Mom's Breakfast Casserole

This breakfast casserole is what my Mom made every Christmas morning for as long as I can remember (and still does sometimes). It came out of our church's (that I attended as a child) annual cookbook. It's a delicious sausage and egg casserole which is prepared the night before you want to cook it. The next morning all you have to do is let the dish come to room temperature and then pop it into the oven! This was a huge hit for our friends that came over for brunch yesterday. I paired this with a vegetarian frittata which will be posted shortly, but this meat option was delicious! It's also great for leftovers!

Ingredients:

1 pound sausage, browned and drained

6 eggs

2 cups skim milk

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 cup grated cheese

3 slices fresh sourdough bread, cubed

non-stick cooking spray

1 tb, chives, chopped (optional, for garnish)

Optional Toppings: salsa, sour cream, etc.

Directions:

Brown the sausage in a skillet and drain if necessary. My sausage was a bit leaner, so I didn't need to drain it. Mix together eggs, milk, salt, pepper and mustard with a mixer or by whisking. Add in the cheese and sausage. Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Cover the bottom with the bread crumbs - make sure you have enough for a layer. Pour the egg mixture over the bread crumbs evenly, cover, and refrigerate overnight. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the dish from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature (especially if it's glass). Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. If desired, top with chopped chives.