Upgrade Brunch By Turning Frozen Breakfast Sandwiches Into A Crowd-Ready Casserole

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Frozen breakfast sandwiches are a great option on a lazy weekend morning, but they're not exactly the best pick for catering to a crowd. From ensuring they're simultaneously hot and ready to having enough for everyone, it's easier to simply go with another option — or make the sandwiches even heartier. You could just pile more ingredients on top, but baking them into an eggy casserole is the superior choice.

Serving up a quiche or cheesy sausage breakfast casserole at brunch is common, but your favorite handheld dishes can easily be replicated in a similar format. Layering sandwiches in a baking dish then pouring a mixture of eggs, milk, and heavy cream on top places the sandwiches into a tender, savory enclosure. Store-bought frozen breakfast sandwiches — like a bacon, egg, and cheese — are the easiest pick for the job, but you can also use chicken or sausage patties piled atop biscuits, English muffins, or rolled out crescent dough.

With your sandwiches assembled in a greased casserole dish, whisk eggs, milk, and heavy cream with salt, pepper, paprika, and onion powder. Pour the liquid into the baking dish; the egg mixture should submerge at least the lower half of the sandwiches, but you can cover them completely if you want a thicker casserole. Bake the dish at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 30 minutes, or until the eggs are completely set.

If you really want to impress your brunch crowd, incorporating beloved breakfast handheld flavors into the baked dish is the way to go. Deconstruct an everything bagel sandwich with the help of frozen sausage patties, plain bagels, and of course, everything bagel seasoning. You can layer the bagels and patties atop one another, or cut them up into bite-sized pieces. Mix the eggs with cream cheese, milk, and the everything bagel seasoning blend. To really capture the essence of the classic bagel, stir in some red onions, capers, and bits of smoked salmon.

For a breakfast casserole that combines sweet and savory flavors, Jimmy Dean's frozen maple griddle cake works as a great base. The maple-infused pancakes perfectly complement the sausage, making for a casserole that can easily play into either flavor profile. Bring out the honeyed side by whisking cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract into the eggs for a French toast-like taste, or amp up the sausage's meatiness with ground fennel, sage, and garlic powder.

With a classic bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich, there are plenty of complementary ingredients you can add to the egg batter. Make things even cheesier by stirring shredded cheddar and parmesan into the eggs, or go for a loaded omelet-esque finish with sauteed sweet peppers, jalapeños, mushrooms, and spinach.