$pent Millennial

All right, so I know I talked a big game about the potatoes and the macaroni and cheese, and I do truly love potatoes and macaroni and cheese. But, I mean it when I say this is THE most important recipe for the big day. 

I am sure some people believe that fasting before the big turkey dinner is all part of the lead-up to stuffing yourself until your pants won’t stretch anymore. If that’s your thing, great. Personally, for me, there is nothing worse than working on chopping potatoes and onions, chilling cookie dough, and simmering Mac and Cheese on a hungry stomach- or even worse with hungry, grumpy relatives poking their heads and fingers in wondering, “How much longer ‘til we eat?”. 

This is why I truly believe that this breakfast casserole recipe is THE most important recipe of the holiday. 

The best part is you prepare it the evening before, chill it in the fridge, and pop it into the oven- before the others even wake up. It is hearty and tasty enough to set everyone up for a lazy morning of parades and football while you finish prep for the main event. 

Here I will share two different versions. They are pretty similar, but I wanted to share one that was made with (mostly) Dollar Tree ingredients to show that you don’t need to spend a whole lot of money to make it happen. Again, in my opinion- very worth the investment. 

Budget Casserole: Dollar Tree Here I Come! 

Ingredients: 

• Dollar Tree Fries- 2 packs 
• Dollar Tree Pepper & Onion Mix – 1 pack 
• Margarine or butter for dish- available at Dollar Tree*
• 1 Block of Cheddar Cheese (Dollar Tree) 
• 1 Block of Pepper Jack Cheese (Dollar Tree) 
• 1 Cup of Milk 
• Eggs 4 Large (6 Regular)- Some Dollar Trees have half a dozen, otherwise try local grocers, lately a dozen have not been much more than $1.25 by me. 
• Seasoning: To Taste- I used Seasonall (flavored salt), Creole seasoning, black pepper and Cayenne 
• Optional: Breakfast Sausage Links- or other meat/meatless as desired (I did see sausage links available at my local Dollar Tree) 

Steps: 

1. Prep the casserole dish, grease using margarine or butter 
2. Saute frozen pepper and onion mix on the stove, defrosting and cooking off excess water
3. While the pepper and onion mix cook, break the frozen fries into pieces and use them to line the casserole dish. 
4. Toss the frozen fries with seasoning to taste
5. Shred the blocks of cheese
6. Optional: cook your choice of meat or meatless to add to the dish, layer on top of frozen potatoes 
7. In a bowl, mix the milk, eggs, pepper & onion mix, seasoning, and ½ of each of the cheeses
8. Pour the mix over the potato (and optional meat/ meatless) layer. 
9. Spread the rest of the shredded cheese across the top
10. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight 
11. The next morning, cook covered at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, then remove the cover and cook an additional 25-35 minutes, until it is brown and bubbling 
12. Serve and enjoy! 

*Unfortunately, Dollar Tree products and availability vary, but many of these items can be found for similar prices at local grocers’ 

Fully-Loaded

Ingredients: 

• 16 oz Frozen Tater Tots 
• 1 Red Bell Pepper (Diced) 
• 1 Green Bell Pepper (Diced) 
• 1 Medium White Onion (Diced) 
• Butter for dish
• 2 Cups of Grated Cheddar Cheese 
• 2 Cups of Grated Pepper Jack Cheese 
• 1 Cup of Milk 
• ½ Cup of Half-and-Half 
• Eggs 4 Large (6 Regular)
• Seasoning: To Taste- I used Seasonall (flavored salt), Creole seasoning, black pepper and Cayenne 
• Optional: Breakfast Sausage Links- or other meat/meatless as desired
  • Oil to saute sausage in 

Steps: 

1. Prep the casserole dish, grease using butter 
2. Prep veggies, dice onion & peppers
3. Saute sausage/ breakfast meat/ meatless of choice with diced onion in oil
4. Line tater tots in the buttered dish
5. Toss the tater tots with seasoning to taste, as needed -some are pre-seasoned
6. Shred the blocks of cheese
7. Layer breakfast meat/ meatless and onions over tots
8. In a bowl, mix the milk, half-and -half,  eggs, diced peppers, seasoning, and ½ of each of the cheeses
9. Pour the mix over the potato (and optional meat/ meatless) layer. 
10. Spread the rest of the shredded cheese across the top
11. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight 
12. The next morning, cook covered at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, then remove the cover, and cook an additional 25-35 minutes, until it is browned and bubbling 
13. Serve and enjoy! 

There you have it, a prep-ahead breakfast casserole to keep everyone satisfied (and sane) while the big meal is prepared! 

As always, make it your own; add, subtract, and substitute as fits you and your family’s tastes, budgets, and needs.