For A Visually Stunning Breakfast Casserole, Use Half Moon-Shaped Bagels
A breakfast casserole is the perfect way to serve a complex, impressive meal that incorporates multiple classic breakfast foods — either just for yourself or for guests at a brunch. Tasting Table's recipe for a savory breakfast bagel casserole, which was developed by Tess Le Moing, expands on the breakfast casserole idea by using half-moon-shaped bagels to make the dish into one that is as stunning to look at as it is delicious.
Le Moing was inspired by the lack of bagel casseroles wherein you could actually tell it consisted of bagels (many recipes call for bagels to be cut up into small pieces). Le Moing said, "When I serve a bagel casserole, I want to see bagels! So I thought keeping them in a half-moon shape would make for a more visually pleasing presentation."
Not only does the half-moon shape improve the look of the dish but it also affects the texture since one half is resting in the egg and the other half gets toasted by the oven. Le Moing explained, "So [it's] the perfect balance of soft and crunchy." Plus, when it comes to the taste, the bagels will be a combination of all the ingredients' flavors — one side of the bagel boasts the melted cheese, while the other soaks up the egg.
Other flavor ideas for a bagel casserole
While the Tasting Table recipe uses cheddar cheese and bacon to complement the bagels and eggs, these can easily be swapped out for other ideas. To begin with, you may want to swap out the bacon for turkey bacon or even plant-based vegetarian bacon. Additionally, you can swap out the bacon for another type of meat. Maybe you prefer sausage links to bacon in the mornings, or maybe you'd like to use sliced turkey or ham instead. If you want to get some veggies into your breakfast, you could include bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, asparagus, or really any favorite vegetable. Plus, you have total control over what type of cheese and bagel you want to use; any choice is basically guaranteed to be delicious.
Additionally, you can even opt to ditch the savory idea and make a sweet bagel casserole instead. For this idea, you'll probably want to pick a bagel on the sweeter side, such as cinnamon raisin or blueberry. Then, you can swap out the egg for a French toast mixture (typically eggs, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla). Finally, you can add a fresh fruit topping, such as mixed berries. When it comes out of the oven, you can top it with whipped cream or even maple syrup.