Egg Biscuit Breakfast Casserole

Thanksgiving. The kitchen was mine by five AM Thursday — turkey brining since Tuesday, now rinsed and patted dry and rubbed with butter and salt and pepper and tucked into the roasting pan like a patient being prepared for a long and important procedure. Into the oven at 325, which is the temperature Betty used and which I will use until science itself tells me different, and even then I'll argue. The dressing was assembled by seven — cornbread and biscuit crumbs, celery, onion, sage (the right amount, God willing), moistened with turkey stock I'd made from the neck and giblets Wednesday night, poured into the baking dish and set aside for the oven.

Travis and Jolene arrived at noon with Earl Thomas in Jolene's arms. Wait — no, Earl Thomas isn't born yet. That's next year. Travis and Jolene arrived with beer and the sweet potato casserole and the easy energy of a young couple who've been married a year and still think holidays are fun. Amber made it — traded a Christmas shift for Thanksgiving off, which means she'll work December 25, which she hasn't told Connie yet because telling Connie you're working Christmas is best done gradually, like introducing a cat to water. Clay came last, quiet, sober, carrying a two-liter of Coke again, which has become his contribution and his statement and both are sufficient.

The dressing was right. Second year in a row. The sage settled into the cornbread like it belonged there, like it had always been there, like Betty's hands had seasoned it from three hours away. The turkey was juicy. The gravy was smooth. The mashed potatoes were Connie's, which means they were perfect because Connie's mashed potatoes are the thing she does best in the kitchen and I will say that out loud and in print. We ate at the table, five of us plus Jolene, and I looked around and thought: this table is full. Not full of food, though it is. Full of people who survived another year. That's what Thanksgiving is in this house — a census of survival. We're all here. That's the grace.

Called Betty after dinner. She ate alone in Evarts — soup beans and cornbread, not a turkey, because a turkey for one person is an act of either optimism or foolishness and Betty is neither. She said the blessing over the phone while we listened, all six of us quiet in the kitchen, and her voice was thin but certain and she thanked the Lord for family and food and the strength to get through another year, and I said amen from three hours away and meant it for the first time in a long time.

The Friday after Thanksgiving, nobody wants to cook — but everybody’s still hungry, and the house still has that particular warmth that comes from having people in it the day before. The biscuits were already there, leftover from the dressing prep, and the eggs were in the refrigerator, and it occurred to me that what held that table together on Thursday wasn’t just the turkey or the gravy — it was the act of feeding people, again and again, until they feel accounted for. This egg biscuit breakfast casserole is exactly that: simple, filling, made from what you already have, and good enough to call everyone back to the table one more time.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
6 buttermilk biscuits, day-old, torn into rough 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
1 cup cooked breakfast sausage, crumbled (or diced leftover ham)
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for the baking dish

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish generously and set aside.
Make the egg mixture. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and dry mustard until smooth and fully combined.
Layer the casserole. Spread the torn biscuit pieces evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Scatter the cooked sausage or ham over the biscuits, then sprinkle 1 cup of the cheddar cheese and all of the green onions over the top.
Add the egg mixture. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the entire casserole, pressing down gently with a spatula so the biscuit pieces absorb the liquid. Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes to soak.
Top and bake. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese over the top. Bake uncovered for 38 to 42 minutes, until the center is set and no longer jiggles, and the top is golden brown.
Rest before serving. Remove from the oven and let rest 5 minutes before slicing. Serve warm, directly from the dish.

Nutrition (per serving)

Egg Biscuit Breakfast Casserole — The Morning After the Table Was Full