Bacon Monte Cristo Casserole
As far as I am concerned, the holidays require decadent make-ahead breakfast casseroles. Bacon Monte Cristo Casserole, inspired by the delicious brunch sandwich, is a crowd-pleaser that’s special enough for your holiday brunch, but easy for any day! Brioche bread, crumbled bacon, cheddar, and Swiss cheese, all topped with powdered sugar and a drizzle of raspberry preserves. It’s yummy and sure to WOW!
I love a good Christmas morning breakfast that I can make ahead of time, and just enjoy the festivities the day of! Everyone is gonna want seconds of this brunch favorite!
How To Make Bacon Monte Cristo Casserole
Prep The Ingredients
Prior to starting this recipe, we will want to prep the casserole ingredients. Bake and crumble the bacon (let the bacon cool down before proceeding with the recipe). If needed, shred one cup each of Swiss and Cheddar Cheese. Then cube your slices of brioche bread into cubes.
Get out a 9×13 baking dish. You can spray the casserole dish with baking spray if desired. I have not found this recipe to need the 9×13 to be coated with spray. But you can try too if you would like.
Toss the Bread, Meat, And Cheese
Give the Bread, Meat, and Cheese a toss to distribute throughout the dish. I like to set a little over the bacon and cheese aside to add to the top of the casserole at the end to look a bit prettier.
Cover with Egg-y Custard
In a large bowl, whisk the milk and the eggs together until they are just combined. Pour the mixture evenly over the top of the casserole. Slightly press the bread into the egg mixture. If you set some of the bacon and cheese aside in the earlier step, add it to the top of the casserole now.
Refrigerate and Wait
Congratulations! The hard work is done! For the next bit of the recipe, we need to wait for the egg mixture to soak into our bread. Cover your casserole dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate the casserole for at least 6 hours. By the end of the 6 hours, the mixture should be pretty well-soaked into the bread, but for best results, I suggest letting the casserole sit overnight.
Bake It Up
About 10 minutes before you are ready to bake the casserole, preheat the oven to 350℉.
Leave the aluminum foil on top of the casserole dish. Add the covered Bacon Monte Cristo Casserole to the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes, and then remove the aluminum foil and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes.
Top with Powdered Sugar and Raspberry Jam
After the 45-50 minute bake time, when the casserole is all baked up, and there is no more liquid egg, remove the Bacon Monte Cristo Casserole from the oven.
Top with powdered sugar. Then, in a microwave-safe bowl, add the raspberry jam or preserves and microwave for 20 seconds to make the jam pourable. Drizzle hot raspberry jam over the top of the casserole. Slice the casserole up and enjoy. I like to serve this casserole alongside more hot, pourable raspberry jam and powdered sugar.
The Ingredients
Brioche Loaf
I use Pepperidge Farms brioche loaf, but any 22oz loaf of brioche will work for this recipe!
Eggs
The eggs are used to help combine the casserole together. Monte Cristo’s are traditionally dunked in a “french-toast-like” batter before they are griddled. That egg-y taste is ESSENTIAL in the Monte Cristo taste.
Milk
I use either 2% or whole milk in this recipe. The milk is used to create the “french-toast-like” batter.
Cheddar cheese & Swiss Cheese
Traditionally, Monte Cristo sandwiches use both cheddar and Swiss Cheese. I like to keep both in my casserole as well. You notice a cup of each cheese is listed in this recipe.
Bacon
Monte Cristo’s sandwiches typically consist of ham and turkey lunch meat, but in the casserole, Bacon adds a ton of flavor! Feel free to swap out the bacon for 2 cups of chopped leftover ham if you want!
Raspberry jam or preserves
Just like the sandwich, we want to serve our casserole with a little bit of raspberry jam. In addition to the jam that we add on top of this recipe. I also like to serve my Baconn Monte Cristo Casserole with additional raspberry jam for those who like there sandwiches extra coated.
Powdered sugar
Powdered sugar adds a bit of sweetness that this recipe needs. While it is also traditional to the sandwich, it looks GORGEOUS on top of the casserole as well. Don’t miss out on making this casserole a STUNNA!
Is Bacon Monte Cristo Casserole a Good Make-Ahead Brunch Recipe?
YES!!!!
You actually want to prep this recipe ahead of when you want to eat it. Just like french toast casserole, you will want to give the bread a chance to soak up all of the eggy custard BEFORE it goes into the oven.
I suggest letting the casserole sit for at least 6 hours to soak up the egg mixture, but preferably, let this casserole sit overnight! I like to prep my casserole the night before, and then take it out of the fridge and bake it in the morning.
You can always make it further ahead of time and heat it up in the microwave as well.
Can I Use This Casserole to Use Up Leftover Christmas Ham?
YES!! This Monte Cristo Casserole is a GREAT way to use up leftover Christmas ham! Just swap the ham for the bacon that this recipe calls for! You’ll want to use about 2 cups of chopped ham.
What to Serve With Bacon Monte Cristo Casserole
Bacon Monte Cristo Casserole, much like the sandwich, is pretty heavy and decadent. In my opinion, “heavy and decadent” = a great holiday breakfast casserole (but I’ve also made this casserole in June…so maybe it’s just great all around)! This recipe is pretty filling, so I like to make my sides pretty simple!
Here’s what I serve with Monte Cristo Casserole:
- Fresh Fruit (like berries)
- Savory Sweet Potatoes (they make the BEST breakfast potatoes)
- Scrambled Eggs
- Yogurt Parfait Bar with homemade granola
- Whatever you want 😉
You May Also Like
Looking for more easy, decadent, and FUN holiday or brunch-worthy dishes? We love a good brunch around here, so you are in good hands! Check out some of my FAVORITE and most popular brunch recipes:
- Decadent Blueberry Cheesecake Baked Oatmeal
- Homemade Pancake Sausage “Corn” Dog Bites (with Pancake Mix)
- Cheesy Sausage Gravy and Biscuits Cups (Make Ahead)
- Oven-Baked Eggs in Peppers
- Southwestern Breakfast Sandwiches
Bacon Monte Cristo Casserole
Ingredients
- 22 oz brioche loaf cut into cubes I use pepperidge farms
- 10 eggs
- 2 cups of milk
- 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- 1 cup Swiss cheese
- 1 lb of bacon cooked and crumbled
- 1/3 cup Raspberry jam or preserves (plus more for topping)
- Powdered sugar for topping
Instructions
- Slice the brioche bread into cubes. Place the cubes in a 9×13 baking dish.
- Add shredded cheese and crumbled bacon to the bread cubes, and give a toss to distribute the meat and cheese.
- Whisk the 10 eggs and milk until combined, then pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes.
- Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate the casserole for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Before baking, preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Add the covered Bacon Monte Cristo Casserole to the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes, and then remove the aluminum foil and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes.
- When the casserole is out of the oven, top with powdered sugar. Then, in a microwave-safe bowl, add the raspberry jam or preserves and microwave for 20 seconds to make it pourable. Drizzle hot raspberry jam over the top of the casserole.
