Maple Sausage and Waffle Breakfast Casserole

I generally tend to shy away from breakfast casseroles that contain eggs in combination with any type of bread product. I’ve tried quite a few of them, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I just don’t like the resulting texture; it always inevitably tastes soggy to me.

But when I saw this recipe, I couldn’t resist giving this a shot. Waffles, maple sausage, eggs, and cheese, all in one delicious dish? I mean, how could I possibly not try it? And I’m really glad I did, because the waffles in this casserole don’t taste soggy at all. I think that has a lot to do with the fact that they’re toasted before the eggs are added.

I love dishes that manage to be both sweet and savory at once, and this casserole is a perfect example of that. I will admit to using plain old store-brand frozen buttermilk waffles instead of the Eggo waffles called for in the original recipe, and I had absolutely no issues whatsoever. I even took some for lunch the next day, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this tasted even better as leftovers than it did straight out of the oven.

We all loved this so much, I think this has an excellent shot at replacing the breakfast casserole I make every year for Christmas.

Maple Sausage and Waffle Breakfast Casserole

adapted from What’s Cookin’, Chicago?, originally from Cook’s Country

8 frozen waffles
1 small onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 pound maple sausage
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
6 eggs
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

1. Toast waffles in a toaster until browned. Meanwhile, brown sausage in a skillet until no longer pink and drain on paper towels. Transfer to bowl and set aside.

2. In the same skillet, sauté onions and peppers until softened. Transfer to bowl with sausage.

3. Coat an 8 x 8 inch square baking dish with non-stick spray or butter. Arrange 4 waffles in the bottom and sprinkle with half the sausage/vegetable mixture and half the cheese. Repeat layer, with remaining waffles, sausage/vegetable mixture and cheese.

4. Whisk eggs and milk in a bowl with the syrup, salt, and pepper. Pour egg mixture over the waffles layers. Cover with plastic wrap and set a weight on top (like a baking dish holding a couple cans of food). Refrigerate overnight or for at least 1 hour.

5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, uncover casserole and bake 45 to 50 minutes until edges are puffy. Cool 5 minutes and serve.