Cheesy Biscuit Breakfast Casserole

Called the disability office Tuesday morning. Connie was at the vet clinic. I wanted to do it alone because some things you need to do without a witness, and admitting to the United States government that you can't work anymore is one of them. The woman on the phone was efficient and not unkind. She asked questions — how long have you been unable to perform your job duties, what is the nature of your disability, do you have medical documentation. I answered each one like I was testifying at a trial, which in a way I was. The trial of Craig Hensley versus his own body, verdict already in, sentencing pending.

She said the process takes months. Paperwork, medical reviews, maybe a hearing. I said I understand. She said do you have someone helping you with the forms. I almost laughed. I have Connie. Connie is an army.

Travis called Thursday to check in. He and Jolene are doing well — married nine months now, settled into their apartment, Jolene talking about a house someday. Travis asked about my back, direct the way Travis is direct about everything, no sideways approach. I told him the truth because Travis deserves truth and because lying to your children is a kind of theft. He was quiet for a minute, then said, Dad, you built houses for other people for twenty years. You earned a rest. I said Hensley men don't rest. He said maybe it's time one did. He's twenty-eight years old and smarter than I was at fifty.

Made soup beans Saturday. The real ones — dried pintos soaked overnight, ham hock from the freezer, slow-cooked for six hours with nothing but water and salt and an onion cut in half. No shortcuts. Betty's soup beans are a Monday food but I made them Saturday because the rules don't apply the same when you're fifty-three and filing for disability and the calendar has stopped meaning what it used to mean. Cornbread in the cast iron — buttermilk, stone-ground meal, a little bacon grease in the skillet heated smoking hot before you pour the batter. The cornbread sizzles when it hits the iron. That sound is the sound of my childhood. It's the sound of every Monday in Evarts. It's the sound of Betty's kitchen and I am holding onto it with both hands.

Connie ate two bowls and a wedge of cornbread and said, these are close. Coming from Connie, that's a standing ovation.

Connie said the soup beans were close, and that’s all I needed to hear to keep cooking. There’s something about the act of building a meal from scratch — the soaking, the slow heat, the cast iron sizzle — that makes the paperwork and the phone calls feel a little smaller. This Cheesy Biscuit Breakfast Casserole doesn’t come from Betty’s kitchen, but it’s cut from the same cloth: humble ingredients, real heat, and enough food to make a person feel like they earned a rest. Travis said maybe it’s time one Hensley did. I’m starting to think he’s right.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 38 minutes | Total Time: 53 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 lb breakfast sausage (pork, mild or hot)
1 can (16.3 oz) refrigerated buttermilk biscuit dough (8 biscuits)
6 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, for greasing

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Heat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter and set aside.
Brown the sausage. Cook sausage in a skillet over medium heat, breaking it into crumbles, until browned through, about 8 minutes. Drain fat and set aside.
Cut the biscuits. Open the biscuit dough and cut each biscuit into quarters. Arrange the pieces in a single layer across the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
Layer the sausage. Scatter the cooked sausage evenly over the biscuit pieces. Sprinkle 3/4 cup of the cheddar over the sausage layer.
Make the egg mixture. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, sour cream, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika until smooth and well combined.
Pour and top. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the biscuit and sausage layers. Sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup cheddar over the top.
Bake. Place in the preheated oven and bake uncovered for 30–38 minutes, until the eggs are fully set in the center and the top is golden and bubbling. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean.
Rest and serve. Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve warm, straight from the dish.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cheesy Biscuit Breakfast Casserole — Something Warm When the Calendar Stops Meaning What It Used To