our brunch.

I usually use leftover ham that I’ve frozen from a previous dinner. I almost always buy the spiral sliced Kirkland brand ham at Costco. You can also buy ham steaks to cube up for this recipe. Sometimes I buy a small Hempler’s Nitrate/Nitrite Free, gluten-free ham from my local store and it is perfect for this too.

You could substitute the ham with bacon or sausage for an equally delicious casserole. As always, make sure that the ham, bacon, or sausage that you use is free of any gluten in the ingredients. There are many clearly labeled gluten-free meats available.

You can really cube up just about any gluten-free bread to use in this. Some people like to keep their bread loaf ends for a few months, then cube for this.

I personally like to bake up a loaf of gluten-free bread a day or two before making this. Once cool, I just slice in thick 1″ slices and cube up what I need for this recipe and we use the rest for sandwiches.

To make it easy, I use my bread machine and just use one of my favorite gluten-free bread mixes: gfJules gluten-free bread mix (buy direct or from Amazon) or King Arthur’s gluten-free bread mix. You’ll use a little over half of the loaf for this recipe. You could also make my friend Chrystal’s gluten-free bread recipe from scratch.

Besides the bread, the only other thing you might not have on hand that you’ll want to pick up is some ground mustard. This is on the spice aisle at your store or you can buy on Amazon here. It only uses a bit, but does lend some flavor that I think is important – and this is from someone that doesn’t like liquid mustard on anything!

How to make this Gluten-free Breakfast Casserole the night before:

First spray your 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray. I use this Pyrex, because it has the lid to cover it in the fridge. (Just remember not to bake with the plastic cover still on!)
Then you simply add the bread cubes and ham, and sprinkle with cheese.
In a bowl, you’ll whisk together eggs, milk, and some seasonings, then you’ll pour those over the bread/ham mixture.
Pour melted butter over all!
Place plastic lid or plastic wrap over the top and place in refrigerator overnight!
In the morning, pull from refrigerator to rest on counter while you preheat oven. Then bake!

Here’s a look at it just out of the oven. You can see how the top pieces get crunchy – almost like croutons. People often fight over those crunchy pieces!

Can you make this dairy-free?

I have not made this dairy-free. But if you need it to be so, use a dairy-free milk and dairy-free shredded cheese. Pour a melted dairy-free alternative over it. I would not recommend coconut oil, as it will harden up in the refrigerator overnight and I just think it’ll negatively affect the results. Please do report back if you make this dairy-free!

For our special holiday brunch, I always serve this with homemade Orange Julius as well as some fresh fruit. I also always baked something sweet to serve with this. Sometimes I make my gluten-free berry coffee cake – usually if I’ve found a deal on berries! Many times, I’ve made my gluten-free pull-apart cinnamon rolls as everyone in my family loves them. This latest time I made gluten-free cinnamon roll muffins (recipe coming soon!).

I hope you’ll try this casserole for your next holiday or special brunch! Let me know what you pair it with too.

Gluten-free Breakfast Casserole Recipe:

Yield: 8-10