We love Thanksgiving – family, food, and hours of endless work in the kitchen! Triple that if you have out-of-town guests coming in.
We’ve got you covered!
We pulled together two of our favorites – one savory and one sweet – and turned them into make-ahead casseroles!
Both of these recipes require some assembly, but you can make them weeks ahead of entertaining and freeze them. Defrost in the fridge overnight, bake and serve.
Savory:
Biscuits and Gravy Casserole
Download our Biscuits and Gravy Casserole recipe
Adapted from Taste of Home
Ingredients
Gravy
- 1 pound Sinclair Family Farm bulk pork sausage
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups 2% milk
- 1-1/2 teaspoons pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
Biscuits
- 2-1/4 cups biscuit/baking mix
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
Method
- In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink, 6-8 minutes, breaking into crumbles. Remove with a slotted spoon; reserving 1/4 cup of the drippings in pan, discard the rest. Stir in flour until blended; cook and stir until golden brown (do not burn), 1-2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Stir in sausage, pepper, paprika and chili powder. Pour into a greased 13×9-in. baking dish. Cool completely.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix baking mix, sour cream and melted butter until moistened. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead gently 8-10 times.
- Pat or roll dough to 3/4-in. thickness; cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. biscuit cutter. Place biscuits over gravy. Refrigerate, covered, overnight.*
- Preheat oven to 400°. Remove casserole from refrigerator while oven heats. Bake, uncovered, until gravy is heated through, and biscuits are golden brown, 22-25 minutes.
*Make ahead:
Cover and freeze the unbaked casserole. To cook it, partially thaw the casserole in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before you’re ready to bake. Bake in a 400° oven 22-25 minutes, adding time as needed to heat through and biscuits are golden brown.
Sweet:
Baked Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole
Download our Baked Cream Cheese Overnight French Toast recipe!
Adapted from Sally’s Baking Recipes
Ingredients
- 1 (12-14 ounce) loaf French bread or sourdough bread
- 8 ounces full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar (do not leave out)
- 3 tsp vanilla extract, divided
- 8 large Carson Valley Meats eggs
- 2 1/4 cups milk (whole milk is best but 2% works well too!)
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
Crumb Topping
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- Optional: maple syrup and/or confectioners’ sugar for topping
Method
- Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray. Slice, then cut, the bread into cubes, about 1 inch in size. Spread half of the cubes into the prepared baking pan.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the room temperature cream cheese on medium-high speed until completely smooth. Beat in the confectioner’s sugar and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract until combined. Drop random spoonfuls of cream cheese mixture on top of the bread. Layer the remaining bread cubes on top of cream cheese. Set aside.
- Whisk the eggs, milk, cinnamon, brown sugar, and remaining vanilla together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Pour evenly over the bread. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours and up to 24 hours. Overnight is best.*
- Preheat oven to 350°. Remove pan from the refrigerator.
- Prepare the crumb topping: Whisk the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Cut in the cold cubed butter with a pastry blender or two forks. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the soaked bread.
- Bake uncovered for 45-55 minutes or until golden brown on top. Shorter cooking time keeps the insides softer.
- Drizzle with optional maple syrup or dust with confectioners’ sugar. Serve warm.
- Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
*Make Ahead
To freeze, prepare the recipe through step 3 and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and then continue with step 4. You can freeze the prepared casserole with the crumb topping or add it on right before baking, but keep in mind that fresh crumb topping always gives the dish a little more texture. Thaw in the refrigerator, and then reheat to your liking in the microwave or cover and bake in a 300° until warm throughout, at least 20 minutes.
Favorite Breakfast Ingredients
Eggs of a different color
Did you know? Different breeds of chickens lay different colored eggs. They can be white, cream, tan, brown, blue, and green.
Happy pigs make great bacon
Did you know? Allowing pigs to root around for tasty treats reduces stress on the animals and makes for higher quality meat.
Chunky Cherry
Misbeehaven Farms’ delicious chunky cherry jam goes great on a charcuterie board, pancakes, waffles and ice cream!
Thanks, Honey!
Wildflower Honey from Misbeehaven Farm is made in small, hand-crafted batches. Great on toast, in tea or charcuterie boards!
Start your day right!
Thanksgiving is wonderful, and a lot of work! Get your mojo on with Alpen Sierra’s Alpenglow House Blend 30th Anniversary edition! Sweet and spicy aroma welcomes a complex flavor, rich and balanced with chocolate and vanilla notes, lingering sweetly in a long aftertaste.