You might as well thank me now because I’m about to make your Christmas morning a bit merrier.

Instead of slaving in the kitchen flipping eggs and toasting bread, you’ll get to relax and partake in the holiday festivities with the family while breakfast cooks itself.

Loaded with a delicious mix of sausage, bread, eggs and cheese, this breakfast bake is topped with cream of mushroom soup, which seeps into the casserole to create creamy pockets throughout this dish.

It’s assembled the night before, then refrigerated. Come Christmas morning, all you do is slather on the creamy topping and pop it in the oven.

Savory and satisfying, it’s an easy recipe to simplify your morning and feed a crowd.

Leftovers reheat great, so you won’t have to worry about breakfast during those hazy days between Christmas and New Year’s – you know what I’m talking about.

This recipe is super versatile, too. Veggies like bell peppers, onions, mushrooms and spinach can be added. Turkey sausage, bacon, ham or chorizo can be used in place of the pork sausage.

The French bread can be swapped out for croissants, brioche, even croutons or frozen hash browns. And any easy melting cheese, or mixture of cheeses, can be used.

SAUSAGE BREAKFAST BAKE

INGREDIENTS:

1 loaf French bread, cubed or torn in pieces

1 pound breakfast sausage, browned and drained (I use Jimmy Dean Maple)

2 1/2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups milk

4 eggs

3/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon pepper

For topping:

1/2 milk

1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup

DIRECTIONS:

Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Add in the cubed bread, followed by the browned sausage, and then the cheese.

In a medium sized bowl, add the milk, eggs, dry mustard, and pepper, and whisk to combine. Pour egg mixture over layers in baking dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325°.

Throughly combine the 1/2 cup milk with the cream of mushroom soup and pour over casserole, spreading mixture evenly with a spatula.

Bake 45-55 minutes, until firm and lightly golden.

Adapted from food.com