Toad in the hole is a traditional English dish that’s both easy to make and satisfying to eat. In the US this name often refers to a breakfast dish, but in the UK this main can be eaten anytime of day. Since it’s both easy and hearty it makes a wonderfully simple way to have your bread and sausages.

In this Christmas Toad in the Hole we are adding a whole lot more than just sausage to the Yorkshire pudding. Conveniently this also fits on a jelly roll pan (10”x15”) so it’s essentially a sheet pan meal that comes out of the oven full of yummy holiday flavors.

All the Christmas Fixins!

A firm British tradition is to have Brussels sprouts at Christmas. I know many folks here do as well since winter is this cruciferous vegetable’s harvest time. So we’re adding some of those to roast along with some onion, leeks, and carrots.

Then we’re making a very simple stuffing to make stuffing balls with. This gives such a wonderful aroma to the whole dish and it’s even easier simpler than most stand-alone stuffing recipes. Just roll into balls and then set aside.

Here’s another idea: you can use leftover stuffing to make the balls for the day after Christmas morning or for a dinner some post-Christmas night as well. I love finding new ways to use up leftovers and the holidays can be unpredictable in terms of how much food you might have leftover. You can also use stuffing mix if you want to cut down on the steps in this recipe.

Then we’re onto the protein. Bangers and rashers are a classic of English breakfasts. A rasher is a slice of bacon and a banger is a small sausage. Combine the two, the sausage wrapped in a slice of bacon, and you have what the Brits call pigs in a blanket. I know it’s a lot of names changing here, but stick with me!

For this dish the sausages are pre-cooked and the bacon will cook in the oven after being wrapped. For a crispier bacon experience you can pre-bake the wrapped sausages while you’re heating up the pan in the oven, but the sausages should already be cooked before wrapping.

Making the Yorkshire Pudding

We are putting all of these delicious things, each one iconic in their own way to Christmas dinner, into a big batch of Yorkshire pudding. Again the terminology across the pond is a bit different. Here pudding doesn’t refer to something sweet. Instead Yorkshire pudding is sort of an eggy bread that puffs up when it’s cooked. As it puffs up it surrounds the things we added in, making each slice of this festive pudding a taste delight.

The pan for the Yorkshire pudding does need to be hot as this initial blast of heat helps it to cook, but other than that the recipe isn’t super complicated when you consider that this makes a lot of food! It’s your main, veggies, and sides all in one pan!

This is a loaded up version of Yorkshire pudding that has all the bells and whistles you’d expect from a holiday meal. And, you can change it up any way you like. Use mushrooms instead of pigs in blankets to make it vegetarian. Or add your favorite veggies if you don’t already see them listed in the ingredients.

Gravies to Go With

Since Yorkshire pudding is usually made to accompany a roast, there’s often a gravy from the drippings to go with it. But, in this case you can choose your own gravy. With that in mind here are some gravy recipes that would go well with this flavorful dish.

Emergency Homemade Gravy

May your Christmas be as full of merriment as this Christmas Toad in the Hole is full of flavor!