Recipe Background
Oh wow, Southern cooking is usually amazing already, but this? This is beyond words. Southeast Breakfast Casserole takes the idea of biscuits and gravy, a time-honored breakfast, and goes even further. The savory sausage gravy is all the more special being homemade, but it's the biscuits that are really something else. Summery cornmeal biscuits infused with the charm of chives and the melty sharpness of cheddar are just so tasty... and they're already on top of the gravy just waiting to be dipped in! Southeast Breakfast Casserole is here to change how you think about breakfast forever.
Oh wow, Southern cooking is usually amazing already, but this? This is beyond words. Southeast Breakfast Casserole takes the idea of biscuits and gravy, a time-honored breakfast, and goes even further. The savory sausage gravy is all the more special being homemade, but it's the biscuits that are really something else. Summery cornmeal biscuits infused with the charm of chives and the melty sharpness of cheddar are just so tasty... and they're already on top of the gravy just waiting to be dipped in! Southeast Breakfast Casserole is here to change how you think about breakfast forever.
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 1 pound hot ground pork sausage
- 1/2 cup sweet onion chopped
- 1/4 cup red bell pepper chopped
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For the cheddar-cornmeal biscuits:
- 1 3/4 cups self-rising soft-wheat flour plus more, to taste, for dusting a work surface
- 1/4 cup plain yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 cup cold butter cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus 1 tablespoon butter, melted, divided
- 3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives chopped, plus more, optional, to taste, for garnish
- 1 cup heavy cream
Directions
- Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add the sausage, the onions, and the bell peppers and cook, while crumbling the meat, until the sausage is browned and the vegetables are tender, about 10-12 minutes.
- Transfer the sausage mixture to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.
- Wipe the skillet clean and return it to the stovetop.
- Reduce the heat to low.
- Add 1/4 cup of the butter to the skillet and allow it to melt.
- Add the all-purpose flour to the melted butter and whisk until smooth and the raw flour smell disappears, about 1-2 minutes.
- Gradually add the milk to the flour-butter mixture, while whisking.
- Increase the heat to medium.
- Cook, while whisking, until the milk mixture is thick and bubbly, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add the sausage mixture and the salt to the sauce mixture and stir to combine.
- Transfer the sausage mixture to the prepared baking dish and allow it to cool completely, about 45 minutes.
- While the filling cools, in a large bowl, add 1 3/4 cups of the self-rising flour and the cornmeal and whisk to combine.
- Add 1/2 cup of the cold cubed butter and cut it into the flour-cornmeal mixture using a pastry blender or a fork until the mixture is crumbly and resembles small peas.
- Add the cheese and 2 tablespoons of the chives and stir to combine.
- Add the heavy cream and stir until the flour mixture is just moistened.
- Using the extra self-rising flour, lightly dust a work surface.
- Turn the dough out onto the prepared work surface and lightly knead it until it comes together, about 3-4 kneads.
- Pat the dough into an 8x6-inch rectangle.
- Cut the dough rectangle into 12 (2-inch) squares.
- Cut each of the dough squares in half diagonally.
- Cover and chill the dough triangles until ready to use.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Arrange the biscuits spaced 1/4-1/2-inch apart on top of the sausage mixture in the baking dish.
- Bake until the casserole is bubbly and the biscuits are golden-brown, about 40-45 minutes.
- Transfer the casserole from the oven.
- Brush the tops of the biscuits with the remaining 1 tablespoon of melted butter.
- Serve hot sprinkled with the extra chives.
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