I’ve been kicking around this bag of plain, dry stuffing cubes since the beginning of November. I had bought them for a recipe for the paper, and ended up only using one bag. Obviously, I could make stuffing with them, but I was really hoping to use them for something else completely, as the kids are soooo not stuffing fans. Every time I opened one particular cabinet, that bag of stuffing would taunt me, and finally, yesterday I’d decided I’d had enough taunting. I was going to use those bread cubes no matter what.
What I had in mind, was a breakfast casserole of sorts. I’ve only ever made them with fresh bread, but I really didn’t see why the dry cubes couldn’t be used with a little planning ahead. I had seen a recipe that used Stove Top Stuffing mix on Recipezaar, and I thought that my cubes weren’t that far off from that, so I assembled my own creation. I used the dry cubes, my own seasoning mix, and some simply caramelized onions to make a fantastic breakfast casserole. It turned out fantastic, and is the perfect candidate for a make-ahead meal. Since the bread cubes need to soak for a while, you could easily make this in the morning, pop it in the fridge,and then bake in the evening. Or, assemble it at night, and bake it in the morning for breakfast or brunch. This was the perfect solution for using those bread cubes… in fact, I could see myself buying bread cubes in the future just to make this. My cubes were plain, dry and white. By all means, make your own bread cubes, and use whole wheat, rye, whatever you like. Just make sure they are nice and dry so they soak up the milk and eggs perfectly.
Oh, and this is an excellent place to add whatever you would like. Add a few handfuls of bacon, ham, or cooked breakfast sausage if you want. I also used almond milk last night instead of plain milk, and it certainly didn’t have any negative affect, so you can really play around with this. Try leeks instead of onions, or add some sauteed mushrooms. Swiss cheese instead of cheddar would be great- the sky’s the limit, so have fun with it!
Easy Egg Casserole
1 tablespoon butter 1 large onion, sliced6 eggs
2 cups milk 2 cups dry plain stuffing bread cubes 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon herb spice blend ( I used Penzey’s Tuscan Sunset)
1/4 teaspoon paprika 1/8 teaspoon seasoning salt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper dash garlic powder
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
In a non-stick saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the onions. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the onions are lightly caramelized. Spread the onions evenly in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
In a large mixing bowl, break the eggs and beat with the milk until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients except for the onions.
Pour the mixture on top of the onions, and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. (This will soften the stuffing cubes and blend the flavors nicely.)
Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned and the middle is firm and set.
Cut into squares and serve immediately.
Serves 4 to 6.
A friend of mine in college used to make a chicken dish using dried bread cubes (stuffing), salsa, boneless/skinless chicken breasts and cheese. I remember there was a little melted butter drizzled over it before baking. If I remember correctly, you mixed a little hot water with the salsa, poured that over the layer of stuffing in the baking dish, nestled the chicken in the mix, covered and baked for about 20 minutes or so, a relatively short time. (Until the chicken was done – I guess.) Then it was uncovered, sprinkled with cheese and baked until the cheese melted. I haven’t thought about that dish for years and doubt I have the recipe, but it was cheap, very easy and required few ingredients – we loved it!