Leftover Cornbread Breakfast Bake (Casserole)
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What to do with the leftovers? Make this delicious leftover cornbread breakfast bake. It’s the perfect make-ahead breakfast casserole with leftover cornbread. Nothing goes to waste with this cornbread breakfast casserole recipe and it has such great flavor with the combination of savory and the slightly sweet cornbread.
Why we love this Leftover Cornbread Breakfast Bake recipe
We’re fans of not letting awesome side dishes go to waste and cornbread is definitely one of those. The combination of sweet cornbread, savory sausage and eggs is fantastic for breakfast. Each bite has so much flavor and it’s a hearty morning dish to share. It’s so simple to make, there’s no reason to not have a yummy morning breakfast casserole for the whole family.
Video: Recipe for Leftover Cornbread Breakfast Bake
Tips: How to Make Cornbread Breakfast Bake with Leftover Cornbread
- Cut the cornbread into small 1″ bite sized pieces or break into bite sized chunks.
- Meat Lovers: Our recipe uses sausage but you can add cooked bacon or ham. Or you can use all three different meats for a meat lovers breakfast casserole.
- For a healthier vegetarian version you can add some chopped spinach, asparagus or chopped kale.
- Make sure to use a 9″x13″ baking dish. This will help spread out the ingredients and not make the casserole too thick or high. If you’re using a smaller baking dish then the casserole will be higher, which means a longer cooking time.
- All recipe details are in the recipe box below.
Can You Make Ahead This Breakfast Casserole?
Yes you can make most of the steps ahead of time, but assemble everything before baking. The cornbread will soak up all the milk and eggs when made ahead of time and will be mushy when baked.
- You can saute the meat, veggies and spices ahead of time. Allow to cool and chill.
- Mix the eggs and milk ahead of time and chill.
- When you’re ready to bake, layer all the ingredients and pour the egg mixture on top as instructed in the cornbread breakfast casserole recipe below.
- OR just cook the casserole, let it cool and chill it for the next day. It’s great when it’s re-heated and it will save you time in the morning. If you’re re-heating it, bring it out of the fridge and allow to come to room temperature for about 1 hour. Then re-heat in a pre-heated oven at 350°F for about 15 minutes.
Substitutions & Additions for Thanksgiving Leftovers Breakfast Bake
- Bacon or ham can easily be substituted for the sausage. Or make it cajun style and use spiced up shrimp.
- Leave out the meat for a vegetarian option (not vegan though).
- Speaking of veggies, add to the bell peppers with other vegetables or just substitute in what you like. Asparagus, mushrooms, kale, spinach, collard greens all make great additions. Fresh corn is also always nice!
- Add other spices or herbs to your taste. Make it cajun style with some paprika, cayenne, and onion powder in addition to the garlic powder, salt and pepper. Or make it herb-licious by using dried or fresh thyme, basil, oregano, rosemary, etc. These are just a small sample of the ways you can make it to your taste.
What to Serve with Breakfast Bake?
Leftover Cornbread Breakfast Bake
This bake is also great when it's re-heated and it will save you time in the morning. If you want to make this ahead of time, we recommend to cook the casserole a day or two before, let it cool and chill it. When ready to serve, bring it to room temperature about 1 hour before re-heating. Then re-heat in a pre-heated oven at 350°F for about 15 minutes. You can always substitute different meats and veggies to your preference. Try bacon or ham instead of the sausage. Or leave them out for to make it vegetarian. Or try adding/subbing other veggies like asparagus, mushrooms, spinach, kale or collard greens.
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons (42 g) butter , divided & at room temperature
- 1/2 medium onion , chopped
- 8 oz. (227 g) uncooked bulk sausage
- 1/2 cup (75 g) chopped bell pepper (optional)
- 2 cups (480 ml) milk
- 5 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt , or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) garlic powder
- about 3 cups leftover cornbread (cut into 1” cubes or large crumbles)
- 3 green onions , chopped
- 1 cup (113 g) grated cheddar cheese , or cheese of choice
Equipment
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9”x13” baking dish with 1 Tablespoon of butter.
- In a skillet, melt the remaining 2 Tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for about 1 minute or until softened. Add the sausage (breaking up large chunks of sausage) and brown the sausage. When the sausage is nearly cooked through, add the optional bell peppers and cook for about 1 minute or until softened. Remove from heat.
- In a bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- In the prepared baking dish, layer the cubed or crumbled cornbread. Next, layer the sausage mix and green onions. Then layer the cheese on top.
- Pour milk/egg mixture over the cornbread. If cornbread floats, gently press cornbread down into the egg mixture.
- Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until golden and egg is set. Serve warm.
Video
Nutrition Information per Serving
Calories: 744kcal, Carbohydrates: 71g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 39g, Saturated Fat: 18g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 14g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 274mg, Sodium: 1399mg, Potassium: 491mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 24g, Vitamin A: 1368IU, Vitamin C: 18mg, Calcium: 420mg, Iron: 4mg
Easy Recipes using Holiday or Thanksgiving Leftovers
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34 Comments on “Leftover Cornbread Breakfast Bake (Casserole)”
Made this at work in our toaster oven with an 8×8 metal pan. Subbed sausage for 4 strips bacon (cooked), used 4 eggs and only 1.5 cups milk, didn’t have any bell peppers so none of those. Used leftover jiffy cornbread (made in the 8×8 pan, used 4 pieces out of 9 for casserole.)
Cooked it at 375/bake for 50 minutes total.
It came out fantastic for a ‘throw sh*t together’ meal and everyone cleared their plates happily, but I will 100% make it ahead of time next round since it does take a while to cook. Thanks for the recipe!
This was delicious! A perfect way to use leftover cornbread, and definitely adaptable for different flavor profiles by substituting different meats, veggies, and cheeses. However, since we only have two people eating it, I am wondering if I could freeze the leftover casserole in individual servings for a grab and go breakfast or snack. How would I heat that up? Would I need to thaw it before heating it? Thanks.
Hi MCW, so gad you enjoyed the leftover cornbread bake. Best way to re-heat is in the microwave so it doesn’t dry out. Yes, you should thaw it first. Thank you!
Delicious! A great recipe to put different spins on.
Thanks M.A!
I want to make this using leftover cornbread and honey baked ham we have, since I want to make this for dinner, I also have a bag of frozen peas and carrots – I want to include..would you thaw in with the sautéd onion? Or how would you incorporate?
Hi Leah! Yes we would thaw the frozen peas and carrots with the onion. It would release excess moisture.
Ya’ll this is so good. We had it for breakfast with salsa on top and hashbrowns on the side. We had it for dinner the next day with black beans, but it’s definitely a meal unto itself.
thanks Kevin! It really is so delicious and so glad you served it with black beans with the leftovers!