Buttery Breakfast Casserole

I’m always looking for a good breakfast casserole dish as it’s my favorite thing to serve for a holiday breakfast.  Although I did not make this for a holiday it was certainly good enough to be served on one. I came across this recipe from the New York Times. The ingredient that stood out to me was using croissants. It also has two other of my favorite breakfast items, sausage and cheese!  This is a rich buttery breakfast.

INGREDIENTS
6 croissants, split in half
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch of scallions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced and set aside.
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
2 teaspoons finely chopped sage
8 large eggs
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups Gruyere cheese, grated
Salt
Pepper

DIRECTIONS
Turn the oven to broil, leaving the oven door open slightly.  Place croissants on a baking sheet and toast under the broiler until golden brown. Don’t look away… this takes just a very short time! Remove from oven. Let cool and tear into bite size pieces.  In a medium skillet over medium high heat add the olive oil,  sliced scallions and sausage meat. Cook sausage, breaking up the meat while cooking until the sausage is cooked through and browned. Stir in sage and remove from heat.  In a large bowl toss together croissants and sausage mixture. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cream and 1 1/2 cups cheese, salt and pepper.  Lightly spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray. Put the croissant mixture in the pan spreading it to form an even layer. Pour the custard mixture into the pan pressing the croissants down slightly so it absorbs the liquid. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
When you are ready to bake the casserole, remove from fridge and heat the oven to 350 degrees.scatter the remaining cheese over top. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool for a few minutes and serve warm.

Enjoy!