Overnight Impossible Cheeseburger Casserole

Did you grow up with the quintessential Impossible Cheeseburger Pie recipe off the Bisquick box? Well, we did! And I had a pound of ground beef and some leftover homemade bread to use up and was debating what to do with them when that recipe flitted through my head. But how to update it a little, and use the leftover bread? So I chunked the bread into pieces, and turned it into an overnight casserole! 

The bread soaks in that lovely egg and milk mixture and gets super tender. This is a very simply seasoned recipe - feel free to play with flavors however you want. Change up the cheese, add additional vegetables, etc. Plenty of ways to make this your own! This was a great base, and tasted of childhood to me and my sister.

Overnight Impossible Cheeseburger Casserole 

Ingredients
7-10 cups bread, in 1" cubes (I used leftover Challah bread)
1 large onion, diced
1 lb ground beef
2 cups cheddar (or a monterrey-cheddar blend)
1 tsp salt, more to taste
1/2 tsp pepper, more to taste
8 eggs
2 cups milk

Directions

1. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Cook the ground beef and onion in a large nonstick skillet, until beef is cooked through and onion is tender (about 10-15 minutes). Sprinkle the beef and onions with a little salt and pepper during cooking.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, milk, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper in a 4-cup measurer or medium bowl.
4. Spread half of the bread cubes in the prepared dish, and sprinkle 1 cup of cheese over. Distribute remaining bread over the cheese.
5. Pour the egg mixture over the bread and cheese, pressing the bread down a little.
6. Sprinkle the cooked ground beef and onion mixture over the top, allow to cool a little before sprinkling with the remaining 1 cup of cheese (or wait until ready to bake to add the last cup of cheese).
7. Wrap with saran wrap and refrigerate overnight or at least a few hours. When ready to bake, pull out to allow the dish to come to room temperature (preferably at least 30 minutes prior to baking).
8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
9. Sprinkle on the last cup of cheese if you reserved it, and bake uncovered in the heated oven for 30-45 minutes. Cheese should be melted, and tips of exposed bread should be golden brown. Allow to rest a few minutes before slicing and serving.

Serving suggestion: serve with ketchup or salsa for dipping!