Make This Easy Breakfast Casserole the Night Before for a No-Stress Brunch (2024)

FAQs

How long can you refrigerate a breakfast casserole before baking? ›

Success Tip: Refrigerate Overnight

At this point, you can either bake it right away or refrigerate the casserole overnight and for up to 24 hours. During this time, the flavors mingle together and the bread has a chance to soak up some of the liquid and flavor.

The answer depends on what's in it. Casseroles with raw protein (meat, poultry, seafood) should be completely cooked before freezing. However dishes with pre-cooked meats or no meat are fine to go in the freezer uncooked.

An egg strata traditionally consists of layered bread, cheese, and other foods (such as cooked sausage, ham, bacon, shrimp, or vegetables) over which a mixture of raw beaten eggs and milk are poured. The casserole is covered and refrigerated overnight to allow the liquid ingredients to be absorbed into the bread.

To make a breakfast casserole you beat some eggs, add milk and cheese, add cubed bread, add "mix-ins" like mushrooms, veggies, sausage, and herbs, put it in a casserole dish, and bake.

How long does it take a refrigerated casserole to come to room temp? Depending on the size of the dish and the density of its contents, it takes about an hour for to come up to room temperature. Add more time for a larger pan or one with dense contents.

Your vegetables could be to blame

According to Allrecipes, the vegetables you selected are the most common culprit for your watery casserole, due to the high percentage of moisture that some of them contain in their raw form which seeps out as they cook down in your dish.

Yes, you can. Raw eggs are fairly stable in the freezer, especially when beaten or mixed with other ingredients. Check to see what else is in the casserole, though. Hard-cooked eggs, potatoes, rice and pasta don't freeze particularly well because they break down and lose their texture.

For a puffy egg casserole, you can prevent falling by cooking at a lower temperature, as with this recipe.

Bake the casserole for only 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Wrap tightly with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, then reheat in a 375 F oven for 30 minutes the next morning until the casserole is browned and heated through.

Hard cooked eggs can be stored in the refrigerator up to seven days, either left in their shells or peeled. Make sure eggs are refrigerated within two hours after cooking, and don't leave refrigerated cooked eggs out at room temperature for more than two hours.

Can you pre cook eggs the night before? ›

You can prepare eggs in advance to eat throughout the week. Eggs can last for several days in the fridge or for several months when frozen. There's a huge variety of egg-based dishes to choose from, and many of them can be meal prepped.

Serve eggs and food prepared using eggs immediately after cooking, or refrigerate and use within three to four days. For entertaining, serve all egg dishes within two hours. Cold egg dishes and beverages should be kept on ice.

Use the trusty food thermometer

However, when it comes to knowing definitively that your casserole is done, Kitchen Seer states there is really only one way: A food thermometer. You will need to ensure the internal temperature is at a minimum of 165 degrees F.

Structure. Whole eggs, egg yolks and egg whites are all used to add structure to batters. The yolk's elevated fat content helps it bind fats and liquids together through what's called an emulsion.

Uncooked Casseroles: If the casserole contains raw meat or seafood, it should be refrigerated for no more than 1-2 days before baking. A purely vegetable-based uncooked casserole can be refrigerated for 3-4 days. Cooked Casseroles: Once cooked, casseroles can be kept in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

If you've got raw egg yolks or whites left over from a recipe which you don't want to waste (let's face it, why would you?), you can store them in the fridge as long as you plan to use them within the next few days.

Most leftovers — such as cooked beef, pork, seafood or chicken, chili, soups, pizza, casseroles and stew — can be safely kept for three to four days.

Never let them stay on the counter for more than 2 hours (or 1 hour on a warm day with temperatures over 90°F (32.2°C). Raw scrambled eggs only last 1 day in the fridge if you stored them in a covered container and at a temperature of 40°F (4.4°C) or below.