Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add your pound of ground sausage and cook, breaking it into small crumbles as it browns, for about 8-10 minutes until there’s no pink remaining. You want it fully cooked and broken into bite-sized pieces. Drain off the excess fat using a slotted spoon or paper towel, then set the sausage aside to cool slightly. While that’s cooking, spray your 13×9-inch baking dish generously with cooking spray. Make sure you get into all the corners—this prevents sticking and makes cleanup so much easier. Set the dish aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine your cooled browned sausage, 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese, and half of the bacon bits (about 1.5 ounces). Stir these together until they’re evenly distributed. This is your enchilada filling, and it should smell absolutely wonderful at this point. Taste a tiny bit—it should be seasoned nicely from the sausage and bacon. Don’t skip the cooling step for the sausage. If it’s still hot, it can wilt your tortillas and make them harder to work with.

Lay out one tortilla on a clean cutting board. Place approximately 1/8 of your sausage mixture (about 3 tablespoons) in a line down the center of the tortilla. Don’t overfill—you want to be able to roll it without the filling bursting out the sides. Roll the tortilla tightly, starting from one edge and moving toward the other. The filling should be snug but not bulging. Place it seam-side down in your prepared baking dish. Repeat with all remaining tortillas until you have 8 rolled enchiladas arranged in a single layer. If your tortillas are cracking, try warming them slightly in a dry skillet for 15 seconds per side. This makes them more pliable and much easier to work with.

In another large mixing bowl, crack your 6 eggs and beat them together with a fork or whisk until they’re uniform in color and the yolks are completely incorporated. Add the 2 cups of half-and-half, 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ⅛ teaspoon of black pepper. Whisk this mixture together vigorously for about 1 minute until it’s smooth and the flour is completely dissolved. You shouldn’t see any white flour streaks. This custard is what transforms the enchiladas from simple rolls into something creamy and luxurious. Pour this custard evenly over all the rolled tortillas in your baking dish. You’ll pour it slowly, and it’ll settle around and over them. This is what creates that beautiful texture as it bakes.

To Make Ahead: Cover your baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and place it in the refrigerator. It’ll keep beautifully for up to 12 hours. When you’re ready to bake, remove it from the refrigerator while you preheat your oven. To Bake Fresh: Skip directly to Step 6 without refrigerating.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If your dish came from the refrigerator, allow it to sit on the counter for 10-15 minutes while the oven preheats. This helps it bake more evenly. Cover the baking dish with foil (this prevents the cheese from browning too quickly) and place it in the preheated oven. Bake for 35 minutes. You’ll notice the edges starting to set and the custard becoming less jiggly. Remove the foil and sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese evenly over the top, followed by the remaining bacon bits. Return to the oven, uncovered, for 10 additional minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the custard is set throughout. You can test doneness by gently shaking the dish—the center should barely jiggle.

Remove the dish from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving. This allows the custard to firm up slightly, making it easier to cut clean portions. The cheese will stay beautifully melted, and you’ll have an easier time lifting out individual enchiladas.