The holidays are a crazy time in my family. And I mean that in a good way. The kids are off school. The adults save up a good chunk of vacation time so most of them are off work before and after Christmas all the way up to New Year’s Day. We spend A LOT of time together preparing for Christmas. Wrapping presents, doing crafts, decorating, and eating. Now normally, one of our favorite activities of all things is making breakfast together. We all end up at mom’s house, someone’s working on hash browns, someone on eggs, well, you get the idea. But with all the activities and tempting treats this time of year it can be hard to make sure you get a balanced meal and breakfast is no exception. Who has time for a leisurely breakfast when there is SHOPPING to be done?! So this year we have turned to a new favorite to help us out in a pinch, Johnsonville® Fully Cooked Breakfast Sausage. 30 seconds from microwave to plate and you have a hot protein packed start to the day.
Now interestingly enough, the one day we are most likely to get a full breakfast is Christmas itself. That is partly thanks to a tradition that the hubby started several years ago. You see, we all get together for Christmas Eve AND Christmas. And I mean we are all under one roof for 24-36 hours straight, so on Christmas Eve, the hubby prepares a Breakfast Strata. He makes it, covers it and puts it in the fridge overnight, and then pops it in the oven first thing Christmas morning. We open presents while it bakes (and puts a lovely aroma in the air) and then we eat. No muss, no fuss, no dishes. Christmas morning. The downside is the time it takes to put together Christmas Eve. But hopefully you can see that I’m about to make things a lot quicker for the hubby. You guessed it, Johnsonville Fully Cooked Breakfast Sausage Breakfast Strata. Now this is not an exact recipe, except for the ratio of eggs to milk, everything is kind of variable. The hubby had to think a while on this one to tell me how he makes it, he just kind of eyeballs it every year and it just turns out super yummy.
Here’s the gist.
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 pound of breakfast sausage or 1 to 2 packages of Johnsonville Fully Cooked Breakfast Sausage
- A loaf of good crusty bread, something like sourdough or French bread. Splurge, get something fresh from your Bakery department.
- Half a package of Velveeta
- 12 eggs
- 3 cups of milk
- 9 x 13 inch casserole/baking dish
- Note the ratio is 4 eggs to 1 cup of milk, you can add or subtract as needed, but keeps that ratio (so if you decide you need a little more, mix up 2 eggs and a half cup of milk, etc)
Instructions
- Old way…Brown up the sausage in a skillet
- New way…cut up the Johnsonville Sausage into small chunks. This is a huge time saver, because now instead of having to brown and drain the sausage, and then wait for it to cool, you can just cut it up straight from the fridge.
- Cut up the bread (don’t do the whole loaf at once) into 1 inch cubes. No, you don’t have to be precise.
- Cut up the Velveeta into 1/2 inch cubes
- In a large bowl mix up the bread, cheese and sausage by hand so it’s all well distributed. Put the contents into the backing dish. You want it about even with the top of the baking dish or a little below, not overflowing.
- In another bowl mix up the eggs and milk and pour over the contents of the baking dish. The hubby starts with 8 eggs and 2 cups of milk and then adjusts. You want everything soaked in the egg mixture, but you don’t want it to overflow (are you sensing a theme here?).
- Once everything is coated, but not overflowing (again that theme), cover the dish with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge overnight.
- Christmas morning, take it out of the fridge, remove the plastic wrap (that’s a really important step), and put the baking dish on a foiled lined cookie sheet and pop it in the oven at 350 degrees. It can take anywhere from an hour to two hours to cook all the way through.
- Now, note the foil lined cookie sheet, because every year, despite the hubby’s best efforts, when it bakes, it ends up overflowing.
- Want to make it a bit fancier? Add a ½ cup of “something” … such as green peppers, red peppers, mushroom. Let your imagination be your guide!
Interested in changing up the flavor of your dish? Johnsonville Fully Cooked Breakfast Links come in 3 flavors, and each pack comes with 12 links. Learn more at
Incorporate Johnsonville Fully Cooked Breakfast Sausage into your everyday meals. Pick up a package or two at Walmart stores nationwide. For additional listings, use Johnsonville’s “Where to Buy” link on Johnsonville.com at the bottom of the website.
This year, add a little time back to the bank by doing a little prep at night and wowing the family first thing in the morning. Just because the hustle and bustle of the holidays is in full swing doesn’t mean we have to forfeit good taste and quality products, let Johnsonville Fully Cooked Breakfast Sausage take on a bit of the burden while you enjoy much needed time with the ones you love.
From our family to yours, happy holidays!
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Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post written in conjunction with Johnsonville® and a campaign with Sverve. Regardless, all opinions expressed are still 100% my own.
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