Making a big breakfast for everyone can be really fun, but it can also be really time consuming. This is where a breakfast casserole comes in handy. Served alongside some fresh fruit, with coffee and juice and you’ve got a full meal. This raisin bread and sausage casserole has a unique flavor that’s a welcome blend of two of our favorite morning foods.

We don’t always think of a spicy and sweet combination as going well with sausage, but the mixture of nutmeg and cinnamon goes quite well together. This casserole also gets a nice sweetness from the topping of pecans, brown sugar, and maple syrup.

Ingredient

FOR THE CASSEROLE

1/2 pound bulk breakfast sausage
1 loaf cinnamon-raisin bread, cubed
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

FOR THE TOPPING

1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons maple syrup (optional)

Directions

In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat 4-6 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles; drain. In a greased 13×9-in. baking dish, combine bread and sausage.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg until blended; pour over bread. Refrigerate, covered, several hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°. Remove casserole from refrigerator while oven heats. In a small bowl, beat topping ingredients until blended. Drop by tablespoonfuls over casserole.
Bake, uncovered, 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Facts

1 piece: 425 calories, 25g fat (10g saturated fat), 141mg cholesterol, 324mg sodium, 41g carbohydrate (26g sugars, 3g fiber), 11g protein.