Everything Bagel Breakfast Casserole

Anyone else immediately think of that scene from The Family Stone with SJP getting her family’s strata recipe together? Then she learns Everett is allergic to mushrooms, and finally the next day the casserole dish ends up all over the floor and herself?

What I am getting at is that I associate breakfast strata with The Family Stone, which also happens to be my favorite holiday movie.

And this breakfast casserole is definitely a favorite as well.

Why You Must Make This Dish

You guys are going to love this – The everything bagels paired with the sun dried tomatoes, cheese and basil give this breakfast bake so much flavor.

You can prep it up to a day in advance so come the next morning you’ll have an amazing hearty breakfast dish to enjoy.

BONUS: Dishes and cleanup were already done the night before so all you have to worry about is getting the casserole in the oven and gathering around the table.

Or at least that’s the plan, right?  

What You Need

• everything bagels
• eggs
• milk
• medium white cheddar cheese
• feta
• sun dried tomatoes
• fresh basil
• salt & pepper

You’ll also want a 9×13 casserole dish, or at least 3 quart size dish.

Keep reading for more recipe notes, substitutions and baking tips.

How to Make A Breakfast Casserole with Bagels

Breakfast casseroles are the perfect recipe to serve a crowd, but are also great for meal prep too – they reheat so well! This bagel casserole doesn’t take a ton of hands on time – you just have to cut the bagels, mix together the eggs and throw it all together and let it sit for several hours.

Here’s a quick step-by-step overview of the recipe with process images so you get an idea of how easily this comes together.

Prepare the bagels

First, make sure you’re using dried out or “day old” bagels. If you don’t have time to allow the bagels to dry out for a day, simply slice and toast them in the oven at 300ºF for about 5-6 minutes.

Then cut the bagels into about 1″ cubes and place half of them in a greased two quart casserole dish. Se the other half aside for now.

Whisk the egg mixture

Then in a large bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs, then fold in the feta cheese, cheddar cheese, sun dried tomatoes and basil.

Pour into dish

Pour half of the egg mixture over the bagel pieces in the casserole dish, add the rest of the bagels and then cover with the remaining egg mixture.

Refrigerate overnight

Make sure all of the bagels are well covered in the egg mixture, then cover and refrigerate overnight, up to 12 hours, or at least 4 hours if you’re in a hurry.

Substitutions

Milk: I used unsweetened cashew because that is typically what I have on hand. Traditionally strata is made with half and half, heavy cream, or whole milk, but the unsweetened cashew lightens up this strata recipe a bit. Trust me, it’s still amazing. Feel free to use whatever milk you have on hand.

Cheese: I used a combination of feta and medium white cheddar. I’m all about the feta, so it’s kind of my go-to cheese option. But I understand it’s not for everyone. You could sub cut up pieces of cream cheese or even crumbled goat cheese would work too.

Meat Options: This breakfast strata happens to be vegetarian friendly, but if you have meat lovers coming over, crispy bacon or Italian sausage would be a great addition. Just make sure you cook it first, then add into the egg mixture.

Bagels: If you don’t have everything bagels, you could always add everything bagel seasoning to the dish, I’d use about two teaspoons. While I haven’t tried this particular recipe with other bread, a loaf of french bread or a baguette would also likely work.