Breakfast Casserole
In my early 20s’, I moved away from my hometown. As a matter of fact, I even changed provinces and lived in Ontario for almost 20 years. From there, I met my husband on the internet, fell in love and moved in with him in British Columbia – now that was a big gamble I took and a humongous change…
I’m sure there are millions of people like me who took a leap of faith either for work, love or simply to experience another life-style. I never regretted any of my decisions but the downside of this is I’ve been away from my family and friends. When the Holiday season or vacation time arrives, that is when they come and visit us. As much as I really enjoy their company, I also don’t want to get stuck in the kitchen all day long, preparing meals.
There’s a favorite of mine when it comes to the first meal of the day and it’s my Breakfast Casserole! This dish is incredibly tasty and so easy to make. What makes this one a winner is I can prepare it ahead of time and the next morning, take it out from the refrigerator and simply bake it… done!
An important step is to microwave the shredded potatoes prior to mixing them in with the other ingredients. The reason behind this is potatoes always take longer to cook therefore giving them a jump-start will make the whole dish ready within the baking time with all the ingredients cooked equally.
I use a 3-quart baking dish that I generously grease with cooking spray. Can you use butter instead? I guess you can but the rendered fat from the sausage adds a lot of flavor plus the calories. I don’t think we need to add more to this Breakfast Casserole.
Being a foody, I make a lot of ingredients from scratch and that includes my spices and meat. I use my homemade Italian Seasoning as well as my Hot Italian Sausage. Both can be found on the website so simply click on the links.
I love making my Breakfast Casserole for many reasons. First, when having people over and socializing, the morning after can be a little rough so by preparing the dish the day before removes that anxiety of serving food to your guests. Second, it’s incredibly delicious and so easy to make. Finally, I love the fact that I don’t have to slave in the morning to enjoy such an amazing meal with friends and family, giving me more time to relax with them… after all, they’re my out-of-town guests!
Bon Appétit!
Check out these other delicious breakfast & brunch recipes…
– Breakfast Sausage Muffin Cups
– Pancetta Vegetable Frittata
– Breakfast Quinoa Cereal with Mixed Berries
– Breakfast Burritos
– Soufflé Mexican Omelet
– Creamy French Eggs
and for even more breakfast recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • Breakfast & Brunch
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Breakfast Casserole
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Ingredients
- 2 to 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces
- 6 large free-run eggs
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning tips & tricks
- 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
- 1/4 tsp. ground Himalayan sea salt, or to taste and divided
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or to taste and divided (I always use mixed peppercorns)
- 1 lb. hot Italian sausage, casing removed see Recipe
- 1 cup white onions, chopped
- 1/2 cup red peppers, chopped
- 1/2 cup poblano peppers (substitute green bell peppers), chopped
- 3 cups button mushrooms, washed and sliced
- 2 large cloves garlic, pressed optional
- 2 1/2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded and divided
- 1/8 tsp. sweet paprika
Directions
- Preheat oven at 375º and generously grease a 3-quart dish; set aside.
- Using either a box grater or a food processor, shred the potatoes. Drop them on a clean dish towel, gather the corners, hold the top tightly and squeeze it firmly to remove the excess moisture.
- Transfer the shredded potatoes to a microwave-safe bowl and cover tightly with cling film.
- Cook in the microwave for 2 minutes on High. Remove the bowl from the microwave, lift the plastic wrap, stir very well and return the bowl back to the microwave for another 2 minutes. Repeat these steps until they’ve been cooked for a total time of 8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add milk to eggs as well as Italian seasoning, rosemary, salt and black pepper. Beat the ingredients very well and set aside.
- After being cooked for 8 minutes, stir the potatoes, cover again with the cling film so they don’t dry out and let it sit while we start cooking the other ingredients.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add hot Italian sausage and cook until brown, about 7 to 8 minutes, breaking the meat into small pieces. Transfer it to a bowl using a slotted spoon and set aside.
- To the skillet, add red peppers and green peppers; sauté for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add mushrooms, stir and season with salt and black pepper; cook for 5 minutes. To this, add pressed garlic and sauté for only one minute.
- Remove from the heat and transfer the veggies to the meat. Add the shredded potatoes and stir to combine. Add 2 cups of cheese and give a good stir before adding the egg mixture; stir to coat.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared 3-quart baking dish and level it out with a spatula. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of Cheddar cheese evenly on top as well as sweet paprika.
- Cover tightly with foil and at this point, the dish can be stored in the fridge for the next morning or transferred to the preheated oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes. When the half an hour is up, uncover and return the dish for another 15 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.
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