Y'all, if you’ve never had a Kentucky Hot Brown, then you’re missing out on a true Bluegrass classic! Made with toasted and cubed sourdough bread, tender turkey, crispy bacon, juicy cherry tomatoes, and smothered in a rich, cheesy Mornay sauce, this dish is baked at 350°F for 30 minutes until hot, bubbly, and downright irresistible. Whether you're feeding a crowd or just need a cozy weeknight dinner, this Southern staple always hits the spot! Serves 6-8.
This casserole has my heart!
Listen, being a Southern cook that is born and raised in the heart of Kentucky where the grass is blue and our water is brown (aka the bourbon...our water is not actually brown lol) - there is nothing more special than living in Louisville ESPECIALLY during the month of April and leading up to the Derby.
The Hot Brown is a legendary dish that originated at the Brown Hotel in downtown Louisville and is often served at the Derby or around any Derby festivities. This dish is simple and stick-to-your-bones-good and today I am showing you how to make it into an easy casserole to serve a crowd!
Wash it all down with a classic Kentucky mint julep with bourbon and chocolate bourbon pecan pie dessert bars to end it with something sweet. Your guests will be full and happy and ready to cheer those thoroughbreds on!
Welcome to my real-life kitchen, come cook with me!
Before you start, here are a couple of tips and options for how to prep certain parts in advance/variations of what you can do. Throughout my multiple rounds of recipe testing of this casserole, I found some of these ways helpful to prep in advance and save a little time.
- For the bread - I have made this with a sourdough round loaf and French bread, and personally prefer sourdough but honestly, it doesn't matter. The sourdough is sturdy enough to be toasted and soak up the sauce without becoming mushy throughout the baking process. If you would like to prep this part in advance, you can cube and toast the day before and keep them stored in a zip-top bag once cooled and until needed.
- For the turkey - I like to buy a 24-ounce package of turkey tenderloin breasts and cook according to the package directions in a baking pan with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. This can be done the day before, and stored in the fridge airtight until needed. You can also purchase thickly sliced turkey breast from the deli and cube it for an easier and quicker option. I personally prefer to bake my own and think it gives a better flavor overall.
- For the Bacon - this can be cooked the day before. Cool on a plate lined with paper towels then store in the fridge until needed.
An example prep-ahead baking schedule
If you're serving this dish on a Saturday...do the following:
- Friday: toast the bread, bake the turkey if you choose that option, and cook the bacon.
- Saturday: start the sauce, grate your cheese, dice the turkey, bacon, and tomatoes, and mince the parsley while the sauce is cooking. When the sauce is done, layer all the ingredients then bake!
If you are making the recipe all on the same day I would bake the turkey (if doing that), cook the bacon, then proceed with the recipe as directed to make the best use of your time.
Step 1 - toast the bread.
Step 2 - make the mornay sauce.
⭐️ PRO TIP ⭐️ - grate your own parmesan cheese for this recipe. The extra effort it takes will result in a smooth sauce and better results. If you use pre-grated cheese, the powdered coating on it will clump up the sauce.
Step 3 - prep the ingredients aka lots of chopping.
Step 4 - assemble and bake! This is the order of the layers exactly:
- sauce - roughly a ⅓
- bread - use ½
- turkey -use ½
- bacon - use ½
- sauce -roughly another ⅓
- bread - the other half
- turkey - the other half
- bacon - the other half
- sauce - the rest of the sauce
- parmesan - the remaining half that you grated
- tomatoes - all of them
Recipe
Oven-Baked Hot Brown Casserole with Mornay Sauce
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 6-8
Description
Y'all, if you’ve never had a Kentucky Hot Brown, then you’re missing out on a true Bluegrass classic! Made with toasted and cubed sourdough bread, tender turkey, crispy bacon, juicy cherry tomatoes, and smothered in a rich, cheesy Mornay sauce, this dish is baked at 350°F for 30 minutes until hot, bubbly, and downright irresistible. Whether you're feeding a crowd or just need a cozy weeknight dinner, this Southern staple always hits the spot!
Ingredients
Mornay Sauce:
- 8 tablespoons butter
- ⅓ cup flour
- 1 ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 8 ounces Parmesan cheese - shredded & divided in half
Casserole:
- 6-8 cups sourdough bread (roughly a loaf) - cubed and toasted
- 3 cups turkey breast - cooked and cubed*
- 8-9 pieces bacon - cooked and crumbled
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes - diced
- Parsley - minced for garnish
Instructions
-
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread cubed bread on a baking sheet and toast for 15 minutes while preparing the béchamel sauce.
-
Make the Sauce
- Add butter to a large saucepan and turn the stove on medium heat to melt.
- Add in the flour and whisk together. Cook for 2-3 minutes, whisking often.
- Turn the heat to medium-low and slowly pour in the cream. Pour a little at a time (about ½ cup each time), whisking in between each addition so that no clumps form and the mixture is smooth. Add in the milk and whisk again until the sauce is silky smooth.
- Add in the spices and stir. Cook for 5 minutes - whisking often as it slightly thickens and cooks.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in ½ of the parmesan cheese. Set aside for assembly.
-
Prep the ingredients
- Cube the turkey.
- Chop the bacon.
- Dice the tomatoes.
- Mince the parsley.
- Set all aside for assembly.
-
Assembly
- Grease a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Spoon about ⅓ of the sauce into the bottom of the pan. Add ½ of the toasted bread cubes on top.
- Layer the following evenly across the pan in this order: ½ of the turkey, ½ of the bacon, roughly ⅓ more of the sauce, the rest of the bread, the last half of turkey, the last half of bacon, and finishing with more sauce as the final layer.
- Sprinkle the remaining half of the parmesan cheese on top, then add the tomatoes - spreading evenly across the top.
- Place in the oven to cook for 25-30 minutes - until hot and bubbly.
- Remove, let cool for 5-10 minutes, and garnish with fresh parsley, and serve!
Notes
Ingredient Options
- For the bread - I like to use sourdough. You can use a round loaf or French bread - it doesn't matter. The sourdough is sturdy enough to be toasted and soak up the sauce without becoming mushy.
- For the turkey - I like to buy a 24-ounce package of turkey tenderloin breasts and cook according to the package directions in a baking pan with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. You can also purchase thickly sliced turkey breast from the deli and cube it to use for an easier and quicker option.
- You can toast the bread, and cook the turkey and bacon one day before - making prep a little easier. If doing it all on the same day I would bake the turkey (if doing that), cook the bacon, then proceed with the recipe as directed to make the best use of your time.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner - Casserole
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 scoop
- Calories: 871
- Sugar: 6.4 g
- Sodium: 1435.2 mg
- Fat: 44.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 53.9 g
- Fiber: 2.6 g
- Protein: 61 g
- Cholesterol: 216.1 mg
