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    Home » Recipes » Brunch Recipes

    Christmas Morning Wife Saver

    Published: Dec 10, 2017 · Modified: Dec 11, 2021 by Philip Lago and Mystique Mattai · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Serving a slice of Christmas Morning Wife Saver

    Celebrate Christmas morning with the ultimate Canadian breakfast casserole. Christmas Morning Wife Saver is made with layers of bread, ham, and cheese and topped with an egg, milk and veggie mixture, and cereal topping.

    Close up of finished Christmas Morning Wife Saver with a slice served on a green plate

    The Holiday Season is more than adventuring the mall, knocking gifts off a list, and opening perfectly wrapped presents under the tree. It's a time where the magic of the season is honored with traditions passed down through generations; special moments that we hold close, adding meaning to our celebrations.

    For me and my family these traditions include Christmas morning brunch with tiny foods picked out by me and my sister including jalapeño poppers, Holiday Chex Mix, and mini quiches, and other traditions like my Dad's pepper pot. And for Philip, his family holiday tradition comes by the little name of Christmas Morning Wife Saver.

    Growing up with five siblings, Philip's mom Patricia needed a Christmas morning dish that could feed a large group, was easy to prepare, and even easier to serve. Enter Christmas Morning Wife Saver courtesy of the Best of Bridge cookbook. A true wife or mom saver, this Canadian classic was and still is the perfect Christmas morning meal to prepare for family.

    What is Christmas Morning Wife Saver?

    Christmas Morning Wife Saver is a breakfast casserole made with layers of bread, ham, cheese, bread and topped with an egg, milk and veggie mixture, and a cereal topping.

    Putting a Chef Sous Chef spin on a 1980s housewife secret, we passed on the traditional white bread of this dish for sourdough, swapped the ham for back bacon, added in jalapeños for flavor, old cheddar for sharpness and sweetened corn cereal to complement this savory breakfast casserole

    Ingredients for Christmas morning wife saver: Cornflakes, butter, egg, milk, Worcester sauce, onion, bread, cheese, jalapeño, peameal bacon, and dry mustard

    Ingredient List

    Sharp cheddar, sourdough bread, peameal bacon, eggs, whole milk, jalapeno peppers, onion, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, butter, honey corn cereal flakes, salt and pepper.

    How to Make Our Christmas Morning Wife Saver

    Step 1. Make a Breakfast Casserole Sandwich

    Place 4 slices of bread, crusts removed, on the base of a buttered 9” x 9” oven safe casserole dish. Use an additional 2 slices of bread to fill in any gaps in the base. Layer slices of peameal bacon slices on top of the bread. Sprinkle 2 ½ cups of grated cheese evenly on top of the bacon. Complete the “casserole sandwich" by covering the cheese with another 4 slices of bread.

    Step 2. Make the Eggs and Get Soaking

    In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 5 eggs, 2 ½ cups of milk, 1 ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, ¾ teaspoon dry mustard, pepper, salt, 1 diced jalapeño pepper, and ½ diced onion. Pour the mixture over the entire casserole, cover and let sit in the refrigerator overnight, or up to two days.

    Step 3. Top and Bake

    When you get up the next morning, remove the wife saver from the fridge. Preheat your oven to 350° F. Melt ½ cup butter and pour over the strata, then top with 2 cups of crushed honey flake cereal. Bake, uncovered for 1 hour. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.

    Hand holding a spatula removing a piece of Christmas Morning Wife Saver from the casserole dish

    Recipe Card

    A flat lay of the finished Christmas Morning Wife Saver in a square casserole dish with a plaid napkin and mini Christmas tree ornaments

    Christmas Morning Wife Saver

    5 from 1 vote
    Philip Lago and Mystique Mattai
    A Christmas Morning tradition in our household, Christmas Morning Wife Saver is a Canadian classic dish with peameal bacon and melty Canadian cheese layered between bread and soaked overnight in milk and eggs. We slightly altered the original recipe, created by Best of Bridge, adding jalapeños for additional spice and topped the casserole with honey cereal flakes to provide a sweet crunch.
    Servings: 6 servings
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 1 hour hr

    Ingredients
      

    • 200 g Cheddar Cheese shredded (about 2 ½ cups)
    • 12 large slices sourdough bread crusts removed
    • 8 slices peameal bacon
    • 5 large eggs
    • 2 ½ cups whole milk
    • 1 jalapeño pepper seeds removed and diced (about ¼ cup)
    • ½ small onion diced (about ¼ cup)
    • 1 ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
    • ¾ teaspoon dry mustard
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ½ cup butter melted
    • 2 cups honey cereal flakes crushed

    Instructions
     

    • Place 4 slices of bread on the based of a buttered 9” x 9” oven safe casserole dish. Use an additional 2 slices of bread to fill in any gaps in the base.
    • Layer the peameal bacon slices on top of the bread. Then sprinkle the grated cheese evenly on top of the bacon. Cover with the remaining bread to make a “casserole sandwich.”
    • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, pepper, salt, jalapeño peppers, and onion. Pour the mixture over the entire casserole, cover and let sit in the refrigerator overnight, or up to two days.
    • In the morning, preheat your oven to 350°. Pour the melted butter over the casserole then cover with the crushed cereal.
    • Bake, uncovered for 1 hour. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 184mg | Sodium: 436mg | Potassium: 280mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 757IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 404mg | Iron: 1mg

    Additional Information

    Course: Brunch, Food + Drink, Main
    Cuisine: Canadian, north american
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 268
    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and let us know!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jane A says

      December 11, 2017 at 10:16 pm

      I grew up in Calgary and this was my favourite Christmas dish. You guys made it look so beautiful. Love the addition of Jalapeño peppers!5 stars

      Reply
    5 from 1 vote

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